Gary Barnett's Buffs have improved from 3-8 last season to 10-2. Brian Bahr/Allsport
	1   Colorado 2   Nebraska 3   Texas 4   Oklahoma 5   Texas Tech 6   Texas A&M 7   Kansas State 8   Iowa State 9   Oklahoma State 10   Missouri 11   Kansas 12   Baylor
	$33.7 million Projected payout expected after a record eight Big 12 teams received bowl bids -- including two in the Bowl Championship Series.
	"We've got 20 million people who graduated in coaching in our state." -- Texas coach Mack Brown on the fervor that greeted his announcement of Major Applewhite as his starting quarterback for the Holiday Bowl.

A member of Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford's staff tried to brace him for the inevitable before the release of the final Bowl Championship Series selections.

"Somebody told me this morning how good controversy was," Swofford said with a chuckle. "I said, 'OK -- if you say so.' "

BCS proponents have heard enough debate over the past several weeks after the system's computer formula determined that Miami and Nebraska will play for the national championship Jan. 3 at the Rose Bowl.

There was little question about Miami (11-0), the nation's lone undefeated team. But the selection of Nebraska over Colorado -- particularly after the Buffs' decisive 62-36 victory over the Cornhuskers on Nov. 23 and their Big 12 championship the following week -- made some critics feel the BCS had failed to determine the right team to meet the Hurricanes.

"Our disappointment had to do with beating Nebraska and getting the results spit out like they did," Colorado co-defensive coordinator Vince Okruch said. "We're sitting in Boulder saying that we put 62 points on them and wondering what's wrong with the equation."

Colorado coach Gary Barnett couldn't believe his team was bypassed in favor of the Cornhuskers.

"If a team makes it to the national championship game and doesn't even make it to its own league's playoffs, what does that say," Barnett said. "I don't think that's right."

In the final ranking, Miami finished first at 2.62 points, Nebraska was second with 7.23 points, Colorado third at 7.28 points and Oregon fourth at 8.67 points. The .05 margin between Nebraska and Colorado was the slimmest in the BCS' four-year history.

"We think the formula is fair," Swofford said. "Controversy doesn't affect credibility."

The scenario played out after Louisiana State upset Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Vols likely would have qualified to play Miami if they had won that game.

Interestingly, Colorado and Oregon were ranked ahead of Nebraska in both The Associated Press and coaches' poll, but the Cornhuskers were ahead of Colorado in every one of the BCS' eight computer rankings.

"It's hard to be gracious at this moment," Barnett told reporters after learning his team had been snubbed. "We beat five ranked teams. Only Florida [among BCS teams] did as such. We beat the team ahead of us. I'm just for a little more, maybe, integrity in the system we have now."

Colorado players learned of the selection during the team's banquet to celebrate its first Big 12 football championship in school history. The Buffs instead will play Oregon Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Nebraska coach Frank Solich defended his team's selection, which will give them a chance to play for a share of their first national championship since 1997.

"Certainly Colorado has a great football team, as does Oregon," Solich said. "Anytime you don't have two clear cut teams that have gone undefeated, you're going to have controversy.

"The game against Colorado was a 26-point differential, but if you look over how the schedule played out, we won 11 games in a row and nobody was within 10 points of us."

Even Nebraska's large loss didn't kill the Cornhuskers' optimism they could still reach the Rose Bowl. In order to make their trip to Pasadena, five teams ranked No. 2 lost.

"We did not give up hope," Solich said. "Our feeling was if people were going to step back and take a look at the entire season, we were going to have a chance."

Nebraska received an unexpected boost when TCU upset Southern Mississippi. The Cornhuskers' .16 increase in strength of schedule over the last poll because of that win was more than triple the eventual margin that vaulted them into the title game.

The Cornhuskers will become the first team since The Associated Press created its poll in 1936 to play for the national title coming off a loss. They will also be the first at-large team to play for a national championship in BCS history.

The Miami game will give the Cornhuskers defense a chance for redemption after their struggles against Colorado in their final game. Nebraska's "Blackshirts" were trampled for 582 total yards and 380 yards rushing as tailback Chris Brown rushed for a school-record six touchdowns.

"Our defense was really embarrassed in that game," Nebraska defensive tackle Jeremy Slechta told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Having them do what they did to us will really stay in our minds for a while. We want to show them that doesn't happen to us all the time."

Colorado will travel to the Fiesta Bowl for a game against Oregon that will have some national championship sizzle. The winner will have a claim to the title if Nebraska should upset the Hurricanes.

Since the Texas victory, Barnett has worked through several disruptions. Sophomore defensive end Matt McChesney was suspended for the bowl trip because of a summons issued by campus police for underage alcohol consumption and criminal mischief.

Campus and Boulder police have investigated the Colorado program after the alleged gang rape at a weekend party that was reportedly attended by Colorado players and recruits. No charges have been filed in the alleged incident.

Even with the recent off-the-field woes, some players still can't shake their feelings of being shafted by the BCS.

"We have a lot of respect for Nebraska," Colorado center Wayne Lucier said. "But as players, we have a hard time understanding how they could possibly be in the Rose Bowl if they didn't even compete for their conference championship.

"We're the Big 12 champion. We feel like we're the best team in the Big 12 this year and the Big 12 is a great conference. We came out on top, and we feel like we deserve a shot. I'd be lying if I said we wouldn't be upset by that."

But other Buffs have accepted their fate after several weeks and are focusing on getting ready for Oregon.

"It's disappointing to us because we feel like we're a better team than Nebraska," Colorado tailback Bobby Purify said. "We feel we are better than most teams right now.

"People say the computer is right. We're just going to have to go out and play well against Oregon and prove to the nation how good we really are."

The most noticeable difference in Colorado's run to the Big 12 title has been the play of its offensive line. The Buffs' punishing front was the difference in breakout victories over Colorado and Texas in its final two games. Colorado coach Gary Barnett credits the emergence of junior center Wayne Lucier for spurring the development. The former Northwestern transfer earned a starting position before the first game, enabling Andre Gurode to move back to his natural position at guard. "I think Andre said it best," Barnett said. "Wayne was our missing link. He stepped in and gave us the one guy we needed to give us a complete offensive line." Lucier a native of Amesbury, Mass., graduated from high school in Salem, N.H., and was recruited to Northwestern by Barnett before following him to Boulder. "He plays the most important position on the line for us and he's just a relentless player," Barnett said. "He's added to our toughness up front and is a bright young man, as well." Lucier's New England allegiation is clear, considering he has been tattooed with the NFL team's old logo. "I've been a Patriots fan my whole life," Lucier told the Denver Post. "I thought about getting their new logo, but I like the old one."		HOT: Colorado RB Chris Brown Rushed for 380 yards and nine TDs over his last two games against Nebraska and Texas. NOT: Texas QB Chris Simms His miserable four-turnover performance in less than a half against Colorado, along with Major Applewhite's scintillating relief effort, resulted in a quarterback change for the Holiday Bowl. HOT: Colorado QB Bobby Pesavento Gamely directed the Buffs' first Big 12 championship on a bum knee that was so stiff coach Gary Barnett almost took him out at halftime of the victory over Texas. NOT: Former Kansas QB Mario Kinsey Kicked off the team less than two weeks after the arrival of new coach Mark Mangino for an undisclosed violation of athletic department policies. HOT: Kansas State The Wildcats streaked into their ninth straight bowl appearance by winning four of their last five games, outscoring opponents 167-50 during that span. NOT: Texas A&M The Aggies limped into their bowl with one offensive TD in their final three games.
After Major Applewhite's strong relief performance against Colorado in the Big 12 championship game, it wasn't surprising that Texas coach Mack Brown opted to announce him as the team's starter for the Holiday Bowl. Brown's timing and the manner of his announcement were rather unusual. The Texas coach surreptitiously made his announcement in a rambling video interview on Texas' Web site that looked like something out of "Sex, Lies and Videotape." Later, Brown defended his decision and blasted Texas fans for booing Simms as the Longhorns floundered to an early 29-10 deficit against the Buffs. Simms was intercepted three times and fumbled once. "No one in their right mind without alcohol would boo a 20-year-old kid," Brown said.		Nebraska QB Eric Crouch The only thing better than winning the Heisman could be backing into a shot at the national championship less than 24 hours later. Kansas coach Mark Mangino The Jayhawk became the second Oklahoma offensive coordinator hired as a Big Ten coach in three years. Mangino follows fellow former Sooner assistant Mike Leach, now head coach at Texas Tech. Texas Tech's fans After the Red Raiders were nearly bypassed by Alamo Bowl officials in favor of Texas A&M, they responded by purchasing a bowl-record 25,000 tickets through the university's ticket office.
The two Big 12 games which could impact the national championship both will be renewals of old bowl rivals. Nebraska and Miami will tangle for the sixth time in a major bowl at the Rose Bowl and 10th time overall, with the five previous post-season games at the Orange Bowl. The Cornhuskers claimed the most recent game, 24-17, at the 1995 Orange Bowl and have a 5-4 advantage in the series. Colorado and Oregon have met 14 previous times before this year's Fiesta Bowl. The Buffs enjoy an 8-6 edge in the previous games, including a 38-6 rout in the Cotton Bowl following the 1995 season and a 51-43 shootout victory in the '98 Aloha Bowl. The game with the most history will come at the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston when Texas A&M and TCU renew a rivalry with 91 previous games. It will be the first time that TCU has played a Texas Big 12 school since the formation of the conference. Many Horned Frog boosters still are wondering why Baylor and Texas Tech were included and they were left out of the new conference. The biggest reason was the political clout provided by former Texas Gov. Anne Richards (a Baylor alum) and former Texas State Sen. John T. Montford (a Texas Tech alum and then chairman of the power Texas Senate Finance Committee who later worked as Tech's chancellor). TCU and Texas A&M first met in 1897 when TCU was named Add Ran College and based in Waco. The two schools played 72 straight seasons from 1924-95 as members of the SWC with the Aggies winning the last 23 of the series and holding a 55-29-7 lead in the series. Texas and Washington have met three previous times prior to the Holiday Bowl with the Longhorns holding a 2-1 edge. The Huskies won the most recent game with a 14-7 triumph at the 1979 Sun Bowl. Texas Tech will be gunning for revenge at the Alamo Bowl after losing its only previous game to Iowa in the 1996 Alamo Bowl. The Hawkeyes claimed a 27-0 victory in that game, holding the Red Raiders to a season-low 61 yards rushing. Kansas State will be looking for its second straight victory over Syracuse in the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix. The Wildcats claimed the only other game played between the two teams with a 35-18 triumph at the 1997 Fiesta Bowl -- the school's only previous Bowl Championship Series berth. Two other former Southwest Conference rivals will tangle at the Cotton Bowl when Arkansas meets Oklahoma, a member of the SWC from 1915-19. The Sooners hold a 10-3-1 edge over the Razorbacks, including a 42-8 triumph in the most recent game at the 1987 Orange Bowl. It will OU's first appearance in the Cotton Bowl game, despite playing in the facility 65 previous times. The Independence Bowl will represent the first meeting between Iowa State and Alabama. The Crimson Tide have compiled a 28-19-3 bowl record, while the Cyclones are 1-4 after last year's 37-29 triumph over Pittsburgh at the Insight.com Bowl.
Final NCAA regular-season statistics indicate Baylor and Kansas share a dubious distinction, along with Rutgers. Those are the only three Division I-A teams that punted for more yardage than they produced offensively. ... Kansas State coach Bill Snyder reacted with amusement with the selection of injured offensive lineman Thomas Barnett to the media's All-Big 12 team. Barnett was injured in preseason drills and did not play this season. "It solidified a lot of our thoughts as we've gone through the years," Snyder said. "How that happened, I'm not absolutely certain. But I told Thomas that's quite an honor for a guy who hasn't stepped on the field yet. Somebody thought pretty highly of him." ... Iowa State has won 16 games over the last two years -- the best two-season span for the school since 1977-78. The rebuilding job from last season's Insight.com Bowl team has convinced ISU coach Dan McCarney the Cyclones can continue their recent success. "If we can do that losing 15 starters, our punter, our kicker, lose that leadership and come back within a couple of field goals of matching that record a year ago. ... I think this program can do that every year," McCarney told the Ames Daily Tribune. "This is a really good program now." ... With the loss of defensive coordinator Phil Bennett to his new job as SMU's head coach, Kansas State's defense will be directed in the Insight.Com Bowl against Syracuse by linebackers coach Jim Gush and defensive ends coach Bob Fello . ... If Colorado wins the Fiesta Bowl, the Buffs would wrap up the nation's biggest turnaround with a change of 6 1/2 victories from last year. That would also mean that coach Gary Barnett would join Paul "Bear" Bryant at Kentucky (1946) and Texas A&M (1955), John McKay at Southern California (1962 and 1972) and Johnny Majors at Pittsburgh (1973) and Tennessee (1989) as the only coaches to twice have the NCAA's most improved team. Barnett also earned the honor at Northwestern in 1995. ... A key statistic to watch in Iowa State's Independence Bowl game against Alabama will be TB Ennis Haywood's rushing yardage. Haywood rushed for more than 70 yards in each of Iowa State's seven victories and less for that total in all of the Cyclones' losses. ... Remember the jokes about KSU coach Bill Snyder's creampuff schedules of the past? Not now. The Wildcats faced eight bowl teams in 2001. ... Oklahoma State QB Aso Pogi was seriously injured Dec. 17 in a car crash when the car he was driving collided with a tractor-trailer rig. Pogi underwent surgery for a deep laceration to his left, non-throwing, ring finger. Iowa State receivers coach Nick Quartaro will join new KU coach Mark Mangino's staff at Kansas as offensive coordinator after the Cyclones' Independence Bowl on Dec. 27 ... Clemson and Oklahoma have announced a two-game contract for games in 2008 and 2011. The 2008 game will be played in Norman and the 2011 game will be at Clemson. Oklahoma SS Roy Williams , the winner of the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards, says he is undecided whether he will return to school for his senior season in 2002. At the school's annual team awards ceremony after the regular season, OU tight end Trent Smith grabbed a microphone after receiving the award for the Sooners' offensive MVP, looked at Williams and said: "Roy, you've gotta stay, baby!"