Bowl Picture Starts to Take Shape a Week Before It Solidifies

The Michigan Wolverines will play in the Rose Bowl for the fourth time this decade and the West Virginia Mountaineers are heading for a meeting with No. 1 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

Although bowl invitations don’t officially go out until next Saturday night, several schools already know where their home will be for the holidays.

Michigan clinched its Rose Bowl berth on Jan. 2 with a 38-9 victory over Big Ten rival Illinois on Saturday. The Wolverines, who conclude the regular season next Saturday at Ohio State, clinched the conference title with a 6-0-1 mark and improved to 7-2-1 overall. They will play the Pacific 10 champion, USC or UCLA, who play next Saturday.

Fourth-ranked West Virginia defeated Rutgers, 35-25, to take another step toward a possible national championship showdown with the Irish, who were idle Saturday.

“What bowl can we go to to possibly enhance our standings?” Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz said. “Winning the national championship is nice. It’s not an absolute necessity and it’s not something everyone’s obsessed with but if you are going to do something in tradition with Notre Dame’s history . . . let’s be the best we possibly can be.”

West Virginia (10-0) tied a school record for most victories in a season. No team in the school’s 97-year football history has had a perfect season. West Virginia winds up the regular season at home against Syracuse next Saturday.

The Orange Bowl is interested in Notre Dame, too.

Pete Williams, Orange Bowl team selection chairman, said Saturday night he hoped Notre Dame officials let him know today whether the Irish will accept a bid to play in the Fiesta Bowl.

“If that be the case, then I imagine my (selection) committee will be going hard for (No. 3) Miami,” Williams said.

Clemson defeated Maryland, 49-25, to clinch its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a trip to the Florida Citrus Bowl against the loser of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game next Saturday.

If all the speculation is correct, here’s how the bowl picture shapes up:

Fiesta--Notre Dame vs. West Virginia. Rose--USC or UCLA vs. Michigan. Orange--Miami vs. Nebraska-Oklahoma winner. Cotton--Arkansas vs. Florida State or UCLA. Sugar--Auburn or LSU vs. USC or Florida State. Florida Citrus--Nebraska-Oklahoma loser vs. Clemson. Gator--Georgia vs. Michigan State or Colorado. Hall of Fame--LSU or Auburn vs. Syracuse. Sun--Alabama vs. Army. Aloha--Washington State vs. Houston. All American--Florida vs. Illinois or Michigan State. Holiday--Wyoming vs. Oklahoma State. California--Western Michigan vs. Fresno State. Freedom--Brigham Young vs. Arizona or Colorado. Independence--Southern Mississippi vs. Texas El Paso. Liberty--Indiana vs. South Carolina. Peach--Iowa vs. North Carolina State or Pac-10 team.