In Right Scenario, USC Is BCS’ Eligible Receiver

Thanks to last weekend’s crazy college football news cycle, USC’s odds of snagging one of two, $13-million, at-large bowl championship series berths went from forget-about-it to, well, maybe.

With four of eight undefeated schools losing, two-loss USC, during its bye week, jumped from 11th to ninth in the latest BCS standings.

History suggests USC’s chances remain single wing and a prayer. Since the BCS was formed in 1998, the Pac-10 has landed only one at-large team, Oregon State in 2000, in a major bowl other than the Rose. And you may remember that fight, Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen threatening to pull out of the BCS if the Fiesta Bowl did not select No. 6 Oregon State. The Fiesta Bowl took the eager Beavers and Oregon State proved it belonged with a thorough thrashing of Notre Dame.

Because of its conference ties and western location, the Fiesta Bowl has been the Pac-10’s only real shot at getting a second team into a BCS bowl.

“That’s been my theme song,” Hansen said this week.

That option is out this year, however, because the Fiesta Bowl is the national title game. That leaves the provincially motivated Sugar and Orange bowls or, in a longshot twist, maybe the Rose, should Washington State advance to the national title game.

For what it’s worth, no Pac-10 team has ever played in the Sugar Bowl, and only one Pac-10 school, Washington in 1985, has played in the Orange.

Yet, USC could present an interesting case.

“A lot of things would have to happen,” Hansen said.

USC’s Rose Bowl chances dropped Saturday when Washington State defeated Arizona State. To get to Pasadena, the Trojans need to win out and Washington State must lose twice.

But what about another BCS game?

The answer in certain scenarios is clear: If the top contenders win out, one-loss Iowa and Texas, both ranked ahead of USC, would trump any Trojan at-large claims.

But let’s say a second spot pops open and comes down to a choice between 10-2 Notre Dame or 10-2 USC.

In this scenario, the Trojans would have just defeated the Irish and would be the higher ranked team in the BCS.

“If they were to beat Notre Dame, I think that would slingshot them into real contention,” Hansen said of USC.

Hansen has already spoken with Sugar and Orange bowl officials about possible USC scenarios.

“They need to be cognizant of the fact,” Hansen said of the Sugar and Orange bowls. “If they do nothing but pick on a geographical basis, that’s not fair.”

Who said men wearing loud jackets had to be fair?

Even if 10-2 Notre Dame lost to USC, the Irish would still be the preferred at-large choice because of their blockbuster television ratings appeal.

“Notre Dame is just magic, magic, magic,” Hansen said of the school’s bowl power.

Hansen would still make a big push for USC. In 1997, the conference lobbied the Sugar Bowl on No. 5 UCLA’s behalf, offering to subsidize ticket packages. Instead, the Sugar Bowl took No. 9 Ohio State.

Hansen said the Pac-10 would be willing to offer similar packages on behalf of USC. Of course, the Trojans are four victories from being 10-2, so first things first.

Pac Bits

Here is the conference’s dream scenario: Ohio State and Washington State finish first and second in the BCS standings and advance to the Fiesta Bowl to play for the national title. The Rose Bowl fills the vacancies with 10-2 USC against 11-1 Iowa, two highly ranked BCS schools.

Washington (4-5) has lost three consecutive games for the first time in the Rick Neuheisel era, and six consecutive defeats are not out of the question, given that the combined record of the Huskies’ last three opponents -- Oregon State, Oregon and Washington State -- is 21-6.

“Nobody closes the door and cries tears of self-pity,” Neuheisel said this week. “We just work and keep going and we’ve all got lots to be thankful for. It isn’t a situation that calls for gloom and despair.”

They ought to hand out two coach-of-the-year awards, one to California’s Jeff Tedford for his work on the field and one to Washington State’s Mike Price for his work behind the scenes. Price knows his Xs and O’s, but his CEO skills have been even more impressive. Last week, he held the Cougars together through the worst stretch of the season, a week that included a flu outbreak and the suspension of two defensive starters.

“It seemed like a month, last week,” Price quipped.

In his dual role as “Judge Judy,” Price meted out the perfect punishment for linebacker Ira Davis, who broke teammate Jason David’s cheekbone during a locker-room fight. Price said Davis could rejoin the team when David’s cheekbone healed -- in six to eight weeks.

Despite the distractions, Washington State soundly defeated Arizona State, 44-22, and took sole possession of first place in the conference.

If that wasn’t enough, Price has set up the Cougars’ schedule the way a World Series manager sets up his pitching. Having the foresight to turn down television revenue and national exposure for the greater cause, Price said no to playing Alabama or Nebraska in a preseason game, no to playing Oregon in Seattle this week for a bigger paycheck and no to a game Nov. 30 at Hawaii.

These strategic moves may keep Washington State in the national title hunt until the bitter BCS end. Now, No. 5 Washington State (8-1) will play host to Oregon (7-2) this weekend in Pullman. Also, by opting out of the Hawaii trip, Washington State has a bye before its Nov. 23 Apple Cup showdown against Washington and a bye on Nov. 30, giving the Cougars an extra week to prepare for its Dec. 7 finale at UCLA. Both schools agreed to move that game from its original Nov. 16 slot to accommodate ABC.

California plays at Arizona State on Saturday in a game that pits Tedford against Dirk Koetter, both former offensive coordinators under Mike Bellotti at Oregon.

“I wish they were in some other conference,” Bellotti said, “then I could really root and feel good for them.”