Gathering in an end zone before the kickoff of the Big 12 championship game last Saturday, Oklahoma players had a quiet moment; then they rolled to a 62--21 victory over Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Sooners clinched the No. 1 ranking in the BCS poll and a matchup with Florida in the national title game (page 38).

Dared Devil

Purdue fans tried to distract Duke forward Kyle Singler during a free throw attempt on Dec. 2 in West Lafayette, Ind. Singler nailed the foul shot anyway for one of his 20 points in the Blue Devils' 76--60 victory.

Losing Ground

Tight end Delanie Walker (46) of the 49ers shook some end zone out of his face mask as he celebrated his 28-yard touchdown catch with Bryant Johnson on Sunday in San Francisco. The bad news: Walker's grab was negated by a holding penalty. The good: The Niners still beat the Jets, 24--14.