College Football
Pac-10 notebook: League may have the bowl tie-ins, but not the teams

By Bud Withers
Times college football Reporter

Hakim Hill is back with ASU after a suspension.

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Doing the work that all good bowl executives do, Gary Cavalli, executive director of the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, undertook to poll the clientele after last year's game.

Asked what would make the participating teams more compelling, 83 percent said: Get a Pac-10 affiliation.

The bowl went out and did that. But the reality is, it may find itself without a Pac-10 entry anyway, and it isn't alone.

"There are probably four scenarios," Cavalli said this week. "In two of those four scenarios, we don't get a (Pac-10) team. I'm looking at a little less than 50 percent chance."

Since we're used to dark possibilities in the state of Washington 2004, we advance the bleakest one for the Pac-10: The league could be entitled to eight bowl berths this year and be able to fill only half of them.

Last spring, the league announced seven bowl tie-ups, which seemed like a bonanza, aside from the fact that only once in its history (2002) has it had seven bowl teams.

This year, if USC makes the national-title game and California becomes a BCS at-large entry, the league would be due eight berths. But the qualifiers could be fewer, maybe significantly so.

Washington and Arizona are already out of the picture, and Washington State is a longshot to get the six wins necessary. USC, Cal and Arizona State are in, and Oregon (4-3) has a solid shot.

But look at the three other teams — Oregon State (3-4), Stanford (4-3) and UCLA (4-3).
 
If the Beavers lose to USC and Oregon, they're toast. Stanford could lose to ASU, Oregon State and Cal to finish 5-6. And if UCLA loses to Stanford, Oregon and USC, the Bruins are also out at 5-6.

So it's not out of the question that the Insight, Las Vegas, Emerald and Silicon Valley bowls all could lose the Pac-10 teams for which they've contracted. Not likely, but chances are one or more will have to shop elsewhere for teams.

"We're looking around, talking to some other conferences, trying to cover our bases," Cavalli said, mentioning the ACC and Big East.

The pickings could be slim for some bowls. Of the 117 Division I-A teams, 60 already have four losses or more. Twenty-one more have three losses.

The Big 12 has eight bowl slots, and while it may fill five with teams from the potent South Division, the North is mediocrity personified, with three teams at 4-3 and three at 3-4. Meanwhile, the Big Ten also could scramble to fill its berths but may be saved as both bubble-bound Northwestern (3-4) and Michigan State (4-3) have 12th games in Hawaii to finish the season.

All of it could give pause to the NCAA bowl-certification committee when it hears proposals next April. Seattle is working up a bid, and there have been proposals for Denver, Indianapolis and even a possible second game in San Diego.

The NCAA is likely to legislate a return to 12-game seasons soon, which will ease the stress on the lower-level bowls (either way, it takes six victories to qualify). As long as teams are playing 11 games, some bowl execs will be chewing fingernails in November.

Over the Hill

Considering Arizona State (6-1) still has big things possible this year, you wonder about the judgment of running back Hakim Hill, who was reinstated this week by coach Dirk Koetter after a suspension for the UCLA game.

Phoenix-area newspapers reported that Hill, who has had a checkered past, was involved in an outburst with strength coach Joe Kenn early last week.

Perhaps having played much of the season with a break in his forearm finally got to Hill. He was also at a position bereft of depth, with Randy Hill and Cornell Canidate lost to injury and Loren Wade likely out for the year as ASU investigates possible improper benefits from a compliance officer.

This is the jury-rigged backfield Hill left the Sun Devils last week: Receiver Rudy Burgess converted to tailback and carried nine times against the Bruins. Preston Jones, a 5-foot-8, 173-pound walk-on from East Lansing, Mich. — fifth-string in camp — carried 16 times for 69 yards. Ex-quarterback Chad Christensen moved to tailback, had eight snaps and one carry.

Also seeing time in the backfield were Antone Saulsberry (moved from linebacker) and Lee Burghgraef (tight end).

Here's the strangest part: Arizona State hasn't lost a fumble this year.

The End Around

• USC's Rashaad Goodrum, an ex-Washington signee, will redshirt after a knee required arthroscopic surgery.

• Kamiak grad Pat Loney of Oregon State argued in favor of John Kerry at the OSU student-athlete advisory committee's debate night. "I've always kind of wanted to go to Washington, D.C.," Loney told the Oregonian, "to see if I can get in, to see how it works. Maybe work for a senator or think tank."

• Asked about an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty levied against receiver Craig Bragg last week, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said, "We seem to be the only conference that scrutinizes things like that. You watch games from other conferences and you see guys get away with a lot of stuff that's really bad and nothing's done about it. I think that has an effect on some of your players watching football on Saturday mornings before you play your own game."

• How good is Cal? The Bears lead the league in rushing offense (245.5), scoring offense (41), total offense (508.3), pass defense (182.8), total defense (268.8), punt returns (12.3), pass efficiency (185.1), third-down conversions (49.2 percent) and red-zone defense (64.3 percent).

• UCLA is trying to reverse a seasons-long tradition of late folds, including the loss of five straight to finish 2003. "This is a different team," Dorrell insists. "It has a totally different makeup."

• Despite a recent facility for putting defensive backs into the NFL — Lamont Thompson, Marcus Trufant, Jason David, Erik Coleman — Washington State doesn't have anybody in the conference's top 10 in interceptions.

• With 76 career TD passes, ASU's Andrew Walter is one behind the Pac-10 career record of Stanford's John Elway.

• You know USC is back when it continues to be able to recruit nationally. It's expected to get a commitment from defensive tackle Walker Lee Ashley of Eden Prairie, Minn., who was offered scholarships by Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State. Meanwhile, highly rated quarterback Jason Forcier of San Diego has opted for ASU.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com