Bowl Fate of USC, Irish a Complicated Affair

USC is still very much in the picture in New Orleans, according to Sugar Bowl President Chuck Zatarain, who attended Saturday’s UCLA-USC game.

It’s just that the picture is slightly out of focus.

“If USC had won out (beaten UCLA and Notre Dame), we felt like they were our team,” Zatarain said Monday.

“We’d still very much like to have them, but the situation’s a bit more complicated with their loss to UCLA.”

The Bruins beat USC, 31-19.

The winner of Saturday’s Notre Dame-USC game at the Coliseum still could go to New Orleans to play the Southeastern Conference champion on Jan. 2.

Or it could go to Dallas, to play the Southwest Conference champion in the Cotton Bowl.

Or El Paso for the Sun Bowl or even Tempe, Ariz., for the Fiesta.

Several scenarios are involved:

--Florida beating Alabama for the SEC title on Dec. 3 would probably put the USC-Notre Dame winner in New Orleans to play the Gators.

--Alabama beating Florida in the title game would probably put the Crimson Tide against Florida State in the Sugar.

The reason that game has an impact on USC-Notre Dame is that Florida plays Florida State this weekend, and the Sugar Bowl does not want a Florida-Florida State rematch.

“If Notre Dame wins, they’re then a 7-4 team and an attractive team for us,” Zatarain said. “USC is 8-3 with a win. Actually, the winner of that game would be in an excellent position for our game, or the Cotton or Fiesta bowl games, assuming Miami plays Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.”

Zatarain will attend the Notre Dame-USC game. So will a representative of the Cotton Bowl.

“Both USC and Notre Dame are on our short list,” said Rick Baker, executive director of the Cotton.

They join Florida State, which would probably play in Dallas on Jan. 2 if Florida beats Alabama.

The Sun Bowl is interested in USC and Notre Dame, regardless of the outcome of their game.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett said only, “We’ve been told the Sugar Bowl is very interested in the SC-Notre Dame winner.”

Besides Rose Bowl-bound Oregon (9-3), four other Pac-10 teams--USC (7-3), Arizona (7-3), Washington State (7-4) and Washington (7-4)--have enough victories, six, to qualify for a bowl. Washington, however, is ineligible because of Pac-10 sanctions.