Dallas Cottons to USC; Sugar May Get Replay

A Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl matchup with Texas Tech appeared Sunday to be the most likely bowl destination for USC’s football team.

A muddled bowl picture cleared Sunday with an increased likelihood of Florida State playing in the Sugar Bowl, regardless of the outcome of the Alabama-Florida Southeastern Conference title game.

Under bowl coalition rules, that would leave Cotton officials to choose between USC (7-3-1), Notre Dame (6-4-1) and North Carolina (8-3), among others, to face Southwest Conference champion Texas Tech (6-5).

“Right now, without knowing what shakes out after Florida-Alabama, I’d say USC is standing tall in our plans,” Cotton Bowl president Robert Smith said.

Notre Dame probably won’t play in the Cotton Bowl for a third year in a row, Smith said. “Notre Dame has been here the last two years, and I feel they’d be a long shot for this time around,” he said.

The Dallas Morning News on Sunday called Kansas State (9-2) a contender for a Cotton bid, but Smith said: “My hunch is, they’re not in the mix for us.” The Wildcats are expected to play in the Aloha Bowl.

After the Cotton Bowl makes its selection, Fiesta Bowl officials will pick an opponent to play Colorado (10-1). They are expected to select Notre Dame.

The possibility that USC would go to the Sugar Bowl was apparently eliminated when Florida officials, who were thought to object to a Sugar Bowl rematch of Saturday’s 31-31 tie with Florida State, said they would agree to play the Seminoles in New Orleans Jan. 2 if they win the SEC championship game on Saturday.

“We have no problem with that at all,” Florida coach Steve Spurrier said. “If we’re fortunate to win (the SEC title) that would be fine.”

Florida State interim Athletic Director Wayne Hogan said: “Both (Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden) and I are in agreement that we’re not opposed to a rematch. We are not opposed to playing them again.

“It seems to me that the (Sugar Bowl) would really want to have us either way.”

Sugar Bowl president Chuck Zatarain hinted as much Saturday, saying that if all parties were agreeable the coalition contract provides for a rematch.

If Alabama (11-0) defeats Florida (9-1-1), the Crimson Tide would play Florida State (9-1-1) in the Sugar Bowl. The Alabama-Florida loser is locked into the Citrus Bowl, where it will play Ohio State (9-3).

The day after his team’s 17-17 tie with Notre Dame, USC coach John Robinson said he had heard nothing about a Trojan bowl destination.

“I don’t know anything definite, except that we’re still in the mix for most of them,” he said.

Irish coach Lou Holtz said after Saturday’s tie that he doubted Notre Dame would take a bowl bid, but added: “It’s a university decision.”

If, for some reason, the Sugar Bowl passes on Florida State, Hogan indicated the Seminoles would decline the Cotton invitation and go to the Fiesta for economic reasons. “I think they probably would offer to raise their pay,” Hogan said.

Texas Tech won four in a row at the end of its schedule before losing Friday to Texas Christian, 24-17. The Red Raiders lost to Nebraska, 42-16, in their second game, and to Oklahoma, 17-11, in their third game.

USC and Texas Tech defeated Baylor, their only common opponent. USC beat the Bears, 37-27; Texas Tech won, 38-7.

Staff writer Gene Wojciechowski contributed to this story.