COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Bowling Them Over One More Time

And now, the weekly dose of bowl matchups and assorted gossip:

Rose--Michigan vs. Washington.

Sugar--Miami vs. Alabama.

Cotton--Texas A&M; vs. Notre Dame.

Orange--Nebraska vs. Florida State.

Fiesta--In order of preference: Arizona or USC vs. Boston College or Syracuse. Or Arizona or USC vs. Colorado. Or Colorado vs. Boston College or Syracuse. And the longshot entries are none other than Texas A&M; or Washington, which could still finish second in their respective conferences.

As for gossip, we offer three items of interest:

1--It appears the Holiday Bowl, with teeth clenched, will invite the third-place team from the gawd-awful Big Ten Conference to play the Western Athletic Conference champion (probably Hawaii or San Diego State).

Poor John Reid, the executive director of the San Diego-based bowl. He thought he lucked into the deal of a lifetime when the Big Ten agreed to automatically send its third-place team to the Holiday beginning next season. Under the terms of the agreement, the Big Ten would also make its third-place finisher available this season. The Holiday could pass and look elsewhere, but nobody expected the provision to become an issue.

Surprise, it’s an issue. With the exception of Michigan and Ohio State (which is probably headed to the Citrus), no Big Ten team has more than five victories. This is a critical point, because you need six Division I victories to qualify for postseason play.

The dismal Big Ten showing puts Reid in an awkward position. If he exercises his contractual right and ignores the Big Ten this year, he risks the wrath of conference Commissioner Jim Delany and the league’s athletic directors. He also risks losing serious brownie points, which could come in handy if the Holiday and Big Ten discuss an extension to the agreement. And remember the league adds Penn State next season.

So Reid is supposedly prepared to bite the bullet. He has two hopes: Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana or Iowa somehow become hot in the season’s final weeks. Or all four teams fall flat on their faces, allowing Reid to plead the six-victory rule and look for an at-large entrant.

2--If Miami is No. 1 and Alabama is No. 2, the teams will play in the Sugar. This is a given.

But if Alabama falters, the final regular-season polls could read as such: No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Texas A&M;, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Nebraska. If that happened--and it easily could--the Hurricanes have indicated they might pass on a Cotton Bowl invitation and a chance to play undefeated Texas A&M.; Instead, they would accept an Orange Bowl bid to play once-beaten Nebraska.

The reasoning: More money ($4.2 million for the Orange, $3 million for the Cotton). . . . No travel expenses. . . . Home-field advantage. . . . Recruiting advantage. . . . The calculated gamble that a victory against the Cornhuskers would mean a national championship, no matter what Texas A&M; or anyone else did on New Year’s Day.

The objections: Miami has never ducked an opponent, why start with A&M;, which would be ranked higher than Nebraska? . . . Think of the possibility of voter backlash and the possibility of another split poll. . . . If you’re a member of the Miami coaching staff, you might be more worried about playing the Cornhuskers than the Aggies these days.

3--So much for the preseason bowl coalition pledge to do away with any secret dealing before the Dec. 6 pick-’em day.

Discussions are under way--all described as “informal,” of course--that would tentatively send Southeastern Conference members Mississippi State to the Peach, Tennessee to the Hall of Fame, Florida to the Citrus and Georgia to the Gator, if the regular season plays out as expected.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic Coast Conference is busy trying to put together a package that would guarantee its No. 2 team a place in the Gator, its No. 3 team a spot in the Peach, its No. 4 finisher an invitation to the Aloha and its No. 5 team a trip to the Independence. What incentive--finish fourth and go to Honolulu or finish fifth and go to Shreveport, La.

And a push to secure a place in the Gator for a Big East team is also in the works.

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If San Diego State (4-3-1) doesn’t win two of its next three games, the Aztecs and Heisman hopeful Marshall Faulk will be bowl no-shows. With three very tough opponents remaining--No. 24 Hawaii, Fresno State (6-4) and No. 1 Miami--we don’t like their chances. . . . Syracuse Coach Paul Pasqualoni will make a fine politician one day. Said the diplomatic Pasqualoni when asked about Saturday’s game against Boston College, which was humiliated last week by Notre Dame, 54-7: “I am certain that the Notre Dame game will have absolutely no effect on Boston College.” Is that so? Then why does Eagle Coach Tom Coughlin still sound as if he and the Eagles are in mourning? “This is the only game we didn’t come to play in the two years I’ve been here,” Coughlin said. “If we’re made out of anything, we’ll come back.” Not against Syracuse, they won’t. The Orangemen are similar to Notre Dame in every way, which isn’t such a good thing for Boston College. . . . Ahead, 37-0, Irish Coach Lou Holtz called for a fake punt on the first series of the third quarter. It worked, prompting postgame accusations of running up the score. Holtz emphatically denied any wrongdoing and was backed by an unlikely source--Coughlin. “A lot has been said about that,” he said. “I think it’s been overrated and overemphasized.” . . . Shame on anyone who forgets to include Arizona State defensive lineman Shante Carver or Arizona nose tackle Rob Waldrop on their All-American teams. . . . After starting 5-0, Virginia has lost four of its last five games. The free fall has caused Cavalier fans to show they can be just as obnoxious as anyone else. As Virginia quarterback Bobby Goodman struggled during last Saturday’s 31-7 defeat to North Carolina State, a home crowd of 41,400 booed him as the incompletions mounted and offered Bronx cheers when he connected on a pass.

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Temple Coach Jerry Berndt nervously awaits Saturday’s meeting against Miami at the Orange Bowl, where the Hurricanes have a 50-game win streak. The Owls (1-8) are the first team to play Miami since the Hurricanes were penalized in the polls for pulling their starters in a victory against West Virginia. With that in mind, will Miami Coach Dennis Erickson keep his regulars on the field and play for the rout? “I don’t think Dennis will do that,” Berndt said. “I think there are a lot of players in Dennis’ program that he’d like to play. I’d do the same thing if we were in that same position.” Sure he would. Luckily for the Owls, Erickson promises to substitute early and often. “Once we have the game in hand, we’ll play the seconds and thirds,” he said. “We’ll put the reserves in like we always have and always will.”

Looking for reasons why Nebraska has positioned itself for an outside chance at the national championship? 1--Coach Tom Osborne’s decision to insert true freshman Tommie Frazier as the starting quarterback. 2--No turnovers. The Cornhuskers haven’t turned the ball over in the last 18 quarters, a span of 357 offensive plays. Meanwhile, Nebraska has forced eight turnovers in its last two games against Colorado and Kansas. 3--An excellent offensive line, running backs Calvin Jones and Derek Brown, and a defense that rivals some of Nebraska’s all-time best. . . . Osborne beats Big Eight rivals Colorado and Kansas by a combined 101-14 and suddenly he thinks he’s Mr. Chuckles. In a rare bit of Osborne humor, he poked fun at his critics who questioned his decision to feature the running game while the Buffaloes (and Oklahoma, too) abandoned the run in favor of passing attacks. “I’m a little upset about this league,” he said. “Now all of a sudden we’ve regressed. I’m really concerned about the future of this conference.” By the way, Colorado ran the ball 51 times against Oklahoma State Saturday, and the Sooners rushed 65 times against Missouri.

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Despite losing to Miami and later beating Washington, Arizona players said the Huskies are better than the Hurricanes. “I vote for Washington,” Wildcat running back Chuck Levy said. “Overall defensively, I’d give it to Washington.” And this from Waldrop, who was more impressed with Washington’s offensive line: “I’d like to see them play. (Washington’s) a more complete team.” . . . Turns out that the most worthy Heisman candidate from Notre Dame isn’t quarterback Rick Mirer or fullback Jerome Bettis, but halfback Reggie Brooks. With the exception of Faulk, he is the best rusher we have seen this season. . . . Two leftover Arizona facts: The Wildcats are the only Pac-10 team without a Rose Bowl appearance. And the Wildcats have given up a grand total of 11 points to No. 1 Miami and then-No. 1 Washington. . . . One of the best stories of the year would be if Southern Methodist, only five seasons removed from the NCAA death penalty, somehow beat Texas and Arkansas, finished 6-5 and was invited to a bowl. OK, it would take a minor miracle, but remember this: SMU beat Texas Christian, which upset the Longhorns last week. And Arkansas (2-6-1) isn’t exactly the scariest sight ever seen. Still, if it doesn’t happen, the Mustangs will forever have the sweet memory of last Saturday’s 25-point victory against Houston. Houston Coach John Jenkins was the offensive coordinator of the Cougar team that beat SMU three seasons ago, 95-21. Now Jenkins’ job might be in jeopardy. The Cougars are 3-5 and struggling--for a second consecutive season. . . . Not one bowl representative made the trip to Pullman for Washington State’s victory against Arizona State. Not to worry. The Freedom and Copper bowls remain interested in the Cougars (7-2).

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

NO. TEAM RECORD 1. Miami 8-0 2. Alabama 9-0 3. Texas A&M; 9-0 4. Michigan 8-0-1 5. Nebraska 7-1 6. Florida State 8-1 7. Washington 8-1 8. Notre Dame 7-1-1 9. Arizona 6-2-1 10. Syracuse 8-1

Waiting list: Georgia (7-2), Florida (6-2), Hawaii (7-1), Stanford (7-3), Colorado (7-1-1).