STEWART MANDEL'S Extra Points

Randy Shannon's four years as head coach at Miami were baffling. The former Hurricanes linebacker and assistant recruited well, cleaned up the program's reputation and produced some of the highest graduation rates in the country. On the field, however, the team went just 16--16 in the ACC.... It's fitting that Nebraska's last game as a member of the Big 12 will be against its oldest, most intense Big 8--era rival, Oklahoma, in Saturday's conference championship game.... Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly gave fans a lot of confidence in the future by leading the Irish to their first win over USC since 2001. Despite numerous injuries, Notre Dame won its last three games to finish with its first winning regular season in four years.

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FRED VUICH