NCAA Football

College football isn't normally big on second chances, but in this historic season of attrition at the top of the polls, Missouri has been dealt a second chance of epic proportions. Beating Kansas on Saturday night in front of the largest Arrowhead Stadium crowd (80,537) in 35 years earned the Tigers their first-ever Big 12 North title and will more than likely send them to the top of the polls Sunday for the first time since 1960. That's nothing, however, compared to the potential windfall awaiting 11-1 Missouri if it can avenge its only loss of the season next week against 10-2 Oklahoma: a conference championship and a berth to the BCS national championship game.

Boston College ended a 15-game losing streak against Miami to head into the Atlantic Coast Conference title game with a victory, and the 15th-ranked Eagles didn't even need Doug Flutie to do it. Matt Ryan threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead BC to a 28-14 win, BC's first victory over Miami since the 1984 'Hail Flutie' pass that ended one of the greatest games in college football history. Boston College (10-2, 6-2 ACC) will play for the conference championship in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 1 against Virginia Tech, which beat Virginia 33-21 Saturday for the Coastal Division title. BC already clinched the Atlantic Division with last week's victory over Clemson. But they wanted the win, anyway. The Hurricanes (5-7, 2-6) failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in 10 years.

Under coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska was one of the bullies of college football, a program to be feared. Under coach Bill Callahan, the Cornhuskers were too often the ones getting pushed around. After watching Callahan's Huskers for five games, Osborne, in his new role as interim athletic director, decided it was time for change. He fired Callahan during a five-minute meeting Saturday. Callahan left the football complex without speaking to reporters. The move was expected after the Huskers finished 5-7 with Friday's 65-51 loss at Colorado, a game in which they squandered an 11-point halftime lead by allowing 34 consecutive points.

NCAA Football