Boulder – The Big 12 North title isn’t the only thing Colorado stands to lose if it doesn’t beat Nebraska on Friday. The Holiday Bowl hangs in the balance as well, and the Buffs have already slipped a bit in that committee’s eyes.
“Our scope has widened a little bit now,” Holiday Bowl executive director Bruce Binkowski said. “Certainly Colorado is still of interest. But at this point, I think Colorado is in our picture, Iowa State is in our picture, Oklahoma is in our picture.
“We’ve just got to wait and see what happens this weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.”
A win keeps Colorado in the running for a spot in the Holiday Bowl, played in San Diego on Dec. 29. A loss to the Huskers will knock the Buffs out of that picture and place them firmly in the Alamo Bowl’s crosshairs or possibly even the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
Iowa State finishes its season Saturday at Kansas. At 5-5, Kansas is fighting for bowl eligibility. The Alamo Bowl, which will have representatives at the CU-Nebraska game, has the Buffs and Huskers on its short list.
“In the North, you’ve got Colorado, you’ve got Iowa State, Missouri and Nebraska,” Alamo Bowl spokesman Rick Hill said. “So, it is pretty wide-open at this point.”
Had Michigan beaten Ohio State, Hill said the Alamo committee could have announced its Big Ten selection this week. Now, with a BCS at-large spot still a possibility for the Buckeyes, the Alamo Bowl will have to wait. CU played in the 2002 Alamo Bowl against Wisconsin.
How CU plays in the closing weeks is critical, and the Big 12 championship game may not be the greatest help to the Buffs’ cause. If CU beats Nebraska but is blown out by Texas in the Big 12 championship game, more of its shine will be lost.
However, if CU handles Nebraska and plays Texas tough, its profile will be raised. Of course, if the Buffs made the Big 12 championship game and upset Texas, they would be headed to the Fiesta Bowl. But that is a longshot.
“Let’s say Iowa State and Colorado both have 8-3 records,” Binkowski said. “We may, and I can’t speak for our committee, but we may say, ‘Let’s see how they do in the Big 12 title game.’
“If they get beat 58-0, that could impact our decision. But if they lose by a field goal in the last minute, that could impact our decision. So it gets complicated.”
Said Hill: “It’s how people play down the stretch. Does Colorado take Nebraska to the woodshed and do they play Texas competitive? I think people can kind of forecast who is going to win and lose these last couple of games, but anybody that holds Texas close will be impressive.”
Binkowski said the Holiday Bowl is down to UCLA and Oregon on the Pac-10 side. The bowl gets the Pac-10’s outright second-place team, so if UCLA loses to USC, Oregon wins out and is not taken as an at-large by the BCS, then it goes to the Holiday Bowl. If UCLA holds on to second place and isn’t in the BCS’ at-large plans, then it goes to the Holiday Bowl.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
