BCS Snub Could Mean Pac-10 Walk
The Pac-10 Conference could withdraw from the Bowl Championship Series if No. 5 Oregon State isn't picked for the Fiesta Bowl.
"I think the BCS has been very good for college football, but it has to be good for all the participants," commissioner Tom Hansen told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.
The Fiesta Bowl is preparing for Sunday's pick of teams to play in one of the BCS's four major bowls.
No. 2 Miami and No. 11 Notre Dame are the leading teams for the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon State (10-1), whose only loss was by three points at Pac-10 champion Washington, could lose out on the big payoff of a BCS bowl. Relegating the Beavers to the Holiday Bowl would cost the Pac-10, which shares bowl revenues, about $4 million.
The Pac-10 contract to take part in the BCS expires in 2006.
"There is an extra burden on the Fiesta Bowl this year. I hope they feel that," Hansen said of the possibility that Fiesta officials could ignore Oregon State's higher BCS standing and go for a Notre Dame-Miami matchup.
Another scenario has No. 8 Kansas State getting an automatic Fiesta berth if it beats current No. 1 Oklahoma in the Big-12 title game. That would give the Fiesta selectors just one at-large choice for their game, which has a $13.5 million payout.
The Rose Bowl is in the BCS rotation to have a No. 1-2 game once every four years. But the No. 2 team in the Pac-10 has regularly been shut out of the other premier bowls in the BCS. Arizona was the only at-large selection for a major bowl in recent years, going to the 1994 Fiesta Bowl.
In 1997, No. 5 UCLA was bypassed by the Sugar Bowl in favor of No. 9 Ohio State. UCLA instead went to the Cotton Bowl.
"The Pac-10 may be better off going back to the Rose Bowl and forgetting the rest," Hansen said. "I wouldn't want to continually subject our teams to the anticipation of being selected and fairly considered when it just doesn't happen."
The BCS rankings have Oregon State at No. 6 and Fiesta Bowl officials have said the Beavers are still a high consideration.
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