Pac-10 Set to Remain Unallied

The Pacific 10 Conference says it will not jeopardize the future of the Rose Bowl by joining the bowl alliance and guaranteeing a national championship game in college football every year, officials said as the annual NCAA convention ended Tuesday.

Although Big Ten and Pac-10 representatives held informal talks about joining the alliance this week, it apparently is far from reality.

“No, it won’t happen,” a Pac-10 source familiar with the discussions said. “We don’t want to destroy the Rose Bowl to be part of something where every four years you get to host the national championship. Look at how no one cared about the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl this year.

“We’re not even sure the bowl alliance will remain intact.”

The source said the Big Ten has more interest in joining the alliance, a confederation of conferences that work together to put together a national championship matchup each year. The stumbling block has been the Rose Bowl, which for the last 50 years has featured the Pac-10 and Big Ten champions.

Those are the only major football conferences that have not joined. The other conferences match their two top-rated teams every year in a bowl, rotating among the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar. It worked this year with No. 1 Nebraska of the Big Eight meeting No. 2 Florida of the Southeastern Conference for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl.

But the 1995 Rose Bowl ruined the coalition’s chance for a true national championship game because No. 2-ranked Penn State was committed to Pasadena. The Nittany Lions were upset because even after defeating Oregon and finishing the season undefeated, they were not given consideration for the national title, won by undefeated Nebraska.

Tom Hansen, Pac-10 commissioner, said he does not want another scenario like that. The conferences are discussing ways in which the Big Ten’s or Pac-10’s No. 1 or No. 2 teams could play for the title.

Whether that championship game would be the Rose Bowl or another event is a sticking point in the talks.

“I think the TV networks are the the toughest ones to persuade [to change],” another Pac-10 source said.

The Big Ten and Pac-10 have a contract with the Rose Bowl until 2001 and it must end or be amended before changes can be considered.

“Any change would diminish the bowls,” said Bob Cheney, a member of the Rose Bowl football committee.

On a day when the 90th convention ended quietly with routine measures passed without controversy, the Rose Bowl issue became the most discussed topic.

“Whether anything’s going to happen or not, I don’t know,” said Andy Geiger, Ohio State athletic director. “But ideas are being exchanged and it is being considered.”

Until losing to Michigan in their final regular-season game, the Buckeyes were ranked second nationally. Even if they had not lost to the Wolverines, they would not have played against top-ranked Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl because of the Rose Bowl commitment and thus would have had difficulty becoming the national champion.

So, the other conferences want the Pac-10 and Big Ten to join them. Roy Kramer, Southeastern Conference commissioner and alliance chairman, said the talks are a positive step toward giving football fans a national championship game each year.

He said the Fiesta Bowl created significant interest as well as financial incentives to lure the conferences into agreement.

But a Pac-10 source said that will not be enough to sway the conference in making major changes that would hurt the Rose Bowl. He said the Tournament of Roses parade is an equally important consideration.

Pac-10 officials also cited what happened at this year’s Cotton Bowl, which featured Oregon and Colorado. The once-proud New Year’s Day game was a shell of its former self with only about 30,000 attending the event.

“I understand that the [integrity of the] Rose Bowl might be a factor that cannot be overcome,” Kramer said. “It’s going to take a while to work that out.”