Paterno’s 300th a Juicy Enticement

It isn’t our job to bail the Orange Bowl out of trouble, which it currently is in, but you have to feel for a bowl that billed itself as a “national title” game but now has to refund $5 million to CBS for not being able to deliver the nation’s top team.

With Michigan ranked No. 1 in both polls and headed to the Rose Bowl, the best the Orange Bowl can hope for is a pairing of undefeated Nebraska, ranked No. 2, and a No. 3 team with one defeat (pick one from our sampler tray).

Orange Bowl officials remained upbeat this week, holding out hope for a miracle.

Their optimism rests with 62 unpredictable and anonymous men who vote in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll.

The Orange Bowl has conceded the AP race to Michigan. The Wolverines received 69 of 70 possible first-place votes this week and have a stranglehold on the top spot.

There is no way Nebraska, which has remaining games against Colorado and Texas A&M; (in the Big 12 title game), can gain enough ground on Michigan in the AP poll to make a Jan. 2 national title strike if the Wolverines already have won the Rose Bowl.

But what about those darn coaches? In the coming weeks, couldn’t Penn State’s Joe Paterno inadvertently vote Nebraska No. 1 instead of Michigan the way he accidentally voted Florida State No. 1 ahead of Michigan two weeks ago?

Couldn’t sports information directors, some of whom vote on behalf of their coaches, make a critical penmanship error that gets Nebraska back in the race?

Isn’t this the Gang That Couldn’t Vote Straight?

Nebraska trails Michigan in this week’s coaches’ poll by only 32 points, although the Wolverines did garner 46 of 62 first-place votes.

Now, if Nebraska were chasing Florida instead of Michigan for No. 1 in the coaches’ poll, all bets would be off, given Gator Coach Steve Spurrier’s tepid relationship with his brethren.

Who could forget those two nameless coaches who knocked Florida from No. 2 to 11th and 13th, disrespectfully, after the Gators’ 1996 Fiesta Bowl loss to Nebraska.

What chance does the Orange Bowl have to stage a game that matters?

An Orange Bowl spokesman said this week, “If Nebraska could maul Colorado and Texas A&M; they might make it close with the coaches.”

The Orange Bowl figures a sloppy Michigan win against No. 10 Washington State, coupled with a Nebraska wipeout at Miami, could earn the Cornhuskers the coaches’ share of the title.

It’s a longshot.

A Nebraska defeat the next two weeks would be a full-blown disaster for the Orange Bowl, which last season drew only 51,212 fans at 75,000-seat Pro Player Stadium for Nebraska-Virginia Tech.

Is there any way out of this jam?

Yes, glad you asked.

The Orange Bowl has one chance to make its game bankable no matter what happens in the Rose Bowl.

Forget about No. 3 Tennessee. Let the Volunteers go to the Sugar Bowl, where Peyton Manning belongs.

Take Nebraska with the second pick and then grab No. 4 Penn State.

To make this work, Penn State needs to defeat Michigan State this Saturday at East Lansing, Mich., so keep your Orange fingers crossed.

In that scenario, Paterno would go against Nebraska seeking career victory No. 300.

Penn State might even fall into the Orange Bowl’s lap if Tennessee loses this week to Vanderbilt or in the Dec. 6 Southeastern Conference title game.

Landing Paterno in quest of his 300th would go down as one of the great comebacks in Orange Bowl history--before kickoff.

Is it a gamble? Oh, yeah, big time. Taking Penn State instead of Tennessee risks handing the title game to the Sugar Bowl in the event of a Michigan loss.

But if Michigan doesn’t lose, the Orange Bowl might as well be sponsored by a dog food company.

BOWL MADNESS II

The Big East has been a car wreck all season, so why would the last week be any different?

Some dues-paying member from this kicked-around conference is going to the Fiesta Bowl, which gets the sixth and final pick in the bowl alliance rotation.

Any takers?

If Miami beats No. 16 Syracuse this week, it creates a three-way tie for first among Syracuse, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Since the schools would be 1-1 against one another, the alliance pick would go to the team with the highest poll ranking.

But if Virginia Tech--unranked in the AP poll but No. 21 in the coaches’ rankings--loses to archrival Virginia, there’s a chance no Big East team will be ranked.

In that case, the Fiesta would get to select whichever team it wanted. It would want none, actually, but would hold its nose and settle for Syracuse.

The Orangemen can make it simple by clinching the Fiesta berth with a win over Miami.

No sweat? Syracuse is 0-5 in its last five games against Miami. The Hurricanes are the only Big East team Syracuse Coach Paul Pasqualoni has not defeated.

Miami (5-5) is making a Notre Dame-esque late-season charge from the poll heap and needs the win to qualify for a bowl game.

If that isn’t enough. . . .

If Syracuse loses and Pittsburgh beats West Virginia, Syracuse and Virginia Tech would finish in a two-way tie.

Virginia Tech defeated Syracuse, 31-3, but Syracuse would get the bowl bid if it finishes more than five places ahead of the Hokies in the combined alliance poll.

HAIL TO THE VICTORS

This must be Michigan’s year.

The Wolverines are 3-0 against Ohio State when they have been rated No. 1 entering the game. It happened in 1947 and 1948--Michigan won the national title both years.

You don’t figure Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr as a guy who has much time for team-of-destiny scenarios, but this season has been a relative sentimental journey.

Saturday’s victory over Ohio State came 50 years to the day after the 1947 Michigan team defeated Ohio State, 21-0.

“The ’47 team is having a reunion at the Rose Bowl,” Carr said after the game. “At one point this season, someone brought an old ball in signed by the guys on the ’47 team. Three or four weeks ago, I took the ball in and talked to our players about our November schedule, and that there was a reunion in Pasadena.”

Carr, who can be irascible, revealed a softer side before the Ohio State game. After four consecutive, four-loss seasons, the coach and Michigan were under pressure to produce.

“It’s easy to let it overtake you, the weight of all the tradition,” Carr said. “But it’s a game. They’re not getting paid. I try to tell them, ‘Have fun.’ ”

Carr got my vote for coach of the year this week, in a close call over Washington State’s Mike Price and UCLA’s Bob Toledo.

The deciding factor was Michigan’s constant pursuit of the best schedule available. Carr has been told that could hurt the Wolverines in the rankings, but he has maintained if you beat great teams your position would be solidified.

Any time you beat Colorado, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State in the same season, you deserve a piece of the national title.

Need more karma?

Twenty-five years ago, Michigan quarterback Brian Griese’s father, Bob, led the Miami Dolphins to a 17-0 record and the NFL title.

COAST TO COAST

Hold off that Arizona State coronation in the Fiesta Bowl. Word is Kansas State’s fast finish, along with the program’s huge road following, has made the Wildcats a legitimate contender.

“There’s no sense prioritizing at this time,” Fiesta Bowl Executive Director John Junker said this week. “Some teams still have two games left.” It’s clear, however, that No. 6 UCLA probably will not be the Fiesta’s choice. Without officially ruling out UCLA, Junker explained economic concerns are hard to ignore.

“We have the challenge of a New Year’s Eve date,” he said. “It’s a tough date to draw a live audience, which is the foundation of TV.”

Kansas State reportedly brought 40,000 fans to last season’s Cotton Bowl. Arizona State is the hometown team. Tough luck, UCLA.

“It’s really tough to look at great programs and have to say we only have two spots,” Junker said.

* It’s amazing tailback Skip Hicks has scored 54 touchdowns in his UCLA career, yet I still can’t get out of my head the one he didn’t score against Washington State.

* We’ve done our share of Big East bashing, but if Miami and Pittsburgh win this weekend, the conference will have five bowl-qualified schools and only four guaranteed spots: alliance, Gator, Carquest, Liberty.

Yes, the Big East could be out shopping a team to a bowl game with an at-large opening: Motor City, Sports Humanitarian, Las Vegas, Independence. Also, the Big 12’s No. 6 spot in the Insight.com Bowl will be up for grabs if 5-5 Colorado does not upset Nebraska in Boulder on Friday.

* With his decision to return next season, Central Florida quarterback Duante Culpepper just became my official 1998 Heisman Trophy dark-horse candidate. Culpepper passed for 3,086 yards and 25 touchdowns this season but figured he could improve his NFL stock with another year of, uh, seasoning. Culpepper was projected at best as a late first-round choice.

* When Oklahoma and Oklahoma State next meet, one guy will be rooting for a 0-0 tie that leads to overtime: Buddy Ryan.

Oklahoma hired Buddy’s son, Rex, this week to be defensive coordinator. Rex held the same position at Cincinnati this season. Buddy’s other son, Rob, is defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.

* With Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson’s retirement, 71-year-old John Gagliardi of Division III St John’s University in Minnesota becomes the winningest active college coach. Gagliardi recently completed his 49th season, his 45th at St. John’s, and has a career mark of 342-104-11. Gagliardi says he wants to break Robinson’s record of 408 victories.