In the smoldering ruins of Colorado’s epic collapse at Kansas 19 days ago, the following question was not on anyone’s mind. Incredibly, it is now.
Which bowl game could invite the Buffaloes?
It’s possible. Unlikely? Yes. Colorado (5-6, 2-5 Big 12) must go into Lincoln on Friday and knock off 16th-ranked Nebraska (9-2, 5-2), a 17 1/2-point favorite.
But if you believe in momentum and the demons that can disrupt a team in turmoil, then pay attention. Colorado fans stoked over interim coach Brian Cabral’s 2-0 record and Nebraska’s offensive doldrums could conceivably have a holiday in store for December.
A win makes Colorado bowl-eligible, the ninth team in the Big 12 to qualify. The conference has eight bowl ties, nine if two teams make one of the four lucrative BCS bowls, which is doubtful.
Too bad. The Big 12’s bowls pick in order, and the bottom two bowls are the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl in New York on Dec. 30 and the new TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 1.
Complicating matters, Texas (5-6, 2-5) will become bowl-eligible today if it beats 17th-ranked Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) at home.
If Colorado does not make one of the Big 12’s slots, it could take one the Pac-10 can’t use. The Pac-10 has six bowl tie-ins but only three bowl-eligible teams: Oregon (10-0), Stanford (10-1) and Arizona (7-3). USC (7-4) is on probation.
If top-ranked Oregon goes to the BCS championship game, seventh-ranked Stanford would likely go to a BCS bowl. Four Pac-10 teams could become bowl-eligible: Oregon State (5-5), California (5-6), Washington (4-6) and UCLA (4-6).
Odds are, only Cal or Washington will make a bowl. That leaves three bowls available for Colorado. Those include the Sun, Las Vegas and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
The Las Vegas Bowl has a tie-in with the Mountain West, and a Colorado-Utah matchup would make sense. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, formerly the Emerald Bowl, is in San Francisco, and Colorado alumni made a good impression when 7,000 attended the Buffs’ game at Cal on Sept. 11.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
