LV Bowl waits on BCS

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005 | 8:24 a.m.

UNR unexpectedly thrust itself into the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl picture by virtue of its 38-35 upset of 16th-ranked Fresno State on Saturday night, but will need some help from the Bowl Championship Series committee if the Wolfpack is to play its postseason game in Nevada.

UNR, which earned a share of the Western Athletic Conference title by beating the Bulldogs at home, has a standing offer to play in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24, but reportedly will hold off officially accepting that invitation until the Bowl Championship Series selections are announced Sunday.

If eighth-ranked Oregon should earn one of two at-large berths into one of the Bowl Championship Series bowls, that could lead to a WAC school replacing a Pac-10 team and playing BYU in the Dec. 22 game at Sam Boyd Stadium. If Oregon gets snubbed by the committee, as is expected, California will represent the Pac-10 in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Either way, Las Vegas Bowl Executive Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy will have to wait until Sunday morning -- after the committee make its selections -- before she has an opponent for BYU.

"We have to wait -- I wish we didn't, but Oregon is still a part of the BCS holds. So until they release all the teams, we cannot select," Kunzer-Murphy said.

"If Oregon doesn't go to the BCS, then our team will be Cal. If Oregon does go to the BCS ... then we don't get a (Pac-10) team. But most people in the business are speculating that Oregon will not go, that the second at-large team to go will be Ohio State."

UNR likely also will have to wait until Sunday before learning where it will play. Members of the WAC's bowl-selection committee met Monday, and conference Commissioner Karl Benson said they opted to wait and see what the Bowl Championship Series does Sunday before allowing UNR and Louisiana Tech to commit to bowls.

"We delayed any further selections pending the outcome of the BCS selections on Sunday," Benson told the Associated Press. "That was done at the suggestion of the Las Vegas Bowl because there's still an outside chance the Las Vegas Bowl could have an open spot.

"Nevada is a logical spot for (UNR) to play and (UNR) would supply the Las Vegas bowl with a quality team."

WAC members Boise State (MPC Computers Bowl in Boise) and Fresno State (Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn.) already have accepted invitations to play in the postseason.

The Mountain West Conference currently is sending four of its eligible teams to bowl games. In addition to BYU, conference champion Texas Christian, Colorado State and Utah already have accepted bowl invitations.

TCU will play in the EV1.net Houston Bowl on Dec. 31 against an opponent from the Big 12 Conference, Colorado State has committed to play Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 22 and Utah will play in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco on Dec. 29.

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or at bh@lasvegassun.com.