Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Oklahoma?

How would this be for a Pacific Life Holiday Bowl match-up in 2009?

Try the University of Southern California Trojans vs. the Oklahoma Sooners!

In a good year, the two schools could be playing for the BCS championship. But in a “down” year such as this, it might be the best chance ever for the Holiday Bowl to get a USC vs. Oklahoma billing.

Talk about getting the top non-BCS or New Year’s Day game if you could sign such a deal.

The Holiday Bowl is in the final year of an agreement where it gets the No. 2 pick from the Pac 10 vs. the No. 3 selection from the Big 12.

No. 12 USC (6-2) is virtually out of the Rose Bowl race with Saturday’s loss at Oregon. But the Trojans still have wins over the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame and California on their 2009 resume.

No. 20 Oklahoma (5-3) is without QB Sam Bradford for the rest of the season, but the Sooners still have much national respect. Don’t forget that they only lost by three points to No. 2 Texas without the injured Bradford for a majority of the game.

USC vs. Oklahoma. Pete Carroll vs. Bob Stoops.

The Holiday Bowl better latch on to this great match-up while it still has the opportunity.

West Coast college football better than perceived

West Coast college football wasn’t so bad after all this year, was it?

The knock on elite teams such as USC and Utah was that they played inferior talent out west.

So let’s take a look for a minute:

The Pac-10 finished 5-0 in bowl games, proving USC played a very tough schedule.
Utah is the only undefeated team left; thanks to its Sugar Bowl win over an Alabama team that was one victory from the BCS championship tilt.

USC was denied a BCS title shot based on its Pac-10 schedule. But since those Pac-10 teams are 5-0 in bowl games, doesn’t that have some meaning in the aftermath?

Oklahoma is in the title game based on its “tough” Big 12 schedule.

But when you look at it, the Sooners’ best wins this year were against Texas Tech (loser to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl) and Oklahoma State (loser to Oregon of the Pac-10 in the Holiday Bowl.)

The best team Oklahoma beat which went on to win a bowl game turned out to be Missouri, which had to go overtime to defeat Northwestern in a no-name bowl.

So much for the argument about Oklahoma’s superior schedule/competition in the Big 12.

The obvious answer is a BCS playoff, where teams like USC can prove (or disprove) their strength.

One can only hope Oklahoma doesn’t lose the BCS championship to Florida, or it will be another knock on the supposed invincibility of the Big 12.

Prediction:
Florida 38, Oklahoma 34

What would Grier's departure mean to USD basketball?

If University of San Diego basketball coach Bill Grier does indeed take the Oregon State job, what does it mean for the Toreros?

First and foremost, it means USD is darned if it does – and darned if it doesn’t – when it comes to winning.

If/when Grier leaves, he will be living proof that the Toreros probably aren’t going to keep a coach who is highly successful (baseball coach Rich Hill being an exception.)

All Grier did in his first year at USD is enable the Toreros to become the first San Diego team ever to win an NCAA Tournament game, that coming in a stunning upset of Connecticut.

Just a year ago, highly-successful USD football coach Jim Harbaugh left to become the head coach at Stanford.

Based on these two cases, it appears USD is becoming a testing ground for coaches to make their way into the Pac-10.

So what happens when a coach doesn’t reach the top with the Toreros?

Just ask Brad Holland, who was fired after posting a 187-181 career record at USD.

What’s next for the Toreros without Grier?

Look for the job to go to top assistant coach Bill Carr, the former head coach at UC San Diego.

The Toreros will look for another Grier to lead their basketball program … with the hopes an impact coach will stick around for awhile.

USC-Texas rematch in Holiday Bowl?

Two years ago, USC and Texas played for the college football national championship.

How about a rematch this year in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl?

It won’t be the Trojans of Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush vs. the Longhorns of Vince Young.

But it would still offer coaches Pete Carroll of USC and Mack Brown of Texas, leading two of the most heralded teams annually in college football.

Let’s face it: The Holiday Bowl is only going to get USC on a down year for the Trojans. This may be the year.

Texas was here in 2001 and 2003 for the Holiday Bowl, but the Longhorns would probably welcome a rematch of their title win over USC two years ago. (USC has never played in the game.)

The Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl matches the Pac-10 runner-up against a third selection from the Big 12.

The game could certainly match a pair of current Top 10 teams if Arizona State were to face Missouri. But let’s face it: Those teams don’t have the national appeal of USC and Texas.

Kansas and Oklahoma are other possibilities from the Big 12 if they slip late in the season. Ditto for Oregon in the Pac-10.

But all things considered, the Holiday Bowl can’t do better than a match-up of USC vs. Texas.

Aztecs face another tough weekend

Do you want to make some money this weekend?

Take Arizona State and give the 28-point spread to San Diego State for Saturday night’s game in Tempe, Ariz.

Why?

There are 469 reasons, as in the 469 passing yards Washington State rolled up in a 45-17 win over the Aztecs last weekend.

And that was Washington State, a weaker link in the Pac-10. Arizona State figures to be a factor in the tough Pac-10 this year, which figures to be bad news for SDSU.

The Sun Devils have the nation’s No. 23-ranked passer in Rudy Carpenter.

After facing coach Chuck Long and his Aztecs, don’t be surprised if Carpenter ranks among the top 10 nationally.

Prediction: Arizona State 44, SDSU 10