LV Bowl, from Anderson to zebra

Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

I don't know about the do, re, mi of the Las Vegas Bowl, which will kick off at 5 p.m. today at Sam Boyd Stadium in front of another capacity crowd, courtesy of Brigham Young and its loyal legion of fans and a few thousand more from Oregon. But here are some ABC's of our postseason classic that the Jackson 5 probably never stopped to consider:

is for Anderson as in Mike, the former Marine who was named MVP of Utah's 17-16 victory over Fresno State in Las Vegas Bowl VIII on his way to the NFL.

is for Ball State, David Letterman's favorite team, which lost 42-33 to Utah State in Las Vegas Bowl II and 18-15 to Nevada-Reno in Las Vegas Bowl V.

is for Colton as in Sandra, the Las Vegas native and former Oregon cheerleader who will sing tonight's national anthem.

is for Defense ... or lack of it. There has never been a shutout in the Las Vegas Bowl.

is for ESPN Regional, which owns the Las Vegas Bowl.

is for Falcons, as in Bowling Green, Air Force and Atlanta, two of which have appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl. (Although at 7-7, Michael Vick and company are bowl-eligible).

is for the Golden Bears of Cal, which beat BYU 35-28 last year in front of the first sellout crowd in Las Vegas Bowl history.

is for the Hogs of Arkansas, who cried wee, wee, wee all the way home to Fayetteville after being porked 31-14 by UNLV in Las Vegas Bowl IX.

is for Las Vegas Bowl I. Bowling Green edged Nevada-Reno in a 35-34 thriller voted one of the best bowl games of the season by the Los Angeles Times and ESPN. (Although Lee Corso probably voted for the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl.)

is for Jason as in Thomas, the former UNLV quarterback who had his finest moment in Las Vegas Bowl IX, passing the Rebels to an easy win over heavily favored Arkansas.

is for Katie as in Hnida, the New Mexico kicker who became the first female to appear in a bowl game when her extra-point attempt against UCLA was blocked in Las Vegas Bowl XI.

is for LaVell as in Edwards, the BYU coach who once said that Cougars fans travel with the Ten Commandments and a $20 bill and don't break either.

is for Million-dollar payout, which is what tonight's teams will receive.

is for Nevada-Reno, the team up north, which has appeared in a record three Las Vegas Bowls.

is for Oregon State, which played like eager Beavers in a 55-14 rout of New Mexico in Las Vegas Bowl XII.

is for Pioneer PureVision and its sponsorship dollars.

is for Quack, the sound all those Oregon fans make on their way into the stadium.

is for Ronald as in Curry, the two-sport North Carolina star who led the Tar Heels to victory over San Diego State in Las Vegas Bowl VII.

is Steven. Eldorado High star Steven Jackson of Oregon State is the only native Las Vegan to be named MVP of his hometown bowl after battering New Mexico in 2003.

is for Toledo's Rockets, winners of the first overtime game in NCAA history, aka Las Vegas Bowl IV.

is for Utah and Upset, which the Utes did to Carson Palmer and USC in Las Vegas Bowl X.

is for Victorious, which is how UNLV emerged from Las Vegas Bowls III and IX.

is for Wyoming and its rowdy fans, who whooped it up before, during and after the Cowboys' 27-24 upset of UCLA in Las Vegas Bowl XIII.

is for X-mas and X-mas Eve, days on which the game used to have its stocking stuffed.

is for "The Y," the big letter on BYU's helmets. Y? Because we love sellouts.

is for the Zebras, whose gracious calls in the Oregon-Oklahoma game helped the Ducks become bowl-eligible.