From: bakken@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Bakken)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
Subject: Re: PAC-10 vs. Big-10 (was Re: Mediocracy vs Money)
Date: 20 Nov 92 05:23:40 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson

In article <1992Nov20.025434.9067@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> sfm@manduca.neurobio.arizona.edu (Stephen Matheson) writes:
>From article <1992Nov19.202837.21682@serval.net.wsu.edu>,
>by jjungbau@meriadoc.eecs.wsu.edu (Jim Jungbauer):
>> Every time I hear about Iowa going to the Copper Bowl at 6-5
>> I cringe,
>
>Brace yourself.  Iowa is *5-6*, and the Copper Bowl is counting on
>their defeating Minnesota in the last game; in fact, their invitation
>is contingent on beating the mighty Golden Gophers.

It would have to be, since I don't think the NCAA allows a team that
has won less than 6 games to go to a bowl.  Of course, from the sounds
of how the Copper Bowl pepole think, they'd invite Iowa if they
were 5-7...
                                                      According to today's
>Tucson newspaper, the CB will invite WSU (7-3), Oregon (5-5)
>or Arizona State (5-5) if this upset occurs.  The order of the
>3 alternates is quoted from the paper, but I don't know how significant
>it is (it certainly isn't alphabetical).

I would think that Arizona State, being 100 miles away and having
lotsa alumni in Tucson, would be much more attractive to the
CB people than WSU or Oregon.  Hey---unless ASU upsets Arizona,
though, they won't have six wins, which would leave it to
either WSU or Oregon.  I doubt that Oregon would lose to Oregon
State (though the latter is not nearly as unrespectable as normal),
and assuming that WSU doesn't upset UW then Oregon would be 6-5
and WSU 7-4.  And the Copper Bowl people would think who would
draw more.

>Well, here are some more disturbing reports from today's Tucson
>paper:
>	"We made it clear to the CB that Arizona, Arizona
>	State and Oregon could all still be available," PAC-10
>	commissioner Tom Hansen told the Star yesterday.  "If you
>	look at those teams and still pick a 6-6 Iowa team, then
>	you have to wonder what the purpose of having that bowl is."

Did Hansen mention WSU, or was that taken for granted?

>	Sources say the CB invited Iowa out of spite, because it was
>	upset with the PAC-10's arrangement with the Hancock Bowl
>	yesterday.  (Me: Hancock Bowl gets 4th pick of PAC-10 teams.)
>	But a PAC-10 official said the league offered the CB that
>	same deal ... and the CB turned it down.  The PAC-10 wouldn't
>	guarantee enough ticket sales...

Sounds like the Pac10 should encourage the UA and Tucson to boot the Copper
Bowl out of Tucson (they do rent UA's statium, you know).  In fact, if they
really do this sort of thing maybe I'll lead the charge....

>> and to make matters worse, people around here don't seem to
>> be aware of that... even the WSU newspaper showed the Cougars in the Copper
>> Bowl Slot in its little 'projected bowl matchup' section.  I think a lot of
>> people are going to be disappointed... especially if we somehow *do* upset
>> the Huskies and *still* don't go to a bowl, at 8-3.

Yes, that would be tragic.  But, unless Arizona was upset by ASU,
an 8-3 WSU (5-3 in Pac10) would probably finish fifth in the league.
So no Hancock invitation (4th place) there, and quite possibly no
CB (or other) bowl invitations, either.
--
Dave Bakken                               Internet: bakken@cs.arizona.edu
Dept. of Computer Science; U of Arizona   Voice:    +1 602 621 4098      
Tucson, AZ 85721; USA                     FAX:      +1 602 621 4246
The fact that you're paranoid doesn't prove they're *not* out to get you.