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Oregon's college football teams are accustomed to losing. But they are laughing stocks no more. This season, as NPR's Tom Goldman reports, the University of Oregon and Oregon State University are both ranked in the top 15. The Ducks and the Beavers don't have fearsome nicknames, but the two schools could square off in one of the most important games in Oregon's history --- for a berth in the Rose Bowl.

NPR's Jack Speer reports on an agreement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and top accounting firms for guidelines requiring the companies to disclose the value of their consulting contracts with businesses they also audit. Both sides agree the new voluntary rules will help assure investors that they're getting a reliable look at a company's financial health.

Unemployment benefits expire for nearly 800,000 Americans as a congressional logjam holds up a possible extension. The new Congress, which meets in January, is expected to take up the issue as a top priority. NPR's David Molpus reports.

In Nebraska, the governor's race has top billing, as polls show a close Republican contest between Charles Herbster, Brett Lindstrom and Jim Pillen.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell is resigning after four years in the agency's top job. His efforts to lift ownership restrictions on media properties earned him critics on both the left and right.

Pentagon top adviser and one of the chief architects of the war in Iraq, Douglas Feith, resigns. Feith, a staunch neo-conservative with close ties to Israel, is a controversial figure, especially for his role in the use of intelligence to justify the war in Iraq.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) reflects on his rise to the top in his new book, Speaker: Lessons from 40 Years in Coaching and Politics. He speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

In Fremont, Calif., immigrant students are earning top grades, and their affluent parents are threatening to create their own school in order to keep standards high. Hear NPR's Claudio Sanchez.

In Alabama, the key runoff was for U.S. Senate, where Katie Britt topped Rep. Mo Brooks in the Republican race.

Guest host Jacki Lyden gets a demo of the Web site meetup.com from one of its co-founders, Scott Heiferman. The Web site has helped Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean move to the top of the fundraising list. But it also helps pug lovers, gardeners and knitters, among others, to "meet up."