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BCS bowl bids don't go out until next weekend and some of the non-BCS bowls have to wait for those matchups to be finalized before they can do their own deals. But, for many of the lesser bowls, invitations can and will start going out this week.
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It's understood that BYU and TCU will split the Las Vegas Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl between the two of them, with the assumption that TCU will play in San Diego if a meeting with Boise State can be arranged, and in Las Vegas if Boise plays elsewhere.
Currently, BYU appears ticketed for Las Vegas and a meeting with the Pac-10's 4th choice team, unless the TCU/Boise State game fails to materialize--in which case BYU would head to San Diego to face a WAC also-ran.
But then, there was this in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning, and it's a possibility I have not seen raised (and for good reason, since there are no agreements stipulating such a possibility):
TCU meets Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, with BYU projected to face California in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Now, I'm not sure if the Star-Telegram's prognosticator is simply unfamiliar with the bowl agreements, or if he knows something we don't, but I know of no contingency that would stick Boise in Vegas. By the same token, while the Poinsettia Bowl is aligned with the MWC and Pac-10, the recent contingency plan put in place stipulates that a WAC team would replace a 7th place Pac-10 team in San Diego, if the Pac-10 failed to qualify a 7th team--as is the case this year.
Bowls, conferences, TV networks and schools always work in concert in arranging bowl matchups, and it would not be unprecedented if the Las Vegas Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl were to pull off a "switcheroo." The Las Vegas Bowl does offer a higher payout and slightly more prestige than the relatively new bowl in San Diego, so I can see the MWC wanting a more prominent profile for its second highest-ranked team. We'll soon find out if the fine print exists to make such a deal possible.
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Similarly, an ESPN.com projection has BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl versus Notre Dame, but again, it would take "off the menu" deal-making to make that matchup a reality.
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Texas fans feel wronged by the latest BCS Standings, and argue that a win over Oklahoma should put the Longhorns ahead of OU. I get that, but losing to a Texas Tech team that OU obliterated also counts for something. And when it comes down to it, if a certain Texas DB hangs on to a deflected Graham Harrell pass that hit him right in the hands in the final minute of that meeting, the 'Horns would be ticketed for the Big 12 title game and a likely national title shot. If that player makes that one play (and it was as easy a catch as any player has ever had), Texas beats Texas Tech and the current discussion is likely moot.
That play reminds me of the deflected Max Hall pass on 3rd and 18 late in the 2007 BYU-Utah game--a deflection that Ute linebacker Stevenson Sylvester dropped. Had he made that play, there never would have been a 4th and 18, and Utah wins that game. Moral of the story, I guess: when a deflected pass hits you in the hands, make the catch, or else magic (Hall-to-Collie, Harrell-to-Crabtree) just might happen.
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A reminder: the "Dave Rose Show" airs tonight from 7:00-8:00pm. Join host Randolph Fairbairn and Coach Rose as they look back on the win at Idaho State and ahead to tough instate games with Weber State and Utah State.
Of course, if you miss the show live, you can find it available for audio download/podcast on the "Dave Rose Show" link in the BYU Sports Menu.
Also, I will post the short "Coach's Corner" interviews with Coach Rose on Monday mornings. You will find the first such interview in the "Cougar Cuts" box above and to the right.
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