Purdue Could Be Next

USC has accepted a bid to the Sun Bowl, and if it’s a rematch with Purdue, the game may not be the yawner it first seemed--especially as the alternative opponents continue to dwindle.

USC’s R. Jay Soward didn’t play in the season-opener against Purdue because of a suspension, and Carson Palmer wasn’t the starting quarterback.

“Whoever we play, we play,” Coach Paul Hackett said. “The important thing is we’re going. These seniors, after two years of not going to a bowl, have a lot of smiles on their faces.”

As for Purdue, quarterback Drew Brees was starting for the first time in the Pigskin Classic and passed for 248 yards in the Boilermakers’ 27-17 loss to USC at the Coliseum.

That was before the sophomore really got the hang of things.

He later passed for 522 yards against Minnesota and set an NCAA Division I record against Wisconsin, passing an almost incredible 83 times. He finished the regular season with 3,753 yards passing, breaking Jim Everett’s school record.

But Purdue would be sending that offense against a Trojan defense that thrives on interceptions and ranks third in the nation in pass-efficiency defense. Only Florida State and Ohio State rank above USC after the Trojans’ victory over Notre Dame.

Whether Purdue will be USC’s opponent in a rematch of 8-4 teams Dec. 31 at El Paso, is still up in the air--Mississippi is the latest alternative--pending Ohio State’s bowl championship series fate.

If the Buckeyes are squeezed out, as bowl officials believe is likely, it’s USC and Purdue.

But if Ohio State is picked for a BCS bowl after all, the Sun Bowl will be scrambling for an opponent for USC, with Mississippi (6-5) the current favorite.

Virginia Tech and Miami, two other contingency teams, already have committed to other bowls, leaving Sun Bowl official John Folmer frustrated about waiting for the BCS alignments.