By The Associated PressSTARS• John David Booty, Southern Cal, passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns to lead the third-ranked Trojans to a 44-24 victory over No. 6 Notre Dame.• John Beck, Brigham Young, threw for 375 yards and made his fourth touchdown pass with no time remaining to rally the No. 21 Cougars to a 33-31 win over Utah• Chase Daniel, Missouri, threw for four touchdowns and a career-high 356 yards in the Tigers' 42-17 win over Kansas. His 74-yard score in the first quarter to Jared Perry was the school's longest pass play since 1989.• Danny Woodhead, Chadron State, ran for 252 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Eagles' 43-17 drubbing of West Texas A&M in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Woodhead became the all-division single season rushing leader with 2,740 yards.• A.J. Milwee, North Alabama, ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 138 yards and another score to help the Golden Lions beat Newberry 38-20 in the NCAA Division II playoffs.• Nate Kmic, Mount Union, ran for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the Purple Raiders' 35-3 victory over Wheaton in the NCAA Division III playoffs• Ricky Santos, New Hampshire, was 27-for-40 for 315 yards and five touchdowns in the Wildcats' 41-38 win over Hampton.• Rocky Pentello, Capital, threw for 399 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-13 victory over North Central in the NCAA Division III playoffs.• Jarett Dillard, Rice, caught six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns to help the Owls secure their first bowl appearance since 1961 with a 31-27 win over SMU. Dillard's 82 receptions for the season are a school record.

CLOSING INJohn David Booty passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns to Dwayne Jarrett, Southern Cal did an exceptional job containing Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, and the Trojans topped Notre Dame 44-24 Saturday night. Not only did No. 3 USC put the sixth-ranked Irish away, the Trojans surely did enough to move ahead of No. 2 Michigan in the national championship race. Should the Trojans (10-1) beat UCLA (6-5) at the Rose Bowl next weekend, they'll probably face top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS title game Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. USC has beaten its crosstown rivals seven straight times.

BIG EAST BATTLEBrian Brohm finished 21-for-29 for 337 yards and four touchdowns and eighth-ranked Louisville beat Pittsburgh 48-24 to take another step toward a Big East title. If the Cardinals defeat Connecticut next Saturday and Rutgers loses next week, they will represent the Big East in a BCS bowl. The Scarlet Knights get the bid if they win, since they beat Louisville 28-25 on Nov. 9. ... Rutgers moved within a win of earning its first Big East championship with a 38-7 victory over Syracuse. The 15th-ranked Scarlet Knights can clinch the league and a berth in the BCS by beating No. 7 West Virginia on the road next Saturday

ONE FOR THE ROADLarry Coker will have one more game as coach of Miami, after the Hurricanes qualified for the postseason with Virginia's 17-0 loss to No. 17 Virginia Tech. Coker was fired Friday after going 59-15 in six seasons with Miami. The Atlantic Coast Conference has tie-ins with eight bowls, so the Hurricanes are assured of competing in a bowl game for the ninth straight season.

RUSHING REGRETSSeventh-ranked West Virginia's rushing attack, second-best in the nation, was limited to 132 yards in a 24-19 loss to South Florida. Steve Slaton, the nation's No. 2 rusher, ran for a season-low 43 yards — 115 below his average — and saw his streak of six straight 100-yard games snapped. It was the Mountaineers' first loss at home in nine games.

HAPPY WANDERERSWith its 38-24 defeat of Maryland Saturday night, Wake Forest (10-2, 6-2) became the first ACC team in history to go 6-0 on the road. The Demon Deacons will be seeking their first ACC title since 1970 next Saturday against Georgia Tech in Jacksonville. The teams did not face each other this season.