College

Victory never tasted so sweet.

Quinn Sharp kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime Monday night to lift Oklahoma State to a dramatic 41-38 victory over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. The crowd at University of Phoenix was announced at 69,927.

The Chip Kelly era at Oregon has featured conference championships, multiple 10-win seasons, cutting-edge pyrotechnic offenses _ even space-age uniforms that have made the Ducks the talk of college football. The only thing missing was a victory in a Bowl Championship Series game. And though Kelly and his players downplayed that fact throughout the week leading up to the 98th Rose Bowl, the jubilant scene on the field after a 45-38 victory over Wisconsin on Monday said otherwise.

SAN DIEGO – Third quarter, down by four points. First down, on the edge of the red zone.

Not long ago, Hunter Collins and Jesse Delgado were two pieces to the most successful Gilroy High wrestling season to date. Four years later, the pair of GHS graduates, each with decorated careers as Mustangs – including two state titles and eight Central Coast Section championships between them – will cross paths on the collegiate stage Jan. 8.

SEATTLE – Some holiday traditions just don't seem to go away. You know, like fruitcake, atrocities in the shopping aisles on Black Friday, and an ESPN-generated manifest of postseason college football that runs almost to Presidents Day. This year, we have something called the Belk Bowl in Charlotte. That's not to be confused with the bilk bowls, in which schools are held to ticket allotments in a down economy, while some bowl executives pull down half-million-dollar salaries. A look at the bowl season that starts Saturday, in all its 35-game, overstuffed glory.