Is Neuheisel a Worm in the Apple?

You know it’s rivalry week in the conference when:

* You can’t pry more than one-sentence answers out of Washington Coach Rick Neuheisel, the Pacific 10’s resident Aunt Blabby.

* USC does a better job wrapping up (in duct tape) Tommy Trojan than its defenders wrapped up ballcarriers at Kansas State.

* Oregon State shuts off media access for its starting tailback last Saturday.

* Whiny Stanford fans begin their annual river in Egypt (denial) rant over a semi-controversial finish against California 20 years ago.

The only rivalry game not on tap is Arizona vs. Arizona State, deferred to its traditional Friday-after-Thanksgiving slot. This is probably best, as it gives Arizona extra time to locate AWOL players who might have wandered off into the desert.

Here’s a quick primer on this weekend’s matchups in order of national ramifications.

Washington (6-5, 3-4) at Washington State (9-1, 6-0)

Rivalry in play: Apple Cup. The series began in 1900 but the Apple Cup was not awarded to the winner until 1962. The trophy is not really a cup either, and the winner also receives the Governor’s Trophy.

At stake: There hasn’t been a bigger Apple Cup for Washington State, which, with a victory, can clinch its second Rose Bowl berth in five years and also keep national-title hopes alive.

Fear factor: Neuheisel closed practice to outsiders for the first time in three years. At his weekly news conference, the usually loquacious coach gave curt answers to questions -- Neuheisel on Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser: “He is a good player.”

USC (8-2, 6-1) at UCLA (7-3, 4-2)

Playing for: Victory Bell. The winner gets year-round, ding-dong possession. The 295-pound bell was given as a gift to UCLA in 1939, but USC students stole it the next year and someone eventually called the cops. In 1942, as a truce, it was agreed the bell would be awarded to the game’s winner.

At stake: The victor remains alive for the Pac-10 title, so long as Washington State loses.

Fear factor: A UCLA win calls into question the fiscal wisdom of USC sending athletic department officials to campaign for a bowl championship series bowl with two games left.

Oregon (7-4, 3-4) at Oregon State (7-4, 3-4)

Rivalry in play: The Civil War. Stanford and Cal started two years before, in 1892, but Oregon and Oregon State have met more times, 105 to 104.

At stake: Not much, now that the radio rights issue has been resolved. Two years ago, Oregon State wrecked Oregon’s Rose Bowl dreams. Last year, Oregon slugged out a 17-14 win to keep its national-title hopes alive.

Fear factor: That this will be as ugly as the 1983 game, considered the worst played, when the teams finished in a scoreless tie.

Stanford (2-8, 1-6) at California (6-5, 3-4)

Rivalry in play: The Big Game.

At stake: Revenge for 1982 game that Cal won, 25-20, on a last-second kickoff return forever known as “The Play,” ending when Cal’s Kevin Moen knocked down Stanford band member Gary Tyrrell in the end zone. Tyrrell’s trombone is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Fear factor: That it could be deja vu all over again.

Arizona Aftermath

It seemed a longshot Arizona Coach John Mackovic could keep his job after the events of last week, in which 50-odd players marched on the president’s office to complain about the second-year coach.

Mackovic, however, went on a massive damage-control campaign, securing on-air support from former ESPN colleague and ex-coach Lee Corso.

More important was Arizona’s stunning, 52-41, circle-the-wagons win at California.

Mackovic’s future may still hinge on next week’s final game against rival Arizona State, although the Arizona coach said he expects to be back next year. “I have been told nothing to the contrary,” Mackovic said.

Mackovic, who issued a tearful apology at last week’s news conference, said mistakes have been made on both sides.

“I think the players did a poor job and I did a poor job of communicating with each other,” Mackovic said. “I think they had some things that were bothering them and they never came and said, ‘Let’s sit down.’ I think I did a poor job of being able to sense that all the time.”

Pac Bits

The NCAA’s decision to uphold Cal’s one-year bowl ban still leaves the conference with seven eligible bowl teams and only six guaranteed slots -- Rose, Holiday, Sun, Insight, Las Vegas and Silicon Valley. If Washington State ends up in the Fiesta Bowl, everyone moves up a rung and the Pac-10 has a place for all its schools. If Washington State ends up in the Rose Bowl, though, the odd team out may be Washington if it loses to Washington State and finishes 6-6. With a 12-game schedule this year, 6-6 teams are only allowed to play in bowls contracted with their conference.

How to get around this? If the Mountain West doesn’t have an eligible team to send to the Seattle Bowl, that game and the Pac-10 could simply sign a contract that would allow Washington to play at home. From a business standpoint, the Seattle Bowl would be thrilled to have Washington. This move would not thrill 9-2 South Florida, an independent trying to find an at-large spot somewhere.

Bottom line? That’s the bowl business, as USC may find out if it caps a 10-2 season with a win over Notre Dame and loses a $13-million Orange Bowl berth to the 10-2 Fighting Irish.

The man to blame for the NCAA not rescinding its bowl ban on Cal? Look no further than former basketball coach Todd Bozeman. The NCAA bought a lot of Cal’s argument for reversal and even returned nine scholarships that were initially stripped. But the NCAA stuck to its position on the bowl ban because the Golden Bears were “repeat offenders” thanks to violations incurred in the mid-1990s in the basketball program.

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PACIFIC 10

*--* Conference Overall TEAM W L W L PF PA WASHINGTON STATE 6 0 9 1 343 206 USC 6 1 8 2 331 189 UCLA 4 2 7 3 312 213 ARIZONA STATE 4 3 7 5 391 353 OREGON 3 4 7 4 376 279 OREGON STATE 3 4 7 4 356 205 CALIFORNIA 3 4 6 5 397 311 WASHINGTON 3 4 6 5 345 282 ARIZONA 1 6 4 7 207 276 STANFORD 1 6 2 8 218 347

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Saturday’s Games

USC at UCLA...12:30 p.m.

Stanford at California...12:30 p.m.

Oregon at Oregon State...1 p.m.

Washington at Washington State...3:30 p.m.