New Mexico State and Saints Make Late-Season Bids

The Colleges

Its hopes for a Freedom Bowl berth apparently dashed by a 40-23 loss to Utah State, New Mexico State (1-10) still collected one honor: A free trip to the top of the Bottom Ten.

The Aggies (what is an Aggie anyway?) now must nervously await the outcome of next week’s game between No. 2 Tulane (1-9) and Bottom Ten outsider LSU (7-1-1). The exclusive Bottom Ten Computer Glitch system calculates that the Green Ripple can still nab the title by losing to LSU by 56 or more points.

Meanwhile, the Dec. 7 come-down in Australia between Wyoming (2-8) and the University of Texas at El-Hit-a-Cheerleader-With-That-Paso (1-9) will have no bearing on the title. The Bottom Ten does not recognize games played outside the United States or in some rural areas of South Dakota.

USC (5-5), which had made plans to leave the country in anticipation of a fourth straight loss to UCLA, meets Oregon (5-5) at Tokyo on Saturday. The game is of little significance since New Mexico and New Mexico State (with 18 losses between them) have already clinched the coveted state tag-team title for most defeats (Oregon and Oregon State have just 13).

The Rankings:

Team, Record Last Week Next Loss 1. NM St. (1-10) 23-40, Utah St Retired 2. Tulane (1-9) 6-24, S. Miss LSU 3. KSt (1-10) 0-30, Colorado Retired 4. Columbia (0-10) 0-34, Brown Retired 5. Missouri (1-10) 20-34, Kansas Retired 6. UTEP (1-9) Idle Wyoming* 7. Wyoming (2-8) Idle UTEP* 8. New Mex (3-8) 20-55, SD St Retired 9. Ariz.St. (8-3) 13-16, Arizona Not Iowa 10. UCLA (8-2-1) 13-17, USC Iowa

11. Dartmouth (2-7-1); 12. Oregon State (3-8); 13. Northwestern (3-8); 14. Pentagon (at sea) (3-7); 15. Boston College (4-8); 16. San Jose State (2-8-1); 17. Indiana (4-7); 18. Cornell (3-7); 19. Cal (4-7); 20. USC (5-5).

Others not receiving votes:

* Meet Dec. 7 in Melbourne, Australia, in the Boomerang Bowl.

ROUT OF THE WEEK: LSU (7-1-1) vs. Tulane (1-9).

CRUMMY GAME OF THE WEEK: Closed for remodeling this week. Will reopen Dec. 7 for Army-Navy game.

The Pros

New Orleans Coach Bum Phillips had vowed before the season that if the Aints didn’t put together a winning season in 1985, he would quit. It was somewhat reminiscent of the time Texas El Paso Coach Bobby Dobbs had vowed to resign if the team lost one more game and the guys stormed out the next week and gave up 56 points.

In Bum’s case, the Aints went on to lose eight of their first 11 games, assuring their 19th straight nonwinning season, a record that will never be broken until next season, when New Orleans does it again.

And Monday, Bum quit, naming his son, defensive coordinator Wade (Bumbino) Phillips, as interim successor. That announcement shook up the Bottom Ten selectors who called an emergency meeting and reranked the Aints No. 1.

Analysts were wondering whether Bumbino’s coronation would start a trend in the NFL. In Tuscaloosa, junior Alabama quarterback Mike Shula vowed that he would finish school before even considering replacing his father, Don, at Miami.

The Rankings:

Team, Record Last Week Next Loss 1. New Orleans (4-8) Def. Minn.,30-23 Anaheim 2. St. Louis (4-8) 3-34, N.J. Giants Dallas 3. Buffalo (2-10) 14-23, Miami San Diego 4. Atlanta (2-10) 0-36, Chicago Raiders 5. Hamilton (8-9) 24-37, Brit.Col. Retired

6. Tampa Bay (2-10); 7. Indianapolis (3-9); 8. San Diego (5-7); 9. Kansas City (4-8); 10. Green Bay (5-7).

THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL EDITION CRUMMY GAME OF THE WEEK: St. Louis (4-8) at Dallas (8-4).

REGULAR SUNDAY CRUMMY GAME OF THE WEEK: Buffalo (2-10) at San Diego (5-7).

QUOTEBOOK: Broadcaster Don Criqui, after trumpeting Monday night’s Seattle-San Francisco match a “must-win” game for both teams: “I hate to use that term.” (And we hate to hear it, Don!)