COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Washington-Miami Matchup Is a Gleam in Fiesta Bowl’s Eye

UCLA’s biggest fan leaned back in his office chair, glanced at a war room board that listed the Associated Press top 25 rankings and did what any self-respecting Fiesta Bowl executive director would do.

He smiled . . . tactfully, of course.

Meet John Junker, who is doing everything but waving powder blue and gold pompons these days.

“We feel real good about the (bowl) coalition,” he said.

And with good reason. If UCLA finishes tied with Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference title--and it could, you know--the Bruins would receive the Rose Bowl bid because Washington went last season. Then the Huskies, if still ranked No. 1, would be free to play in the Fiesta Bowl and face the No. 2-ranked team in the country--but only if it were Miami, Florida State or Notre Dame.

At least, that’s the way it looks now in the ever-confusing world of the infant bowl coalition.

Don’t ask for an explanation of the 30-plus page coalition contract, but if the bowl selections were made today, these would be the probable major matchups:

FIESTA--No. 1 Washington vs. No. 2 Miami.

COTTON--No. 5 Texas A&M; vs. No. 3 Florida State or No. 6 Notre Dame.

SUGAR--No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Florida State or No. 6 Notre Dame.

ORANGE--No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 9 Alabama.

ROSE--No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 4 Michigan (the Rose Bowl isn’t involved in the coalition).

Junker is counting on a clause in the contract that states that any time the No. 1-ranked team can play the No. 2-ranked team, it must do so. The way the season is shaping up, No. 1 Washington could play No. 2 Miami because neither is tied directly to a bowl.

Notre Dame and Florida State--or whatever team wins the Atlantic Coast Conference championship--are in the same boat as Miami (or whatever team wins the Big East).

But apparently there is no provision in the contract concerning a No. 1-ranked Pac-10 team being available. So what happens if Texas A&M; is ranked No. 2 and wants to play the Huskies in the Cotton Bowl? And what if Penn State, which is committed to the Blockbuster Bowl, somehow climbs to No. 1? Then what happens if Washington were, say, No. 2?

According to the language in the contract, the Fiesta would have first crack at the Huskies. Junker could, however, pass on Washington and allow the Huskies to play in the Cotton--all in the best interests of the coalition.

A guess: fat chance.

As for Penn State being No. 1, the reality is that the Nittany Lions would be stuck playing a much-lower ranked team. That’s because of the Blockbuster’s status as a so-called “Tier Two” bowl in the coalition. In simple terms, by the time the Blockbuster was allowed to pick its second team in the coalition draft, all the top-ranked schools would be gone.

Whatever happens, this much is clear: If Washington is No. 1 and Miami is No. 2 and they don’t meet in the Fiesta, this whole bowl coalition is a farce.

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Three reasons why No. 3 Florida State will beat No. 2 Miami Saturday:

1) Miami’s running attack, which gained only two yards against Arizona on Saturday, is a mess. Blame a shaky and inexperienced offensive line. In the past, Miami’s ability to run has been the difference against Florida State. Not this time.

2) The X-factor: first-year quarterback Charlie Ward. Ward, who does everything last season’s starter Casey Weldon couldn’t--scramble, lead the Seminoles to last-minute scores--will frustrate Miami’s aggressive defense. If Ward could lead the Seminoles to a victory at Clemson, one of the nation’s toughest places to play, he can do it anywhere, including the Orange Bowl.

3) Defensive end Rusty Medearis, one of Miami’s best defensive players and certainly the team’s inspirational leader, suffered a career-threatening knee injury last week against Arizona.

And. . . .

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Three reasons why Miami will beat Florida State:

1) Clemson isn’t Miami. Ward has never faced the likes of the Hurricanes, who have won 21 consecutive games--the longest streak in the nation--and 47 in a row at home.

2) Miami Coach Dennis Erickson will find a way to fix his beloved one-back offense.

3) Don’t be fooled by the 8-7 victory--some say loss--against Arizona. The Hurricanes were looking ahead to Florida State.

The choice: If Ward doesn’t self-destruct, Florida State by more than you thought possible.

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No matter what Sports Illustrated says, Brigham Young is not the most hated football program in the country. That title would go to Notre Dame or Miami, with Oklahoma, USC and Houston as honorable mentions.

But BYU certainly inched closer to the infamous list during last Saturday night’s 36-32 loss to Hawaii. Outraged Cougar followers and embarrassed BYU officials are still pacing the halls over the antics of all-Western Athletic Conference tight end Byron Rex, who definitely isn’t holier than thou.

While most of America slept, BYU and Hawaii completed an emotional, sometimes mean-spirited game at Honolulu that didn’t finish until nearly 2 a.m. PDT. Insomniacs witnessed a terrific fourth-quarter comeback by BYU, including a 27-yard touchdown reception by Rex that gave the Cougars--who had trailed by 19 points in the period--a 30-29 lead with only minutes to play.

But he wasn’t satisfied with a simple touchdown. Rex taunted Hawaii defensive back Bryan Addison and then tossed the ball at him. Then, as an end zone television camera captured his every stupid move, Rex turned to the crowd and yelled, “. . . you!” several times. That done, he spat toward the audience.

A performance for the ages, it wasn’t--especially after Val Hale, BYU assistant athletic director, had spent the better part of halftime explaining to television viewers how wonderful the Cougar program really was.

On the BYU postgame radio show, Cougar Coach LaVell Edwards was asked about Rex’s behavior. Edwards, one of the classiest coaches in the business, didn’t know a thing. But by Sunday night, when BYU’s athletic department phone lines were jammed with calls about the incident, Edwards was painfully well-informed. He told viewers during his weekly television show that Rex would be reprimanded and disciplined, but he didn’t disclose the punishment.

So disturbing were his gestures that even Rex’s mother lambasted her son. Rex, of Bellflower, has since issued a public apology.

Of course, the week wasn’t a total loss for Rex. His actions earned him the prestigious Frank Broyles Dunderhead of the Week Award. Congratulations.

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Add Hawaii: After the Rainbows recorded their third consecutive victory against BYU, the Hawaii band began playing the theme song from “Hawaii Five-O.” Two more victories and the Rainbow record will match the song title. . . . BYU, the preseason favorite in the Western Athletic Conference, is 1-2 in the league for the first time since 1975 and 1-3 overall. . . . Poor Arizona State. As if the entire athletic program didn’t have enough problems, now comes news that running back Mario Bates will be sidelined for the season because of extensive knee damage suffered in last Saturday’s loss to Nebraska. Bates, who scored twice and rushed for 118 yards against the Cornhuskers, was hurt late in the fourth quarter, but the extent of his injury wasn’t known until Sunday. In the last two months, Arizona State has lost its best football player (Bates) and its best basketball player (Mario Bennett) to similar injuries.

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California beat then-24th-ranked Kansas fair and square last Thursday night, but it would have been interesting to see what might have happened had both teams been given equal preparation time. Cal, benefactors of an open date, had nearly two weeks to get ready for the game, and Kansas had four days. Coach Glen Mason tried to rearrange Kansas’ schedule before the season began, but it didn’t work. If he wanted to play on ESPN, he had to do so at a distinct disadvantage. “If I had to do it all over again--play Cal on national television--yes, I would do that again,” Mason said. And what advice did Mason have for other coaches faced with four days’ preparation time? “Don’t do what I did because it didn’t work,” he said. . . . Kansas was disappointing against Cal, but Boston College was everything it was expected to be against Michigan State. The Eagles have won all four of their games and haven’t given up a point in three of the victories. “From the midpoint of the ’91 season on, we gained some confidence and felt like we could play on a national level,” Boston College Coach Tom Coughlin said. “But I don’t think anybody sits down and figures anybody is going to shut three teams out.” The Eagles travel to undefeated West Virginia on Saturday. . . . That’s quite a staff Broyles is putting together at Arkansas. After firing head coach Jack Crowe on Sept. 6, Broyles replaced him with defensive coordinator Joe Kines, who was implicated several years ago in the Florida-NCAA mess. Then on Monday Broyles added former Clemson coach Danny Ford to Kines’ staff. Ford, who led the Tigers to the 1982 national championship, resigned in 1990. NCAA sanctions arrived shortly thereafter, though Ford was never specifically named in the violations. Here’s a nickel that says the impatient Broyles replaces Kines with Ford by next season.

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Record 1 Washington 3-0 2 Florida State 4-0 3 Miami 3-0 4 Colorado 4-0 5 Texas A&M; 4-0 6 Michigan 2-0-1 7 Notre Dame 3-0-1 8 Tennessee 4-0 9 Penn State 4-0 10 Ohio State 3-0

Waiting list: UCLA (3-0), Virginia (4-0), Georgia (3-1), Alabama (4-0), Boston College (4-0).