Nebraska, Florida Ranked 1-2 : College football: Cornhuskers and Gators set for a showdown in Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2.
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Florida moved up to No. 2 in the Associated Press college football poll Sunday, setting up a Fiesta Bowl showdown against No. 1 Nebraska.
Florida (11-0) rose one spot after defeating Florida State, 35-24, Saturday. If the Gators defeat No. 23 Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference championship game, they will play Nebraska (11-0) for the national title Jan. 2 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Nebraska remained No. 1 after defeating Oklahoma, 37-0, Friday. The Cornhuskers received 51 first-place votes and 1,539 points from a nationwide media panel, while Florida got 11 firsts and 1,499 points.
Northwestern (10-1), which finished its regular season a week ago, moved up one notch to No. 3 and Tennessee (10-1) climbed one spot to No. 4 after defeating Vanderbilt, 12-7.
Both teams jumped over Ohio State (11-1), which fell from second to fifth after losing to Michigan, 31-23.
Notre Dame was sixth, followed by Colorado, Florida State, Texas and Kansas State. All those teams were idle except Florida State and Texas, which defeated Baylor, 21-13, Thursday.
No. 25 Toledo (10-0-1), the only unbeaten team besides Nebraska and Florida, is ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 1971 season.
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Beau Morgan rushed for four touchdowns and passed for a fifth Saturday night at Honolulu to power Air Force to a 45-28 victory over Hawaii and a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship.
The victory gave the Falcons a 6-2 conference record and a share of the title with Colorado State, Utah and Brigham Young. But more importantly, the victory kept open their hopes for a major bowl game. Colorado State will represent the WAC in the Holiday Bowl.
Morgan was spectacular, rushing for 206 yards in 30 carries and completing eight of 11 passes for 103 yards, as he guided the Falcons (8-4 overall) to 518 offensive yards.
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Miami’s next game could be in the Orange Bowl or the Gator Bowl. Or it could be in September 1996.
Most probable for the Big East Conference co-champions is an Orange Bowl matchup against sixth-ranked Notre Dame on New Year’s night.
If the NCAA announces sanctions against the Hurricanes before Sunday’s bowl-bid deadline, they might begin probation immediately so that it ends sooner, reducing the impact on recruiting.
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USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden were named to the Walter Camp All-America team. The quarterback was Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier, with Ohio State’s Eddie George and Iowa State’s 2,000-yard rusher Troy Davis the running backs.
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Wisconsin quarterback Darrell Bevell’s condition was upgraded to fair as he remained hospitalized because of a bruised kidney suffered in Saturday’s game against Illinois.
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The Bowl Picture
Official invitations won’t be announced until Dec. 3, but most postseason matchups are taking shape. A look at where they appear to be heading:
BOWL GAME: Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Dec. 14, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Nevada (9-2) vs. Toledo (10-0-1)
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BOWL GAME: Aloha
Honolulu, Dec. 25, 12:30 p.m. (ABC)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Kansas (9-2) vs. UCLA (7-4)
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BOWL GAME: Copper
Tucson, Dec. 27, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Utah (7-4) vs. Texas Tech (8-3)
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BOWL GAME: Alamo
San Antonio, Dec. 28, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Michigan (9-3) vs. Texas (9-1-1) or Texas A&M; (8-2)
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BOWL GAME: Sun
El Paso, Dec. 29, 11:30 a.m. (CBS)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Washington (7-3-1) vs. Iowa (7-4)
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BOWL GAME: Independence
Shreveport, La., Dec. 29, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
LSU (6-4-1) vs. Michigan State (6-4-1)
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BOWL GAME: Holiday
San Diego, Dec. 29, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Colorado State (8-3) vs. Kansas State (9-2)
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BOWL GAME: Liberty
Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 30, 9 a.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
East Carolina (8-3) vs. Stanford (7-3-1)
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BOWL GAME: Carquest
Miami, Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. (TBS)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Syracuse (8-3) vs. North Carolina (6-5)
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BOWL GAME: Peach
Atlanta, Dec. 30, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Virginia (8-4) vs. Auburn (8-3)
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BOWL GAME: Sugar
New Orleans, Dec. 31, 4:30 p.m. (ABC)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Florida State (9-2) vs. Texas (9-1-1) or Texas A&M; (8-2)
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BOWL GAME: Outback
Tampa, Fla., Jan. 1, 8 a.m. (ESPN)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Penn State (8-3) vs. Arkansas (8-3)
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BOWL GAME: Gator
Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 1, 9:30 a.m. (NBC)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Virginia Tech (9-2) vs. Clemson (8-3)
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BOWL GAME: Citrus
Orlando, Fla., Jan. 1, 10 a.m. (ABC)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Tennessee (10-1) vs. Ohio State (11-1)
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BOWL GAME: Cotton
Dallas, Jan. 1, 10:30 a.m. (CBS)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Colorado (9-2) vs. Oregon (9-2)
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BOWL GAME: Rose
Pasadena, Jan. 1, 2 p.m. (ABC)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Northwestern (10-1-0) vs. USC (8-2-1)
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BOWL GAME: Orange
Miami, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. (CBS)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Miami (8-3) vs. Notre Dame (9-2)
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BOWL GAME: Fiesta
Tempe, Ariz., Jan. 2, 5:30 p.m. (CBS)
LIKELY OPPONENTS
Nebraska (11-0) vs. Florida (11-0)
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