Kyle Busch handled his Phoenix defeat gracefully on Sunday, even after Jeff Gordon used some rubbing to make the winning pass and deny Busch a three-race weekend sweep.

"I think he was on a mission today, and when Jeff Gordon has a good car and he has the opportunity to beat you, he's going to beat you," Busch said. "There's no doubt about that. He's my hero and I've always watched him and what he's been able to accomplish over the years. It's no surprise that he beat us."

If you don't think that sounds like typical Busch, join the club. But the driver known as "Rowdy" offered plenty of praise for Gordon while good-naturedly noting he barely missed out on repeating the history he achieved at Bristol last summer.

"There's always that one car that's got to ruin the whole weekend," Busch said with a smile, "and it had to be the 24 car."

Perhaps it's because Gordon had a faster car than Busch and would have passed him anyway – even without the nudge that allowed the No. 24 car to take the lead.

"He was gaining on me really good, and I knew he was going to get to me eventually," Busch said. "...He just drifted up a little bit into me and knocked me out of the way.

"But it don't matter. He had a fast enough car. Either way, he (would) have won ... It has nothing to do with how he won."

Busch had bigger problems to worry about than starting a rivalry with Gordon, anyway. He angered Carl Edwards early in the race by trying to a take a spot that didn't belong to him, which triggered a multi-car wreck and damaged Edwards' car.

Though Busch apologized profusely throughout the race, Edwards didn't seem to care. He kept "playing" with Busch by holding him up several times for the rest of the day.

"He was mad, for sure; he was frustrated, definitely," Busch said. "You can see that entirely out there the whole rest of the race. Anytime I got within five car lengths of his rear bumper, he would start checking up early, getting into the corners and slowing down and getting more space between me and the other guys.

"Finally, after about 20 laps of that, he let me go. It was weird. He just he was playing."

Busch said he hoped to speak with Edwards and move beyond the incident, especially given how the two raced one another cleanly in Saturday's Nationwide Series race.

"I made a mistake today – I've admitted that, again and again," Busch said. "Hopefully we can get past this and go on. ... It was just a mistake on my part."

Kyle Busch handled his Phoenix defeat gracefully on Sunday, even after Jeff Gordon used some rubbing to make the winning pass and deny Busch a three-race weekend sweep.

"I think he was on a mission today, and when Jeff Gordon has a good car and he has the opportunity to beat you, he's going to beat you," Busch said. "There's no doubt about that. He's my hero and I've always watched him and what he's been able to accomplish over the years. It's no surprise that he beat us."

If you don't think that sounds like typical Busch, join the club. But the driver known as "Rowdy" offered plenty of praise for Gordon while good-naturedly noting he barely missed out on repeating the history he achieved at Bristol last summer.

"There's always that one car that's got to ruin the whole weekend," Busch said with a smile, "and it had to be the 24 car."

Perhaps it's because Gordon had a faster car than Busch and would have passed him anyway – even without the nudge that allowed the No. 24 car to take the lead.

"He was gaining on me really good, and I knew he was going to get to me eventually," Busch said. "...He just drifted up a little bit into me and knocked me out of the way.

"But it don't matter. He had a fast enough car. Either way, he (would) have won ... It has nothing to do with how he won."

Busch had bigger problems to worry about than starting a rivalry with Gordon, anyway. He angered Carl Edwards early in the race by trying to a take a spot that didn't belong to him, which triggered a multi-car wreck and damaged Edwards' car.

Though Busch apologized profusely throughout the race, Edwards didn't seem to care. He kept "playing" with Busch by holding him up several times for the rest of the day.

"He was mad, for sure; he was frustrated, definitely," Busch said. "You can see that entirely out there the whole rest of the race. Anytime I got within five car lengths of his rear bumper, he would start checking up early, getting into the corners and slowing down and getting more space between me and the other guys.

"Finally, after about 20 laps of that, he let me go. It was weird. He just he was playing."

Busch said he hoped to speak with Edwards and move beyond the incident, especially given how the two raced one another cleanly in Saturday's Nationwide Series race.

"I made a mistake today – I've admitted that, again and again," Busch said. "Hopefully we can get past this and go on. ... It was just a mistake on my part."

He's half of that, and then some.

The Auburn quarterback closed out a brilliant, controversial season with a Heisman Trophy, a national championship and his index finger aloft.

He is No. 1. And after a 22-19 victory over Oregon before a record crowd at the University of Phoenix Stadium, only one questioned remained:

Was this the end of his college career?

Newton wouldn't say after the game, but if so, the Cardinals had better do their homework. Newton showed off his dizzying array of skills, from his rugged athleticism to great poise in the pocket. His bowl statistics weren't as flashy as Stanford's Andrew Luck, but he beat a team that Luck could not.

Newton is 1-0 in Glendale, and if he declares for the NFL draft, he would be tantalizingly close to the Cardinals, who own the No. 5 overall pick.

Imagine how good he'd look in red, returning to the scene of Monday's triumph.

"I'm a prime example of how a guy can turn something that was bad into something that was very great," Newton said.

The game was quirky, featuring a fake punt, three 2-point plays, two goal-line stands and some of the funkier footwear on the planet. The real heroes were Auburn's defense and running back Michael Dyer, who powered his team on the game-winning drive.

Yet everything about Auburn revolves around its star quarterback, the one who fumbled with five minutes remaining.

After Oregon capitalized on the turnover, a delicious scenario emerged: If Newton possessed rare star quality, he would lead his team to a game-winning score. It sounds overly simplistic, but transcendent quarterbacks always find a way to get it done under stifling pressure, in the really big moments.

The Tigers scored without much resistance. It was all Dyer, but the total conviction oozing from Auburn's offense stemmed from the presence of Newton, who orchestrated at 24-point comeback at Alabama earlier in the season. And moments after Monday's game ended, it was announced that Newton would fly from Arizona to a seat on Jay Leno's couch today.

"In my career as a head coach, he's the best player I've seen," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.

Granted, the low-scoring affair didn't live up to the hype. Three interceptions in the first 10 minutes muted the excitement. A scoreless first quarter - just the sixth time that has happened in 49 previous quarters of BCS title-game football - had many bracing for disappointment.

There was a feeling this game would be another showcase moment for the SEC, which has produced the past five national champions. On the street, you could feel the difference between the respective fan bases. Auburn fans seemed stoic, hardened by battle. By contrast, many Oregon fans were blowing kazoos that made quacking sounds.

But as the game progressed, it was clear that Oregon belonged on the same field with the unbeaten Tigers. And the full-page ad that ran in The Republic on Monday offered great insight into how Oregon has become an elite football program.

The ad showed LaMichael James walking up a tunnel in a high-tech uniform. It reads: "Yesterday's Fast is Today's Slow." The inference is that players at Oregon have access to innovative apparel that can't be found at other universities. That's a powerful recruiting tool.

Still, there is no substitute for a really good quarterback, and that was Auburn's biggest advantage entering the game.

Newton had some shaky moments. He threw into double coverage, resulting in a bad interception. He short-armed a throw on fourth down near the goal line, failing to connect with a wide-open receiver in the end zone. He overshot a receiver streaking down the middle of the field.

But he accounted for nearly 350 yards of total offense and managed the game extremely well. As the first half evolved, the reigning Heisman winner took command with his arms and his legs. His sensational touchdown pass to Emory Blake, son of former Cardinals quarterback Jeff Blake, gave the Tigers a 16-11 lead at intermission.

Yet both teams left the field to standing ovations.

Auburn's fans were comfortable with the scoreboard and the pedigree of their team. Oregon fans knew their team's penchant for second-half domination. Somehow, everyone in attendance knew that the best was still to come.

He's half of that, and then some.

The Auburn quarterback closed out a brilliant, controversial season with a Heisman Trophy, a national championship and his index finger aloft.

He is No. 1. And after a 22-19 victory over Oregon before a record crowd at the University of Phoenix Stadium, only one questioned remained:

Was this the end of his college career?

Newton wouldn't say after the game, but if so, the Cardinals had better do their homework. Newton showed off his dizzying array of skills, from his rugged athleticism to great poise in the pocket. His bowl statistics weren't as flashy as Stanford's Andrew Luck, but he beat a team that Luck could not.

Newton is 1-0 in Glendale, and if he declares for the NFL draft, he would be tantalizingly close to the Cardinals, who own the No. 5 overall pick.

Imagine how good he'd look in red, returning to the scene of Monday's triumph.

"I'm a prime example of how a guy can turn something that was bad into something that was very great," Newton said.

The game was quirky, featuring a fake punt, three 2-point plays, two goal-line stands and some of the funkier footwear on the planet. The real heroes were Auburn's defense and running back Michael Dyer, who powered his team on the game-winning drive.

Yet everything about Auburn revolves around its star quarterback, the one who fumbled with five minutes remaining.

After Oregon capitalized on the turnover, a delicious scenario emerged: If Newton possessed rare star quality, he would lead his team to a game-winning score. It sounds overly simplistic, but transcendent quarterbacks always find a way to get it done under stifling pressure, in the really big moments.

The Tigers scored without much resistance. It was all Dyer, but the total conviction oozing from Auburn's offense stemmed from the presence of Newton, who orchestrated at 24-point comeback at Alabama earlier in the season. And moments after Monday's game ended, it was announced that Newton would fly from Arizona to a seat on Jay Leno's couch today.

"In my career as a head coach, he's the best player I've seen," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.

Granted, the low-scoring affair didn't live up to the hype. Three interceptions in the first 10 minutes muted the excitement. A scoreless first quarter - just the sixth time that has happened in 49 previous quarters of BCS title-game football - had many bracing for disappointment.

There was a feeling this game would be another showcase moment for the SEC, which has produced the past five national champions. On the street, you could feel the difference between the respective fan bases. Auburn fans seemed stoic, hardened by battle. By contrast, many Oregon fans were blowing kazoos that made quacking sounds.

But as the game progressed, it was clear that Oregon belonged on the same field with the unbeaten Tigers. And the full-page ad that ran in The Republic on Monday offered great insight into how Oregon has become an elite football program.

The ad showed LaMichael James walking up a tunnel in a high-tech uniform. It reads: "Yesterday's Fast is Today's Slow." The inference is that players at Oregon have access to innovative apparel that can't be found at other universities. That's a powerful recruiting tool.

Still, there is no substitute for a really good quarterback, and that was Auburn's biggest advantage entering the game.

Newton had some shaky moments. He threw into double coverage, resulting in a bad interception. He short-armed a throw on fourth down near the goal line, failing to connect with a wide-open receiver in the end zone. He overshot a receiver streaking down the middle of the field.

But he accounted for nearly 350 yards of total offense and managed the game extremely well. As the first half evolved, the reigning Heisman winner took command with his arms and his legs. His sensational touchdown pass to Emory Blake, son of former Cardinals quarterback Jeff Blake, gave the Tigers a 16-11 lead at intermission.

Yet both teams left the field to standing ovations.

Auburn's fans were comfortable with the scoreboard and the pedigree of their team. Oregon fans knew their team's penchant for second-half domination. Somehow, everyone in attendance knew that the best was still to come.

AMSTERDAM - De Amerikaanse actrice Mackenzie Phillips heeft jarenlang een incestueuze relatie gehad met haar vader John Phillips, zanger van The Mamas and the Papas.
De 49-jarige actrice vertelt in haar autobiografie hoe ze op haar negentiende werd verkracht door haar vader. De zanger/gitarist van de band onderhield daarna twee jaar lang een incestueuze relatie met zijn dochter, aldus het Amerikaanse showbizzblad People.
De oud-One Day at a Time-ster vertelt hoe ze voor het eerst seks heeft met haar vader op de avond voor haar huwelijk. Ze zou gaan trouwen met Jeff Sessler, een crewlid van de Rolling Stones. "De avond voor het huwelijk kwam mijn vader opeens langs. Hij wilde dat ik het trouwfeest zou afblazen. Door de drugs ben ik daarna buiten bewustzijn geraakt. Het enige dat ik nog weet, is dat ik wakker werd en merkte dat mijn vader seks met mij had", zegt de Amerikaanse tegen het blad.
De incestueuze relatie hield daarna nog twee jaar aan.
Vader en dochter waren beide zwaar verslaafd aan drugs. John Phillips overleed in 2001.

AMSTERDAM - De Amerikaanse actrice Mackenzie Phillips heeft jarenlang een incestueuze relatie gehad met haar vader John Phillips, zanger van The Mamas and the Papas.
De 49-jarige actrice vertelt in haar autobiografie hoe ze op haar negentiende werd verkracht door haar vader. De zanger/gitarist van de band onderhield daarna twee jaar lang een incestueuze relatie met zijn dochter, aldus het Amerikaanse showbizzblad People.
De oud-One Day at a Time-ster vertelt hoe ze voor het eerst seks heeft met haar vader op de avond voor haar huwelijk. Ze zou gaan trouwen met Jeff Sessler, een crewlid van de Rolling Stones. "De avond voor het huwelijk kwam mijn vader opeens langs. Hij wilde dat ik het trouwfeest zou afblazen. Door de drugs ben ik daarna buiten bewustzijn geraakt. Het enige dat ik nog weet, is dat ik wakker werd en merkte dat mijn vader seks met mij had", zegt de Amerikaanse tegen het blad.
De incestueuze relatie hield daarna nog twee jaar aan.
Vader en dochter waren beide zwaar verslaafd aan drugs. John Phillips overleed in 2001.