PASADENA, California -- In their first visit to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten champions, Penn State's Nittany Lions accomplished almost everything they could have.


They finished an unbeaten, untied season with a three-touchdown victory over Oregon that made their coach, Joe Paterno, the most successful in the history of college football postseason games.


Yet as the crowd of 102,247 filed out of the stadium Monday the Lions were not satiated, for they knew their bid for a national championship was likely to fall short.


The AP and USA Today/CNN polls Monday and Tuesday both ranked undefeated Nebraska first, followed by Penn State.


On an overcast day that must have reminded them of home in Eugene, the Ducks went down by about the margin forecast by the odds makers, but not before their quarterback, Danny O'Neil, completed 41 of 61 passes for 456 yards to erase all the Rose Bowl records set in another losing effort by Wisconsin's Ron VanderKelen 32 years ago.


O'Neil, a senior who led Oregon to its first outright Pacific 10 championship, also committed a major gaffe on the final play of the first half and threw two critical interceptions, both to Chuck Penzenik, a reserve cornerback who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time.


Other Ducks made crucial mistakes as well, especially on special teams. Not only did freshman Matt Belden miss three field goals, one from 23 yards that would have given Oregon a first-quarter lead; the kickoff coverage team gave up a 72-yard return to Ambrose Fletcher that arguably did more than any other play to influence the game's outcome. It came right after Oregon had tied the score 14-14 with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter, and two plays later led to a 17-yard touchdown run by Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter that gave the Lions the lead for good.


Fiesta Bowl. In Tempe, Arizona, Kordell Stewart ran and threw for 348 yards of total offense and Rashaan Salaam rushed for three touchdowns as Colorado sent out coach Bill McCartney a winner with a 41-24 rout of Notre Dame.


Salaam, the 1994 Heisman Trophy winner, carried 27 times for a season-low 83 yards, lifting his season total to 2,088 yards.


Sugar Bowl. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Danny Kanell threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and Dan Mowrey kicked three field goals, leading Florida State to a 23-17 victory over Florida.


Star linebacker Derrick Brooks intercepted Danny Wuerffel with 1:32 left to seal the win for Florida State, which has won 10 straight bowl games and is unbeaten in the last 13 under coach Bobby Bowden.


Citrus Bowl. In Orlando, Florida, tailback Sherman Williams raced 50 yards with a screen pass with 43 seconds to play, lifting Alabama to a 24-17 comeback victory over Ohio State.


The Crimson Tide knocked away two desperation end-zone bombs from Buckeyes quarterback Bobby Hoying to finish 12-1, with their only loss coming by 1 point to Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.


The touchdown capped a fantastic day for Williams, who rushed 27 times for 166 yards and a second-quarter touchdown, and also amassed 155 yards on eight receptions.


Cotton Bowl. In Dallas, Texas, Rob Johnson threw three of his four touchdowns to Keyshawn Johnson as Southern California rolled to a record-setting 55-14 rout of Texas Tech.


USC's 55-point outburst broke the Cotton Bowl scoring record of 46 set by Miami against Texas in 1991.


Rob Johnson completed 16 of 21 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Keyshawn Johnson had eight receptions for a Cotton Bowl record 222 yards.


Hall of Fame Bowl. In Tampa, Florida, Terrell Fletcher rushed for 241 yards on 39 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Wisconsin to a 34-20 victory over Duke.


CarQuest Bowl. In Miami, Steve Taneyhill passed for a touchdown and ran for another to lead South Carolina to its first bowl win, 24-21 over West Virginia. In bowl games Friday:


Holiday Bowl. In San Diego, California, Todd Collins threw for two touchdowns and Tyrone Wheatley ran for another as the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines took advantage of excellent field position to defeat No. 10 Colorado State 24-14.


Michigan (8-4) had to drive only 17 yards for each of its final two touchdowns, a 16-yard pass from Collins to Mercury Hayes and a 3-yard run by Wheatley.


Gator Bowl. In Gainesville, Florida, James Stewart ran for three touchdowns and threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Kendrick Jones as Tennessee rolled to a 45-23 victory over turnover-plagued Virginia Tech.


The 68 points scored by the two teams was a Gator Bowl record.


Sun Bowl. In El Paso, Texas, Priest Holmes scored his fourth touchdown of the dayon a somersaulting 5-yard run late in the fourth quarter, lifting Texas to an 35-31 victory over No. 19 North Carolina.


(LAT, Reuters, AP)