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BYU could get Vegas Bowl invite on Saturday |
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JaredCowley | Thursday, November 16, 2006, 9:02 am
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Darnell Dickson
DAILY HERALD
There could be quite a party in Cougar Town on Saturday afternoon.
Of course, BYU officials, coaches and players don't want to talk about it -- it's considered bad form and dangerous to talk about one's chickens before they're hatched -- but a victory on Saturday against New Mexico would allow the Cougars to reach one of their main goals of a conference championship.
The big question: Is MWC commissioner Craig Thompson, the whipping boy for MWC fans' frustrations with the CSTV deal, brave enough to come to Provo, walk out on the field and hand over the conference championship trophy?
Want more reason to celebrate? Senior running back Curtis Brown is just 39 yards from becoming BYU's all-time leading rusher. A win against New Mexico would send off 26 Cougar seniors with a perfect 6-0 home record in 2006.
In addition, BYU is likely to receive an official invitation to the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight year.
BYU's position is simple: Even if the No. 23 Cougars finish 10-2 they'd still have to finish as high as 14th in the BCS poll to get an invite to a BCS bowl. That won't happen with two games remaining, so BYU is the most attractive team for the Las Vegas Bowl, which has the first choice of Mountain West Conference teams.
Tina Kunzer-Murphy, the executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl, said the bowl committee intended to meet Wednesday evening to discuss their options and that two or three representatives are expected to be at the BYU-New Mexico game.
"It's the 15th anniversary of the Las Vegas Bowl and we're anticipating another great game," Kunzer-Murphy said. "We'll be attending games this weekend, including some in the Pac 10. We have a voting board of 32 members that will meet Wednesday night. If we choose to move forward after than meeting, we'll first talk to the institutions involved."
Kunzer-Murphy was a bit fired up after reading a newspaper article on Tuesday morning suggesting that perhaps a Top 25 BYU team should go to a better bowl game.
"As of Wednesday at 10 a.m., we're are sold out for the bowl game," she said. "Our bowl has made a strong commitment to the Pac 10 and the MWC. This is the first time we've been sold out before we even announced the teams. Does that sound like BYU fans don't want to come to Las Vegas again?"
Kunzer-Murphy said the bowl committee plans to bring 4,100 extra seats into the end zone at Sam Boyd Stadium for this year's Las Vegas Bowl, which would bring capacity to more than 44,000. Last years's game, a sellout, brought in a record crowd of 40,053.
When the Cougars earned an invite to Las Vegas last season, BYU's Bronco Mendenhall told fans to prepare to make the six-hour trip south on I-15 on a regular basis, a pretty bold statement from the usually conservative head coach.
"Going to Las Vegas is nice for BYU fans, obviously not for the gambling," BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe said. "Fans can see a show, there are great places to eat and it's an easy drive. It's a great destination."
As for BCS bowl aspirations, Holmoe said the key will be to maintain the current high level of play.
"We've got to focus on being consistent," he said. "If we're good over time, good things will happen to this program."
The Las Vegas Bowl announced in August of 2005 it had extended its contract with the Pac-10 Conference for an additional four years through the 2009 season, getting the fourth selection in 2006 and 2008 while getting the fifth selection in 2007 and 2009. In addition, the bowl extended its contract with the MWC for the first selection/champion through the 2009 season.
An opponent for BYU could be Oregon, whose offensive coordinator is former Cougar coach Gary Crowton. Since his resignation in 2004, Crowton has not responded to interview requests from the Utah media. The Ducks are 7-3 with games against Arizona and in-state rival Oregon State remaining. Oregon and Oregon State are tied for third (4-3) in Pac 10 play.
Other teams from the Pac 10 that could end up in Las Vegas include Oregon State, which is the only team to beat USC so far this season, and Washington State, which was ranked 25th in the AP poll several weeks ago.
Some MWC teams have three games left to play, but it appears Utah (6-4), with a win over Air Force on Saturday, would be a likely candidate to return to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Obviously, the New Mexico and Fort Worth Bowls would like the host teams to represent, so New Mexico (5-5) needs a win this week against BYU or next week against San Diego State to get to six wins and bowl eligibility. TCU, which has three league games left, is already bowl eligible. The Horned Frogs could be 10-2 and playing at home for their bowl game.
Wyoming (5-6), Air Force (4-5) and Colorado State (4-6) all have the opportunity to get to six wins and become bowl eligible.
Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at
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