Evening star., 1938-11-15
Two Great Hurdles
In Way Of '|rish,'
One in Dukes
Coasts Bowl Choice
May Wait on Trojan
Tilt With South Bend
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Nov. 15.-With only
three Saturdays left, 1t is about time
to start checking again the future
of the unbeaten football teams.
Where and when will the blade
Of the guillotine strike?
Notre Dame still has Northwest
ern and Southern California left.
Duke has North Carolina State and
Pittsburgh. Tennessee has Kentucky
and Ole Miss. Texas Christian has
Rice and S. M. U. Oklahoma must
face Iowa State. Oklahoma A. and
M. and Washington State.
Notre Dame and Duke have the
harder road to travel. Northwestern
is no powder-puff and Southern
California at home is an even larger
assignment.
Duke has Pittsburgh to handle,
and, even if Goldberg isn't at his
best, the Panther still is dangerous.
Duke now is at full strength, with
a strong line and at least three fine
backs, headed by Eric Upton.
Tennessee should beat Kentucky,
but Ole Miss, coached by Harry
Mehre, has lost only one game and
is one of the surprise teams of the
year.
T. C. U. should have too much
for Rice and S. M. u, while Okla
homa should get by her last three
dates. although Iowa State can give
any one trouble.
The Survivors.
I should say that T. c. u, Ten
nessee and Oklahoma have the bet
ter chance to go the route without
picking up nail Northwestern,
Southern California or Pittsburgh
may be good enough to haul down
Notre Dame or Duke. as good as
these two teams are. I don't believe
Notre Dame will be stopped, and
Pitt will need everything the Pan
ther has to beat a Duke team that
is unusually strong at this point.
Notre Dame, Duke. T. C. U. and
Tennessee are we'll above any sea-
sons average in all-round team
strength, and you can't take any,
thing away from Oklahoma.
There is chance that the Pa
cific Coast Conference will wait until
after the Southern California -Notre
Dame game before making its Rose
Bowl choice for the West.
If California beats Stanford and
Southern California beats U. c. L. A.
the two leaders will be tied.
California will be through by Sat-
urday night. But Southern Cali
fornia has Notre Dame to face
December 3 and. If Notre Dame
should win. there might be some
feeling against nominating a Far
Western team that had been
whipped by two outside teams
Alabama and Notre Dame-as we'll
as by Washington.
Odds Favor Notre Dame.
A Rose Bowl entry that had lost
threes games would be something
1t isn't any sure thing
that Notre Dame will beat Southern
California, but the odds will be that
way. Notre Dame has a Saturday
off after tackling Northwestern this
week, while Southern California will
be up to her neck against U. C. L. A.
Also. this happens to be one of the
great Notre Dame teams.
1t will be interesting to see what
the conference will do about the
Rose Bowl selection for the Far
West.
1t also will be interesting to see
whether the Pacific Coast selectors
will look in the direction of Duke,
Tennessee, T. c. U. or Carnegie
Tech if all four keep moving along
Wallace Wade, at Duke, doesn't
appear to be any too keen about
any post season game. But if Duke
takes Pittsburgh. there is sure to
be a strong demand from Duke
T. c. U. and Tennessee are GER
tain to be two of the stronger can
didates. Dave O'Brien's brilliant
passing would be something for
38 900 spectators to look at.
The other bowls all will have bet
ter cards available than at any time
before. so there should be abnormal
activity along many fronts.
The Mid November Ranking.
Cornell now leads the ivy trail.
Duke leads the Southern and Ten
nessee the Southeastern Conference.
T. c. U. heads the Southwest and
Oklahoma the Blk Six. Utah has
the edge in the Rocky Mountain
sector. But there is a decided snarl
in the Big Ten and the Pacific Coast
reservations that may finish in ties.
1t has been interesting lately to
read the claims for national leader
ship sent in by camp followers of
Notre Dame, T. c. u, Duke and
Tennessee.
None of them happen to meet.
But their supporters are on the No
vember Warpath-especially those
backing Notre Dame and T. c. U.
They figure Notre Dame has her
greatest team since Rockne's 1890
delegation-one of the best of all
time.
But in the Southwest they named
this 1888 T. c. U. outfit as the best
that famous football roundup ever
has known.
Letters sent in reek with superla-
tives. They all are dead certain their
team-from the four named-could
beat anybody, including an all-ani-
NAL team composed of the lion,
tiger, gorilla, elephant, rhinoceros,
king cobra, etc.
This is what makes football the
game it is for the public at large.
But quite candidly we admit we have
no idea what would happen if T.
c. U. met Notre Dame and Tennessee
went into the pit with Duke.
Officials and scouts and coaches