USC-Cal Orange Bowl Could Be Outreach Effort

It may be time for the Golden State to teach the Sunshine State how to play football.

You may have heard that Florida, Miami and Florida State all lost on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 14, 1978.

Central Florida went south too, to Marshall, and Florida International spit the bit against New Mexico State.

Florida produces more Division I-A players than oranges and has for years been accurately ballyhooed as the nation’s finest football state.

What transpired over the weekend, though, can only be described as disturbing.

We might suggest firing the Florida coach, by Zook or by crook, but the school did that before the Gators’ loss to Georgia.

The good news for Florida is that help may be on the way in the form of a national title game clinic Jan. 4 featuring two California schools.

That’s right.

A tweak here and BCS burp there could produce a USC-California pairing in this year’s BCS national title game at ... the Orange Bowl.

We say if the Pacific 10 has to fly cross-country to demonstrate the fundamentals of blocking and tackling to all pigskin practitioners of Florida, well, so be it.

Seriously, wouldn’t it be something?

Imagine the much-maligned Pac-10, which has never had one team play in the bowl championship series title game, having two in the same game?

It’s not that far-fetched. Losses by Miami and Florida State on Saturday cleared out considerable BCS brush.

Cal, a 27-0 winner against Arizona State, was No. 8 in last week’s BCS standings but figures to bust a big Berkeley move today.

The Golden Bears jumped three spots to No. 4 in Sunday’s Associated Press poll and upgraded from No. 8 to No. 6 in the coaches’ poll.

As it stands, it might take only two results, losses by Oklahoma and Auburn, to stitch a USC-Cal quilt in the Orange Bowl.

Cal could also use a loss from unbeaten Wisconsin, yet may be able to pass the Badgers in the BCS no matter what happens.

Wisconsin was No. 7 in last week’s BCS, one spot ahead of Cal.

On Sunday, though, Cal jumped over idle Wisconsin in the AP poll.

Would it be a sham if one-loss Cal sneaked in ahead of undefeated Wisconsin?

Maybe, maybe not, but know this: Wisconsin barely held on to beat Arizona, 9-7, in a game in which the Wildcats’ kicker missed a late field-goal attempt that could have won the game.

Cal beat Arizona, 38-0.

You could argue right now, with a straight face, that USC and Cal are the best two teams in the country, especially after No. 2 Oklahoma gave up 35 points in a three-point win at Oklahoma State.

Cal’s only blemish is a six-point defeat at USC in which the Golden Bears had four shots at the end zone in the end. Last year, Cal was the only team to defeat the Trojans.

The Golden Bears have won their last two games by the total score of 65-0. They are almost a mirror team of USC in terms of offensive and defensive dominance.

Cal’s top-ranked offense averages 243 yards rushing and 248 yards passing. Mary Lou Retton didn’t have that kind of balance.

USC vs. California in the Orange Bowl?

It’s crazy talk, really, sort of like Boston winning the World Series.

Weekend Wrap

Is it too soon to start the Utah coronation?

The Utes are inching closer toward becoming the first coalition school to earn a BCS bowl bid.

Had all the top teams won out, there was doubt as to whether Utah could have held on to its critical No. 6 BCS perch. Losses by No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Florida State, however, have all but assured Utah will move up in the BCS standings and secure the automatic bid so long as it closes the season with wins against Colorado State, Wyoming and Brigham Young.

It was a good news/bad news weekend for the Rose Bowl, which has to ponder a replacement for USC should the Trojans advance to the BCS title game.

Florida State’s loss eliminated a major Pasadena headache, because the Seminoles can no longer earn an automatic BCS bid by finishing No. 3 or No. 4.

That prospect, coupled with Utah’s finishing in the top six, would have prevented the Rose Bowl from taking 10-1 Cal to match against the Big Ten champion.

The new problem, however, becomes what to do if the Rose Bowl loses USC and Cal to the Orange Bowl.

Here’s one idea (OK, we know it won’t fly): Since the schools miss each other on the schedule, how about a Wisconsin-Michigan Rose Bowl to settle the Big Ten championship?

Boise State is not getting much love from pollsters despite being 8-0 and beating Hawaii on Friday, 69-3. Boise State moved from No. 18 to No. 16 in the writers’ poll but remained No. 15 in the coaches’ poll.

Utah is clearly winning the battle of the unbeaten non-BCS schools.

It helps that Utah has defeated Texas A&M; and North Carolina, which shocked Miami on Saturday. Boise State’s best win came against mediocre Oregon State.

All indicators point to an Auburn-Tennessee showdown in the Southeastern Conference title game.

Auburn clinched the SEC West on Saturday, and Tennessee can clinch the East with victories against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

No. 25 Texas El Paso, 6-2 under first-year Coach Mike Price, is nationally ranked for the first since 1988. The Miners have won as many games before Halloween this year as they’ve totaled in three previous seasons.

This week’s rhetorical question:

Was it really only three weeks ago that Purdue was 5-0 and senior quarterback Kyle Orton was the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy?