kaufman@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (11/11/85)
A lot of this year's top college football teams aren't going to have a happy new year. This season there are more teams than usual (barring upsets in the next few weeks) worthy of major bowl berths, and one or two are likely to even be screwed out of a Fiesta Bowl appearance. As we know, five of the 10 New Years appearances are reserved for the winners of the Big 10, the Big 8, the SEC, the PAC 10, and the SWC. In my opinion, the champs of the latter three conferences, while all fine teams (again assuming form holds in these next few weeks) are probably half a notch below top-10 major-bowl caliber. Among the contenders for the last 5 spots we have: Penn State - unblemished record; can write their own New Years ticket if they beat Notre Dame and Pitt. Miami - Why have the polls been treating them lightly? Unbeaten since opening day, they've beaten Oklahoma decisively and Florida State impressively, not to mention a Maryland club in everybody's top 5 at the start of the year. Air Force - Should they beat Brigham Young, nobody will be able to say they played a schedule of patsies, not with Notre Dame and Army among their victims. They would then likely be undefeated. From what I can gather from newspaper and TV bowl prognostications, the WAC has severed its association with the Holiday Bowl. Is this true? Second and third place finishers in the Big 10 and the Big 8 - I know, you're probably saying, "Why should a third place team even hope to play on Jan. 1?" Of course it helps that these are Top-10 teams with big-money programs, who will usually only have lost to each other. If Oklahoma State upsets Oklahoma, who knocks off Nebraska, are any of these not worthy of a major? Should Michigan beat Ohio State, should the Buckeyes (currently #2 or 3 in some polls) have to play in December? And who's to deny that the FIFTH place team in the SEC belongs in everybody's top 20? Not only does it seem that none of these should be shut out on New Year's Day, they also would appear too good for the Fiesta! Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman)