Crunch time has come in college football.

With only four weeks remaining in the regular season, a select few teams are playing for a spot in the national championship game, a conference championship or a prestigious Bowl Championship Series game.

But for teams fighting to stay above .500, these last few games are about positioning themselves for bowl invitations.

With each slot in the 24 non-BCS bowl games predetermined by conference affiliation, late-season conference games take on greater significance. Now, a single late-season conference victory or loss can determine a school’s bowl appearance.

The Western Athletic Conference has three reserved bowl spots and is in position to send each of its qualifiers to a game in its home state. Fresno State would get to play Dec. 30 in the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif., and the WAC’s top two projected finishers could each stay home for bowl games. Hawaii is in position to play in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas night in Honolulu, while Boise State would receive a bid to the Humanitarian Bowl played on the blue Astroturf in Boise, Idaho, on Jan. 3.

Since Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference don’t have any BCS affiliation, the respective conference champions can only aspire to play in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 31 in the Liberty Bowl. Utah and Texas Christian – barring a possible BCS at-large bid – are in position for this season’s battle of mid-major conference champions.

In conferences with guaranteed New Year’s day bowl bids in tropical locations, the stakes for a strong late-season finish are much higher.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, the second-place finisher receives a bid to the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla. The third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers each receive bids to bowls in generally warm climates in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Orlando, Fla.

The sixth-place finisher travels to the Humanitarian Bowl, which will likely be a road game in a city where the average January temperature is 30 degrees. Clemson, Virginia and Georgia Tech each need victories to avoid a trip to Idaho.

Some of the lesser-known bowl games may boast attractive locations, but they are often the least-watched games.

The San Francisco Bowl, played between a school from the Mountain West and the fifth-seeded team from the Big East, takes place at 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Though the game may end before midnight on the West Coast, Big East fans may be weary to tune in to the third quarter of a football game while the ball drops in Times Square. Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia are candidates to take away viewers from Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve this season.

Possible Non-BCS Bowl Matchups Worth Watching

Minnesota vs. Texas Tech; Alamo Bowl – This would match two of the nation’s best quarterbacks, the Red Raiders’ B.J. Symons and Minnesota’s Asad Abdul-Khaliq, against each other in an offensive show.

N.C. State vs. Mississippi; Peach Bowl – Another possible matchup of great quarterbacks. N.C. State’s Philip Rivers could square off against Ole’ Miss’ Eli Manning in a showcase of potential NFL first-round draft choices.

Auburn vs. Wisconsin; Music City Bowl – Two of the nation’s top running games may face off in Nashville, Tenn. Auburn’s Carnell Williams and the Badgers’ Anthony Davis could lead two similar teams from major conferences against each other.

Teams To Watch

Ohio State

A 17-10 loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 11 took the Buckeyes out of the national spotlight, but with four consecutive wins, the defending national champions are back on a roll. A win against Michigan would clinch the Big Ten title for the Buckeyes and a USC loss could put Ohio State in position to repeat as national champions.

Boise State

Usually the Broncos are only known for the blue field on which they play their home games.

This season, led by quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise State is dominating the WAC with an 8-1 record and has a quality non-conference win at BYU to its credit.

Tennessee

Behind quarterback Casey Claussen, the Vols won their third game against a top-20 opponent Saturday when they beat Miami. Tennessee could still head to a BCS bowl if it can win the remainder of its regular-season games and defeat either LSU or Mississippi in the Southeast Conference Championship game.

Big Numbers

33-3

First down differential in favor of Oklahoma in the Sooners’ 77-0 win over Texas A&M on Saturday.

0

Losses for Texas Christian. TCU became the first non-BCS conference team to break into the top six spots in the BCS rankings. If the Horned Frogs can remain there, they will be the first outsider to play in a BCS bowl since the system’s inception in 1998.

The Heisman Rankings

1. Jason White, QB, Oklahoma – His five touchdowns in the first half against Texas A&M proved that he deserves the award. White leads the nation in passing efficiency at 66.3 percent.

2. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh – Fitzgerald caught another touchdown in Pitt’s upset victory over Virginia Tech, his 17th.

3. Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech – With 241 yards against Pittsburgh, a running back finally proves himself worthy of the award.

Say What …

Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione on being beat 77-0 by Oklahoma.

‘I think everybody’s pride was hurt. I think you go through a gamut of emotions. I’m sure there is not one that you can’t mention that I didn’t feel. There’s been a lot of days in coaching where I’ve closed the door and said, ‘My, oh my.’ And I’m sure they’re not going to go away.’

Published on November 11, 2003 at 12:00 pm