DALLAS (FWAA) – A fourth consecutive win over USC – and a statement that it can survive just fine without Andrew Luck – earned the Stanford Cardinal the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors for games of the weekend of Sept. 15. The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.

Stanford (3-0) beat second-ranked USC, 21-14, with a defense that allowed only two first downs after the Cardinal scored the go-ahead touchdown with 10:20 remaining. The Cardinal had four sacks and five tackles for loss while holding the Trojans to 26 rushing yards. It marked the sixth consecutive game that Stanford has held opponents under 100 yards rushing.

The sellout crowd of 50,360 stormed the field as Stanford won its fourth straight over USC for the first time in a series that dates back to 1905.

"The difference in the game was the defense," Stanford quarterback Josh Nunes said. "They did it all night."

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 15 included:

• Notre Dame (3-0): Everett Golson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score in the first half to lead the Fighing Irish over Michigan State, 20-3, in East Lansing. Notre Dame, off to its best start since 2002, snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked teams and beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years. The Spartans had won 15 straight at home.

• Western Kentucky (2-1): Antonio Andrews had a career night with 125 rushing yards and three touchdowns and his throw-back pass to quarterback Kawaun Jakes on a two-point conversion in overtime provided the margin of victory as WKU won at Kentucky, 32-31. It was WKU's first win in four tries in the intrastate battle.

The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the eighth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2012 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. The winner will be announced through Nov. 26 at 9:30 a.m. ET on the SiriusXM College Sports Nation channel.

Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 3, 2013, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will be played on Dec. 29, 2012, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.

For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.