ROAD TO THE ROSE BOWL: AFTER GIANT UPSETS, HOW NOW BCS? MIAMI STILL ON COURSE; OPPONENT IN DOUBT.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

First, the unexpected happened. Then the unthinkable happened. Now, no one knows what's going to happen with the Bowl Championship Series rankings.

Colorado beat Nebraska, the top-ranked team in the BCS, on Friday. It wasn't a shock the Buffaloes won. It was the way they won. Colorado (9-2) pummeled previously undefeated Nebraska, pegged for the national-title game, 62-36 in Boulder, Colo.

That was just the beginning of the BCS shake-up. Oklahoma, the defending national champion, inexplicably lost to Oklahoma State 16-13 on Saturday.

Then Ohio State, with a backup quarterback, beat Michigan 26-20 and knocked the Wolverines out of BCS contention. Illinois won the Big Ten title.

Now the only constant in the BCS is Miami (10-0), which should finally move to No. 1 in the BCS rankings after being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll most of the season but No. 2 in the BCS.

Miami throttled Washington 65-7 on Saturday. With a win at Virginia Tech this Saturday, Miami will play for the national title at the Rose Bowl. Its opponent is the big question.

Florida moved to No. 2 in the AP and ESPN polls, and probably in the BCS, which is released today, as well. It should have the inside track to the Rose Bowl, setting the stage for a possible all-Florida title game. But the Gators must beat No. 7 Tennessee (9-1) on Saturday and, if they do that, win the SEC Championship on Dec. 8.

If Florida loses, it could be Texas, which moved to No. 3 in the AP poll, No. 4 Oregon or No. 5 Tennessee.

This wouldn't the BCS' worst nightmare. If Miami loses to Virginia Tech, now that would be a nightmare. There would be plenty of top-10 teams with one loss clamoring for the right to play in the Rose Bowl.

One Miami fan made as much sense of the BCS as anyone can at this stage: ``Roses are red, violets are blue, on Jan. 3, we'll play who?''

For much of the season, it was Nebraska. After Nebraska's loss to Colorado, it was Oklahoma. About 24 hours later, it looked like Florida. Next week, who knows?

--Third wheel: The BCS allows a maximum of two schools from the same conference to earn a BCS bowl berth. There are four BCS bowls - Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl - and eight BCS berths.

That rule will have the biggest impact on the Big 12, since Texas, Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma, are all ranked in the top 11 in the AP poll. Either Texas or Colorado - who play in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday - gets the conference's automatic BCS bid.

The other conferences with automatic berths are the SEC, Pacific-10, Atlantic Coast, Big East and Big Ten.

--Nowhere to run: The Sooners appeared primed for a shot at back-to-back titles, especially after the Cornhuskers lost to the Buffaloes. Nebraska beat Oklahoma 20-10 earlier this year.

But the Sooners, who fell to 11th in the AP poll, finished with no rushing yards, much of which was because of Oklahoma State's seven sacks on quarterback Nate Hybl.

Oklahoma (10-2) must have been pondering its likely matchup against Colorado in Texas. Not the laughable 4-7 Oklahoma State, which along with Baylor and Kansas usually provides prey for Big 12 powers.

--Unfazed by breakup: Colorado players seemed unconcerned the BCS is in disarray. For weeks, Miami and Nebraska seemed destined for Pasadena. Until all of last weekend's upsets.

CU can't play in the national-title game because it has two losses (to Fresno State and Texas), but it did create uncertainty.

``I'm not worried about the BCS,'' CU running back Chris Brown said. ``Let them figure that out at the end of the year.''

That's exactly what they'll have to do.

--BYU out? Brigham Young (11-0), the only other undefeated team in the country - along with Miami - is probably out of contention for a BCS bid. Oklahoma's loss to Oklahoma State gave Texas the North Division title in the Big 12 and probably one of the BCS' two at-large berths. BYU can only hope for the remaining at-large berth.

EXPERTS' consensus: WOLF'S PICKS

Daily News Staff Writer Scott Wolf is an Associated Press top-25 voter this season. Here's how he voted this week:

1. Miami

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Oregon

5. Nebraska

6. Tennessee

7. Colorado

8. Oklahoma

9. Maryland

10. Illinois

11. Stanford

12. Brigham Young

13. Michigan

14. Washington

15. Virginia Tech

16. Washington State

17. South Carolina 

18. Florida State

19. Georgia

20. Utah

21. Syracuse

22. Boston College 

23. Marshall

24. Georgia Tech

25. Louisville

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) EXPERTS' consensus: WOLF'S PICKS (see text)

(2) AP TOP 25