Fiesta Bowl

Given that the Fiesta Bowl matches the two top-ranked teams, it seems logical the game's winner will be the unanimous national champion. However, only the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll has declared the Fiesta Bowl victor will be its automatic titlist. The Associated Press writers will conduct a last poll after Monday night's game, leaving No. 3 Ohio State a longshot hope at the AP crown. If Tennessee wins, it's no contest. The Volunteers will win both poll titles.

Reporting from Glendale, Ariz. -- Quinn Sharp kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime Monday night to lift Oklahoma State to a dramatic 41-38 victory over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. The crowd at University of Phoenix was announced at 69,927. That was the way it ended, but hardly the way it was scripted. And yes, of course, a kicker was involved. It appeared Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would get his Heisman moment three weeks after the trophy was awarded to Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Luck was set to cap a brilliant career with a brilliant game that would ultimately end with a game-winning drive in regulation.

Reporting from Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Oklahoma State and Stanford appear to have transitioned successfully from what might have been to the here and now. Monday night's Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium will not be played for the national championship and will not feature this year's Heisman Trophy winner. Voters voted, computers churned, ballots were tabulated … stuff happened. Of course, both schools would rather be in New Orleans this week preparing for the Jan. 9 Bowl Championship Series title game, but there are only so many hours you can rehash the playback and the politics.

Reporting from Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Oklahoma State and Stanford appear to have transitioned successfully from what might have been to the here and now. Monday night's Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium will not be played for the national championship and will not feature this year's Heisman Trophy winner. Voters voted, computers churned, ballots were tabulated … stuff happened. Of course, both schools would rather be in New Orleans this week preparing for the Jan. 9 Bowl Championship Series title game, but there are only so many hours you can rehash the playback and the politics.

The Fiesta Bowl game between Notre Dame and West Virginia will not be moved to Jan. 3, and will be played as scheduled on Jan. 2, bowl officials said Wednesday. Don Meyers, selection chairman, had said Saturday night that the game might be moved if top-ranked Notre Dame (10-0) beats No. 2 USC Saturday, which could set up a national game championship game with West Virginia (11-0).

The Fiesta Bowl has lived to host another game. A Bowl Championship Series task force on Wednesday released a findings report and announced that it would allow the scandal-plagued Fiesta Bowl to remain part of the bowl rotation so long as it adheres to reforms and donates a minimum of $1 million to Arizona youth charities. The Fiesta, one of four bowls that host the annual BCS championship game, was recently rocked by a financial improprieties scandal that led to the ouster of longtime Chief Executive John Junker.

Reporting from New Orleans The Fiesta Bowl's name is mud right now, so it was appropriate that it pleaded its case at a hotel near the banks of the Mississippi River. Officials from the scandal-tattered bowl met Thursday with NCAA officials in an effort to keep its certification from the governing body's licensing board. All indications point to the Fiesta Bowl making whatever changes are necessary to remain in the bowl rotation, although a final decision isn't likely until the end of May. "I think they're trying to restore the trust of the entire college football community," said Nick Carparelli, chairman of the NCAA's Postseason Bowl Licensing Subcommittee.

Reporting from Glendale, Ariz. -- Quinn Sharp kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime Monday night to lift Oklahoma State to a dramatic 41-38 victory over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. The crowd at University of Phoenix was announced at 69,927. That was the way it ended, but hardly the way it was scripted. And yes, of course, a kicker was involved. It appeared Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would get his Heisman moment three weeks after the trophy was awarded to Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Luck was set to cap a brilliant career with a brilliant game that would ultimately end with a game-winning drive in regulation.

We attended the recent Fiesta Bowl hailed as "the National Championship." What we found was not a football game of national import, but a championship commercial promotion. For those of you lucky enough to be at home, you could turn off the ads or walk away. For those of us who paid admission, there was no escape. . . . It was a tacky event from beginning to end. Please keep the Rose Bowl unsponsored. Never take it for granted. COLLEEN SMOOT Balboa Island

If UCLA can get an NCAA waiver to play in a bowl game with a losing record, I deserve a pass for going 18-17 and getting blasted by fans who lost their house betting my wild guesses in Las Vegas. These annual predictions are for entertainment purposes only — unless you win a million dollars and want to send me half. There are not a lot of good matchups this season, but there are a lot of tough picks. The bowls are ranked in reverse order, the least interesting first, and were painstakingly selected with help from the consulting firm of "Manny, Moe & He Doesn't Know Jack.

The Fiesta Bowl has lived to host another game. A Bowl Championship Series task force on Wednesday released a findings report and announced that it would allow the scandal-plagued Fiesta Bowl to remain part of the bowl rotation so long as it adheres to reforms and donates a minimum of $1 million to Arizona youth charities. The Fiesta, one of four bowls that host the annual BCS championship game, was recently rocked by a financial improprieties scandal that led to the ouster of longtime Chief Executive John Junker.

Reporting from New Orleans The Fiesta Bowl's name is mud right now, so it was appropriate that it pleaded its case at a hotel near the banks of the Mississippi River. Officials from the scandal-tattered bowl met Thursday with NCAA officials in an effort to keep its certification from the governing body's licensing board. All indications point to the Fiesta Bowl making whatever changes are necessary to remain in the bowl rotation, although a final decision isn't likely until the end of May. "I think they're trying to restore the trust of the entire college football community," said Nick Carparelli, chairman of the NCAA's Postseason Bowl Licensing Subcommittee.

Former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried is the new men's basketball coach at North Carolina State. In a statement from the school, Gottfried said he was "extremely excited about the opportunity and challenge" of taking over a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2006. He replaces Sidney Lowe , who resigned last month after five seasons. A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that Gottfried, 47, a former assistant coach at UCLA, will receive a five-year deal with a guarantee of $1.2 million annually.

Texas Christian quarterback Andy Dalton bounced back in a big way from his three-interception performance in the Fiesta Bowl last year, efficiently managing the Horned Frogs' offense during a relatively mistake-free afternoon. "That was a big motivation for me," said Dalton, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. "I felt like I didn't play very well in the game last year. " Dalton, chosen as the game's top player on offense, rushed for a team-high 28 yards and a touchdown on a four-yard scramble late in the first quarter.

SATURDAY'S BOWL GAMES TicketCity Bowl NORTHWESTERN VS. TEXAS TECH When: 9 a.m. PST. Where: Dallas. On the air: ESPNU. About Northwestern (7-5): After starting the season 5-0, Northwestern won only two of its last seven games in becoming bowl eligible for the third time under Coach Pat Fitzgerald. The Wildcats will be without quarterback Dan Persa, who suffered a ruptured right Achilles' tendon on Nov. 13. About Texas Tech (7-5)

Texas Christian Coach Gary Patterson didn't dawdle around the question. He had an answer at the ready. Last season's Fiesta Bowl versus Boise State was big for TCU, but the upcoming Rose Bowl on New Year's Day against No. 4 Wisconsin is even bigger. "This is a bigger game because we had played Boise State before and everyone billed it as the two best non-[automatic] qualifiers," Patterson said Sunday as the Horned Frogs and Badgers visited Disneyland. Now, he said, facing one of college football's traditional blue-blood powers ?

The Times' Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time. No. 5 Texas Christian Gary Patterson says he's not worried about his tiny private-school team competing with in-state giants Texas and Texas A&M. Patterson compares his program's rise to the cola wars. "Only older people would understand," he told The Times before last season's Fiesta Bowl. "It's the old thing about 7-Up. They tried to climb the cola ladder, but they were always going to be third.