Columnist Steve Carp: All’s not so Ducky for LV Bowl

Steve Carp

Thursday, Dec. 4, 1997 | 9:42 a.m.

THEY MAY BE putting on brave faces, but the members of the Las Vegas Bowl selection committee need not worry about hurting themselves for taking a self-congratulatory pat on the back.

Truth is, they blew it.

Had they acted earlier and more decisively, the Las Vegas Bowl could have brought Michigan State to town. For a few more bucks, it might have convinced Notre Dame to come to Las Vegas. Even Southern Cal would have been attractive, at least for the many USC alumni who live here and the Trojans' proximity to the desert.

Instead, the committee waited. And here comes Oregon. Make that 6-5 Oregon, a team with one impressive win on its docket -- a victory over Washington -- to play Air Force.

Makes you want to run to the box office, doesn't it?

I didn't think so. And anyone who does think so is fooling himself. No matter what kind of spin the bowl committee puts on this -- and you can bet they'll use all their PR expertise on this one -- Air Force-Oregon is not a compelling matchup.

It's certainly not compelling for the local football fan who was thinking of going to Sam Boyd Stadium Dec. 20. And it's sure not compelling for ESPN2's nationwide audience, which likely will find a good hockey game to watch on a regional channel rather than sit through the three-hour Vegas infomercial this game has become.

This is not to put the Ducks down. Oregon has fielded a respectable program for more than a decade and it has great and loyal fans. Hopefully, the 15,000 Quackers that the bowl believes are headed here in two weeks make it to town.

But the committee may have underestimated Michigan State's drawing potential. It should have offered the Spartans a spot in the game before MSU went out and kicked Penn State back to Happy Valley with its collective tail between Joe Paterno's legs.

Michigan State is a better team talentwise and the Spartans would have traveled better than Oregon. Certainly, they would have given the game more television appeal.

As for Notre Dame, if this one needs explaining, well ...

If the Motor City Bowl was willing to raise the ante to $1 million to lure the Fighting Irish to Detroit, surely the Las Vegas Bowl could have done likewise. The Subway Alumni would have made up the difference by guaranteeing a packed house for a game which has never drawn more than 17,000.

No matter how good or bad Notre Dame is, people watch. Notre Dame on TV from Vegas? You're talking a record share in the ratings. Especially with a matchup against Air Force, which has staged some classic battles (and won some) with the Irish over the years.

Frankly, I'm not sure Saturday's WAC championship game between New Mexico and Colorado State isn't the better football game. That game could be very entertaining. Even with the 10 a.m. start.

Ask yourself this: You have $40. You can afford to go to either the WAC title game or the Las Vegas Bowl. Which do you attend?

Las Vegas Bowl VI isn't a bad game. It does beat Utah State-Ball State. It's just that with a little foresight, it could have been better -- both at the gate and in the ratings book.