Wednesday, November 19, 1997
PAC-10 NOTEBOOKIt’s a bowl full
of possibilities
By now, all of the Rose Bowl possibilities have been dissected,
discussed and debated.
Just in case you’ve been in a coma over the last few weeks,
Washington State, UCLA and Arizona State are still alive for Rose
Bowl berths.
However, Pac-10 teams will also be playing for bowls other than
the Granddaddy of them all this weekend.
For the record, the first-place Pac-10 team goes to the Rose
Bowl.
After the Rose Bowl representative is selected, the Alliance
(Orange, Sugar or Fiesta Bowls) will have a chance to take any
Pac-10 team.
The Cotton Bowl gets the next pick (the Cotton Bowl could choose
the Western Athletic Conference champ instead, sending the second
choice to the Holiday Bowl, but that is very unlikely this year).
The Sun Bowl in El Paso takes the next highest team in the
standings, while the Aloha Bowl gets the next choice.
Any team with six wins that is not taken by any of the above
bowls could qualify for a bowl with an open spot  Las Vegas,
Humanitarian, Independence or Motor City.
Here’s the possibilities and likely scenarios for each team.
Washington State  Could get Rose with win and either UCLA
win or Arizona State loss. If they win, the worst the Cougars would
probably end up with is a Cotton Bowl berth, while a loss could
possibly send them to the Sun or even Aloha Bowl.
UCLA Â Still hoping for Rose. A win would mean at least
Cotton with a slight chance at an Alliance Bowl bid if WSU also
wins. A loss shouldn’t drop them any lower than the Sun Bowl,
though the Aloha Bowl remains a possibility.
Arizona State  Could sneak into Rose, but if they win and
are left on the outside, it has been rumored that the Fiesta Bowl,
played in Sun Devil Stadium, is very interested in ASU. The Sun
Devils could also end up with a Cotton or Sun Bowl bid.
Washington  Eliminated from Rose Bowl last week, but a win
over WSU could get them a Cotton bid. At worst, Huskies will be
saying Aloha.
USC Â If the Trojans win and Huskies lose, the Aloha Bowl
could be faced with a tough choice between Washington and USC. A
loss to UCLA and the Trojans could still end up in the Aloha if ASU
goes to the Fiesta Bowl, but a more likely scenario would find USC
playing in the Las Vegas Bowl, if any bowl at all.
Arizona  A loss to ASU and Arizona is ineligible for any
bowl berth, but an upset here and Arizona could be an enticing team
for a minor bowl with an open spot.
Oregon  Could meet NCAA mandated six-win requirement with
a victory over Oregon State in the Civil War, but a 3-5 conference
record would probably scare off any bowl. Its geographic location
could lure the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, to take a look at
the Ducks.
Stanford, UC Berkeley and Oregon State are all eliminated from
bowl contention.
* * *
USC will not be very healthy this week when it takes on the
Bruins at the Coliseum.
Quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst will not play because of a
severely sprained ankle he suffered against Stanford. He will not
come off crutches until today, but should be able to return for a
bowl game.
In addition, running backs Delon Washington and Chad Morton, who
suffered sprained ankles against Oregon State, are listed as
probable this week.
Bruin wire services contributed to this report.