The 5 best performances from Saturday's action

Saturday's action around the NCAA saw a variety of star players making their marks with dazzling performances.

We saw upsets against No. 8 LSU and No. 18 Missouri, as well as blowouts against teams that probably should have put up a bigger fight, like Florida and North Carolina.

Here's our top five performances from an action-packed Saturday in college football:

Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconson

Something was evidently wrong last week when Gordon could only muster 38 yards on 17 carries in a 37-3 Wisconsin win over Western Illinois.

Saturday against Bowling Green, the Badger broke loose for 253 yards on...wait for it: 13 carries. Yes, that's correct, he averaged better than 19 yards per carry. Five of those carries went for touchdowns, including scores of 50 and 69 yards.

Wisconsin's offense put up a jaw-dropping 756 yards in a 68-17 embarrassment of Bowling Green.

Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina

Thought Wisconsin's 753 yards was good? East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden helped the Pirates offense mount 789 total yards on a completely beleaguered North Carolina defense.

In ECU's 70-41 win Saturday, Carden went 30-of-48 for 438 yards and four touchdowns, and he also scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Carden has now thrown for 1,469 yards and 11 touchdowns through four games this season.

Amari Cooper and Blake Sims, WR, QB, Alabama

Alabama's dynamic duo of receiver Amari Cooper and quarterback Blake Sims illustrated why Alabama is a legitimate playoff team this year.

Cooper showed why he may win the Fred Biletnikoff award this year as college football's top receiver. In the Crimson Tide's 42-21 thrashing of Florida Saturday in Tuscaloosa, he went wild for three scores.

The junior recorded 10 catches for 211 yards, including a massive 79-yard touchdown to tie the game late in the second quarter.

His quarterback didn't fare too bad either. Sims threw for 445 yards on 23 completions and four touchdowns, and he actually missed half a drive when backup quarterback Jake Coker threw the Crimson Tide's fifth touchdown of the night, so Sims' stats easily could have been even gaudier.

Darrius Sims, DB, Vanderbilt

The second Sims we're highlighting is the kickoff returner and defensive back with Vandebilt, who set a new school record with two kickoff return touchdowns in his team's dogfight with South Carolina.

Before the third quarter had expired, Sims had 217 yards and a pair of scores on just four touches.

Unfortunately his team couldn't keep up with the Gamecocks, ultimately falling 48-34.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State 

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott may have pushed his team into the AP Top 25 with a terrific performance against No. 8 LSU. The Bulldogs narrowly upset the Tigers 34-29 in Baton Rouge as Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

The junior passed for 268 yards and rushed for 105 more as Mississippi State made themselves the talk of the SEC West Saturday night.

On one impressive play, Prescott escaped a collapsing pocket to find senior receiver Jameon Lewis for a 74-yard catch-and-run.