COLLEGE BULLIES TAKE A HIT.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF 

It's never easy being one of the nation's glamour programs. But though it's not even halfway through the season, an unusual number of top schools are showing severe signs of stress.

Just looking around the country, it's easier being a Northern Illinois or Minnesota fan this week than Florida or Texas A&M.

Some snapshots of futility affecting the once-powerful:

--Penn State is 0-2 in the Big Ten Conference and 2-3 this season at Beaver Stadium. It must beat defending national champ Ohio State and Indiana to avoid its first losing season at home since 1964.

Things are so bad, receiver Tony Johnson faked an injury in the final two minutes to give his teammates a breather against Minnesota.

--Colorado suffered perhaps its worst humiliation in recent memory, losing at lowly Baylor last weekend.

``I've talked to former players ... and we're a disgrace right now,'' Colorado cornerback Phil Jackson said. ``(To) anybody who's ever worn the Buffalo helmet, we're a disgrace. That goes down the line from whoever plays to redshirt freshmen.''

--Clemson looked as though it might be back after a three-game winning streak, then fell apart in a 21-7 loss to Maryland.

``You need to win the game,'' coach Tommy Bowden said. ``We're at the stage now where we need to be winning that game. They're a good team. They've got good players like we do. And they beat us 21-7.''

--Washington coach Keith Gilbertson privately predicted it would be a long year, and he was right. But who thought quarterback Cody Pickett would be the scapegoat?

After losing to UCLA, Gilbertson said Pickett had trouble finding receiver Reggie Williams.

``We had a lot of stuff called to him that just didn't get there,'' Gilbertson said. ``There were some routes that were wide open that I thought we should have had. But I'm not playing quarterback.''

--And finally, there is the embarrassment that has become Florida. The Gators are 3-3, and their streak of being ranked in either major-college football poll was snapped at 226 weeks.

In the next four weeks, Florida plays three top-10 teams - sixth-ranked LSU, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 8 Georgia on the road.

After losing to Ole Miss, members of Florida's Delta Tau Delta fraternity hung a huge banner across the front of their house, which sits across from Florida Field.

It read, ``Fire Ron Zook.com,'' referring to a popular Web site for Gators fans.

``The only thing I can deal with are things that I do have control over,'' Zook said. ``Worrying about that or trying to do something about that is not going to help us win this next game, and the most important thing in my life right now, beside my family, is winning this next game.''

--Torn loyalty: Gary Peoples will face one of the most difficult tasks Saturday afternoon at the Cotton Bowl. The University of Texas police sergeant will be watching coach Mack Brown's back in his role as the coach's prime bodyguard, as he has at every Longhorns game since 1999.

But he also will try not to be too obvious showing much emotion for his nephew, Oklahoma junior wide receiver Will Peoples.

``There's a kind of mixed feeling,'' Gary Peoples said. ``When he's doing something I would be happy about, it's difficult because it's going against the school I work with. But it doesn't have any effect my job responsibilities.''

CAPTION(S):

3 boxes

Box:

(1) LEADERS

(2) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

(3) FOOTNOTES

- Scott Wolf