NEW YORK (AP) Nebraska will play for a national title after all.

In an astounding turn certain to send out a cry for a playoff or changes in the Bowl Championship Series, the Cornhuskers squeezed into second place over Colorado in the final BCS standings on yesterday.

Even though the Buffaloes routed the Huskers 62-36 three weeks ago, Nebraska won the points battle that counted most and will play undefeated Miami in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3.

Thanks to Louisiana State"s 31-20 upset of Tennessee in Saturday night"s Southeastern Conference title game, the Huskers were the BCS computer"s choice by a scant five hundredths of a point. A win by the Vols would have sent them to Pasadena instead.

In the final ranking, Miami finished first with 2.62 points, Nebraska second with 7.23 points, Colorado third at 7.28 and Oregon fourth with 8.67 points.

"Colorado and Oregon are great teams," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "Anytime you don"t have two clear-cut, undefeated teams, you"re going to have controversy."

Nebraska (11-1) was No. 4 in both the AP media poll and the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll on yesterday, but held a sizable edge over No. 2 Oregon (10-1) and No. 3 Colorado (10-2) in the computer portion of the BCS formula.

The final margin was so close that if the Buffaloes were one spot higher in any of the computer ratings they would have been off to the Rose Bowl instead of the Huskers.

In the Rothman ratings, for example, Colorado would have moved up one place and into the Rose Bowl if it had beaten Oklahoma State by 17 points instead of 22-19 on Oct. 27.

The BCS standings were devised by SEC commissioner Roy Kramer in 1998 in hopes of ensuring that the top two teams play for a national title. The rankings use a formula that incorporates the AP media and the coaches polls, eight computers, strength of schedule, won-lost record and bonus points for big wins.

Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch and the Huskers, in fact, didn"t even win their conference Colorado took the Big 12. But Nebraska will go to the Rose Bowl as an at-large team, the first time that"s happened in the BCS"s four-year history. The winner of that game is automatically crowned the coaches" champion.

"How you"re playing at this point seems to me that should be thought of," Colorado coach Gary Barnett said.

Oregon and Colorado will play in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, with the possibility of split national champions with the winner claiming the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll.

AP voters will turn in their ballots right after the Rose Bowl, and all teams are eligible for the title.

"I think controversy comes into play when the final BCS standing differs from the AP poll and the Coaches" poll," said BCS chairman John Swofford. "With the kind of year we had, you"re going to have three, four or five teams feeling they"re as good as anybody in the country and should have a chance to play for the national championship."

Problems arise in the BCS when just one team finishes with a perfect record. Oklahoma was the only unbeaten team last year, and the BCS computer picked a one-loss Florida State team to play the Sooners over a one-loss Miami even though the Hurricanes beat the Seminoles during the season.

Bring on the Volunteers

Florida Citrus Bowl

January 1, 1 p.m., ABC

Notables:

o This is the first meeting between Tennessee and Michigan. Tennessee"s record against Big Ten teams is 8-4. The Wolverines are 17-4-1 all time against the SEC.

o Even without a head-to-head match, both teams have had plenty to argue about. In 1997, Charles Woodson beat Peyton Manning in the Heisman Trophy race. In 1998, Tennessee expanded its stadium to be the largest in the nation causing the Big House to be enlarged.

o Tennessee would be playing in the Rose Bowl for the national title if it defeated Louisiana State University in Saturday"s SEC Championship game.

o Lloyd Carr is from originally from Tennessee.

o This is Tennessee"s 41st bowl appearance and 15th consecutive.

o This is Michigan"s 32nd bowl appearance and 27th consecutive. It is the third time in the past four years that the Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.