USC Looks Good to Aloha Bowl and Is Invited to Play Alabama

As USC got ready to depart today for Tokyo and a Mirage Bowl game with Oregon Saturday, the school learned Sunday that its traveling schedule has been expanded.

Unexpectedly, USC was invited to and accepted an invitation to play Alabama in the Aloha Bowl on Dec. 28 in Honolulu.

Call ‘em the traveling Trojans--a round trip of approximately 11,000 miles to Tokyo and then a 5,000-mile round trip to Hawaii next month.

A week ago, USC’s chances of playing in a postseason bowl game were slim and none.

But USC upset UCLA, 17-13, Saturday at the Coliseum, and the Trojans suddenly became an attractive team again--at least to the Aloha Bowl.

There was earlier speculation that West Virginia (6-3-1) would be paired against Alabama in the Aloha Bowl. But there aren’t many West Virginia fans in Hawaii. USC has plenty of supporters there, even a boosters’ club.

There is a possibility, though, that Alabama may not be USC’s opponent in the Aloha Bowl. The Crimson Tide, 7-2-1, will play Auburn Saturday and still could win the Southeastern Conference title and appear in the Sugar Bowl.

That’s unlikely, though, because Tennessee can clinch the SEC title Saturday by beating Vanderbilt, and the Volunteers will be heavily favored in that game.

“When afforded the opportunity for our seniors to finish their career with a trip to a bowl and a possible victory over Alabama as well as the advantages to our recruiting, this is an invitation we accept with pleasure,” USC Athletic Director Mike McGee said.

USC Coach Ted Tollner was also delighted with the bowl invitation and the prospect of finishing the season with a 7-5 record. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to play a prestigious team like Alabama in a quality bowl like the Aloha Bowl. The bowl is run in a first-class fashion and it’s in a great setting. This gives us a chance to finish our season on a very high, positive note.”

But the Aloha Bowl people might be embarrassed if USC loses to Oregon, which has a matching 5-5 record with USC. The Ducks certainly aren’t a pushover, and the Trojans could be a bowl team with a losing record.

There are no NCAA stipulations to keep a losing team out of a bowl, if the bowl is certified--and the Aloha Bowl has been certified by the NCAA.

This would be the seventh meeting between USC and Alabama, with the Crimson Tide holding a 4-2 edge. The teams haven’t met since 1978, when USC, an 11-point underdog, upset Alabama, 24-14, in Birmingham.

The teams shared the national championship that season. USC was top-ranked in the final UPI poll, while Alabama wound up No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.

It will be the second bowl meeting between the teams. Alabama routed USC, 34-14, in the 1946 Rose Bowl game.

With USC getting into the bowl picture, the Pacific 10 now has five teams in postseason games. The lineup: UCLA-Iowa, Rose Bowl; Arizona State-Arkansas, Holiday Bowl; Arizona-Georgia, Sun Bowl, and Washington most likely meeting Colorado in the Freedom Bowl.

USC leaves today for Tokyo to play in the Mirage Bowl. The Mirage Bowl was started in 1977, and UCLA played Oregon State in the 1980 game. USC was originally scheduled to play Oregon Oct. 12 at the Coliseum, but the game was moved to Tokyo following an agreement between the two schools and Teleplanning International Inc., a Japanese-based firm that organizes the Mirage Bowl.

The Mitsubishi Motor Car Co. sponsors the game and the name Mirage was taken from a Mitsubishi-produced Japanese car.

Kickoff for the Mirage Bowl is 2 p.m. Saturday in Tokyo, but due to the considerable time difference, the game will start here Friday at 9 p.m.

Trojan Notes Injury report: USC fullback Todd Steele fractured his left shoulder against UCLA and won’t play against Oregon. Offensive guard Tom Hallock (sprained ankle) and tight end Martin Chesley (bruised shoulder) are doubtful. Tailbacks Aaron Emanuel and Steve Webster, who have been sidelined for several weeks with sprained ankles, probably will be available. . . . With quarterback Rodney Peete performing so splendidly against Washington and UCLA, some people are wondering why the redshirt freshman wasn’t used more extensively earlier in the season. Ted Tollner has said that he believes he and his staff made the right decision at the time to go with veteran Sean Salisbury and later with Peete. . . . Twenty-eight pitch has been a staple play for USC tailbacks since the ‘60s. Now Peete is popularizing 18 pitch. That was the call when the quarterback swept right end for a first down on the UCLA three-yard line on a fourth-and-two situation late in Saturday’s game. . . . UCLA was previously allowing a nation-leading 60.1 yards rushing a game. But, USC gained 172 yards on the ground, 147 from tailback Ryan Knight. UCLA has a sound rushing defense, but the Bruins didn’t meet many teams earlier that emphasized running. . . . USC has won more bowl games (21-7) and has the highest winning percentage (.750) of any team in the country. In addition to 24 Rose Bowl games, USC has also played in the Fiesta, Liberty and Bluebonnet bowls. Alabama has appeared in 37 bowl games and has a 20-14-3 record. USC has played in a bowl game each year it has been eligible since 1972.