That’s the way it could have been if there were playoffs in the N.C.A.A.’s Division I-A. All of those games were decided by 6 points or less, and four by 3 points or less (three by 2 points) on a rare balmy first Saturday in December.

Instead of playoffs we have the BCmesS, choreographed by Disney (ABC and ESPN) with a Pepsi Twist of late-season missteps. Last week, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 collapses, and Saturday another No. 2 fell.

Entering the week, Miami was No. 1 and Florida was No. 2 and Texas was No. 3 and Nebraska was No. 4 and Oregon was No. 5 and Tennessee was No. 6 and Colorado was No. 7.

No. 1 Miami finished the season with a perfect 11-0 by barely surviving as a 13-point favorite at Virginia Tech, 26-24. But the Hurricanes won a trip to the Rose Bowl to play a team to be named later in the national championship game on Jan. 3 at 8 P.M., Eastern, on ABC, of course. Everyone thought Florida would be Miami’s opponent. Everyone, that is, but Tennessee.

No. 2 Florida (9-2) was a 18-point favorite over No. 6 Tennessee (10-1) but fell at home, 34-32. Instead of distracting his team by publicly blaming the Florida State senior citizen Bobby Bowden for intentionally injuring his star running back Earnest Graham, Florida coach Steve Spurrier, the Mouth of the South, should have focused on Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.

No. 3 Texas (10-2) fell behind early to surging No. 7 Colorado (10-2) as Chris Simms forced passes into three interceptions and lost a fumble in the Dr Pepper Big XII Championship game at Texas Stadium. Then came the “Marry Me Major” sign and the appearance of Major Applewhite on Army-Navy day to rescue the Longhorns. He did not win a promotion to colonel as Colorado avenged an earlier 41-7 licking from Texas by sending Chris Brown into the end zone three times (179 yards on 34 carries) on the 98G rush off tackle, as he did six times for touchdowns against Nebraska, for a convincing 39-37 victory. ABC’s Brent Musburger was convinced that Nebraska would be in the title game before he had to retrieve his Porterhouse-thick Texas brochure from his garbage last Monday. “We did it with heart,” Colorado coach Gary Barnett said of his Buffaloes, college football’s best team down the homestretch.

No. 4 Nebraska (11-1), still hanging around despite being hammered by Colorado, 62-36, was watching the others on television and could wind up in Pasadena.

No. 5 Oregon (10-1) survived a subpar game by New York billboard boy Joey Harrington and beat Oregon State, 17-14, in the Civil War. The Oregon State Beavers entered the season as Sports Illustrated’s coverboys and projected No. 1 team before the S.I. jinx struck them.

And, all inspired Penn State, a 6-point favorite, needed was a sixth victory to become bowl eligible after starting the season 0 for 4. But redshirt freshman quarterback Zack Mills, headlined “’General Mills’ Is In Command” by The Washington Post last Tuesday, was ambushed at Virginia. He saved his worst for last, throwing three interceptions, allowing Al Groh’s Cavaliers to rally from a 14-3 deficit for a crushing 20-14 victory. “Zack is still a freshman,” coach Joe Paterno said. “I think he got flustered. Four turnovers in a game and you’re going to get licked.” The turnovers sent Penn State to its second consecutive losing season at 5-6, again without a bowl, for the first time in Joe Paterno’s coaching history and left the Nits 10-16 in their last 26 regular-season games. After opening with Central Florida next Aug. 31, the Nits play Nebraska on Sept. 14, which is not a soothing way for a reeling team to recover. “I thought we had out best win today, and played our best game so far,” Groh said of his Cavaliers (5-7). “Our greatness lies in the future, and tomorrow we have to go get it.”

The day’s biggest irony was that both Mills and Simms threw three interceptions each in their team’s losses. When Penn State lost Simms, it went after Mills.

So who will play Miami? Certainly not Florida, but maybe Colorado, because it humiliated Nebraska, or Oregon, fittingly as the traditional Pacific-10 Conference representative in the Rose Bowl, or Tennessee, which next plays Louisiana State for the Southeastern Conference title. The final BCmesS standings on Dec. 9 will determine who plays Miami.

In the Heisman Trophy playoffs, Miami’s Ken Dorsey survived while Florida’s Rex Grossman failed, and Oregon’s Harrington was eclipsed by the defense leading the Ducks’ comeback. So that leaves either Dorsey (21 of 44 for 235 yards and a touchdown), or the best college football in the country, the Paul Hornung of his time, Antwaan Randle El, as the favorites to strike the Heisman pose next Saturday night. Even Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman winner, thinks no one parallels Randle El, the magician for Indiana (5-6). If he were at Notre Dame, like Hornung was in 1956 with a 2-8 team, he would win in a landslide.

Even the playoff survivors struggled. Miami hung on after Virginia Tech returned a blocked punt for a touchdown but a wide-open Ernest Wilford let a two-point conversion pass that would have tied at 26-26 slip through his fingertips in the end zone. Miami’s defense forced quarterback Grant Noel into four interceptions and a fumble. Noel is no Randle El.

"I'm happy we won," cornerback Phillip Buchanon said, "but walking off the field I didn't have that feeling you should for a team going to the Rose Bowl."

Miami again struggled on the road as it did before escaping at Boston College, 18-7. At home since the trip to New England, Miami outscored Syracuse and Washington, 124-7.

"Our team didn't flinch," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "It certainly didn't look good for us at times, but I'm extremely proud of the way we played."

In The Swamp, Florida allowed Travis Stephens, to run for a career-high 226 yards. Stephens had touchdown runs of 49, 35 and 68 yards – as only Herschel Walker once did – against Florida.

After Grossman led Florida on its final 77-yard touchdown drive and failed on the 2-point conversion, Tennessee recovered the onside kick and its band blared the “Rocky Top” fight song. Tennessee had not won at Florida Field since 1971, when Fulmer played guard at Tennessee. Incidentally, he is no longer at his playing weight. Stephens had runs of 49, 35 and 68 yards – as only Herschel Walker did against the Gators.

The most poignant game was Army-Navy, with the No. 1 fan, George W. Bush, watching the Black Knights, who are up the Hudson River north of the fallen twin towers, beat the Midshipmen, 26-17, against the backdrop of the war against terrorism. “For the Army guys overseas, I think they are smiling right now, maybe they have some motivation,” Army linebacker Brian Zickefoose said. “They have bragging rights for a year.”