The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - December 10,1990- Page 5
Racing for No. 1
Six teams still in contention
for national championship
by David Hyman
Daily Football Writer
After 14 weekends of games, six teams are in the
hunt for the college football national championship.
Por the second straight season, there is no No. 1 vs.
-No. 2 matchup to decide the champion - thus six
teams are playing in four different bowls to determine
wvho will come out on top.
k Three of these bowls will be played on New Year's
Day with the other played three days earlier. No. 1
Colorado (10-1-1) can wrap up the championship with a
victory over No. 5 Notre Dame (9-2) in the Orange
Bowl. The Buffaloes have played one of the toughest
schedules in the nation and would love to beat the
Fighting Irish in a rematch of last season's Orange
Bowl.
Colorado entered last year's game with a 10-0 record
and could have secured the national championship with
i victory over Notre Dame. However, the Fighting Irish
prevailed, 21-6, ending the Buffaloes' dream season and
allowing Miami to win its third championship in seven
seasons.
What could prevent Colorado from the final No. 1
ranking, even after defeating Notre Dame, would be an
unimpressive victory or if voters take the controversial
fifth-down touchdown at Missouri earlier this season
into consideration. But it seems the voters have placed a
high priority on the Buffaloes' tough schedule (wins vs.
Oklahoma, Washington and wins at Tennessee, Texas
and Nebraska) and that they control their destiny.
If Colorado narrowly defeats Notre Dame and No. 2
Georgia Tech (10-0-1) rolls over Nebraska in the Florida
Citrus Bowl, the Yellow Jackets, the only undefeated
team in the nation, could be looking at the national
*championship.
v But even with a strong showing against the
Cornhuskers, voters may have a difficult time putting
Tech into the No. 1 position due to its weak schedule.
The Yellow Jackets' tie came at the hands of a weak
North Carolina team and may prevent Tech from
reaching No. 1.
If Tech defeats Nebraska in a close game, it appears
Colorado will have the track to No. 1 if the Buffaloes
win. But if the Buffaloes lose while Tech wins a close
*,game, a Texas victory against Miami in the Cotton
Bowl could prevent the Yellow Jackets from vaulting to
'No. 1.
The third-ranked Longhorns (10-1) could land its first
national championship since 1969 with a win against
the fourth-ranked Hurricanes (9-2) only if Colorado
loses or ties. Texas' only defeat was to the Buffaloes in
its second game of the season.
Voters could give more weight to a Longhorn
victory than a Tech victory due to the teams' schedules.
And if Colorado does lose to Notre Dame, the Irish will
complain that they defeated the team that beat Texas.
But the Longhorns defeated Penn State who beat Notre
Dame, and how can a team with two losses be voted
ahead of a strong Texas team?
For the Hurricanes to win their fourth national
championship in eight years, they would need a
Colorado tie with Notre Dame and a Georgia Tech loss
combined with their victory over Texas.
The only possible way for Notre Dame to finish No.
1 is a victory over Colorado, a Yellow Jacket loss, a
Longhorn loss and a loss by Penn State. In this
scenario, the Irish should move ahead of Miami due to
its victory over the Hurricanes in October.
The only other team that could lay claim to the final
No. 1 ranking is Penn State. The eighth-ranked Nittany
Lions (9-2) will play sixth-ranked Florida State (9-2) in
the inaugural Blockbuster Bowl played at Miami's Joe
Robbie Stadium on December 28.
If Penn State defeats the Seminoles, it will close the
season with 10, straight victories, including a win
against Notre Dame in South Bend. But for the Lions to
finish No. 1, they need losses by Colorado, Georgia
Tech and Texas. The voters will need recall that Miami,
with two losses, lost to Notre Dame and then the Irish,
also with two losses, lost to Penn State. Therefore, the
Lions should be ahead of both the Hurricanes and Notre
Dame.
A Florida State victory in the Blockbuster Bowl will
drop Penn State from the picture, but the Seminoles
would also need losses from Colorado, Georgia Tech
and Texas. However, with two losses, and one of those
coming at the hands of Miami, Florida State has no
title hopes.
Confused? It's all very simple. If Colorado walks off
with a victory in the Orange Bowl, it should guarantee
the Buffaloes the national championship. But if it
narrowly wins and Georgia Tech rolls over Nebraska,
the Yellow Jackets could then finish No.1...
Poulan/Weed Eater Independ. Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Maryland
Shreveport, Louisiana
December 15, 1990
TV: Mizlou, 8 p.m.
$600,000 (per team)
Eagle Aloha Bowl
Arizona vs. Syracuse
Honolulu, Hawaii
December 25, 1990
TV: ABC, 3:30 p.m.
$600,000
Liberty Bowl
Air Force vs. Ohio State
Memphis, Tennessee
December 27, 1990
TV: ESPN, 8 p.m.
$1 million
All-American Bowl
N.C. State vs. S. Mississippi
Birmingham, Alabama
December 28, 1990
TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
$600,000
Peach Bowl
Indiana vs. Auburn
Atlanta, Georgia
December 29, 1990
TV: ABC, 12:30 p.m.
$900,000
Sea World Holiday Bowl
'Brigham Young vs. Texas A&M
San Diego, California
December 29, 1990
TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
$1.2 million
Anaheim Freedom Bowl
Oregon vs. Colorado State
Anaheim, California
December 29, 1990
TV: Raycom, 8 p.m.
$600,000
John Hancock Bowl
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Dominos Pizza Copper Bowl
California vs. Wyoming
Tucson, Arizona
December 31, 1990
TV: TBS, 5 p.m.
$600,000
Hall of Fame Bowl
Illinois vs. Clemson
Tampa, Florida
January 1, 1991
TV: NBC, 1 p.m.
$1 million
Florida Citrus Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Nebraska
Orlando, Florida
January 1, 1991
TV: ABC, 1:30 p.m.
$1.35 million
Mobil Cotton Bowl
Miami (Fla.) vs. Texas
Dallas, Texas
January 1, 1991
TV: CBS, 1:30 p.m.
$3 million
Sunkist Fiesta Bowl
Louisville vs. Alabama
Tempe, Arizona
January 1, 1991
TV: NBC, 4:30 p.m.
$2.5 million
Rose Bowl
Iowa vs. Washington
Pasadena, California
January 1, 1991
TV: ABC, 5 p.m.
$6 million
Federal Express Orange Bowl
Colorado vs. Notre Dame
Miami, Florida
January 1, 1991
TV: NBC, 8 p.m.
$4.2 million
USF&G Sugar Bowl
Tennessee vs. Virginia
KENNETH SMULLER/Daity
Quarterback Elvis Grbac takes a breather in a game earlier this season.
'M' looking for Ist
Gator Bowl victory
by David Hyman
Daily Football Writer
The Rose Bowl has been a familiar postseason site for the Wolverines as
they have visited Pasadena five times since the last time they played in the
Gator Bowl. Michigan is making its 11th straight bowl appearance since its
last visit to Jacksonville, Fla, and its 16th consecutive postseason game,
dating back to the 1976 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma.
In 1979, Michigan entered the Gator Bowl with an 8-3 record to play 7-
3-1 North Carolina on December 28. The Wolverines took a 9-0 lead in the
second quarter on a 20-yard field goal from Bryan Virgil and a 53-yard bomb
from quarterback John Wangler to Anthony Carter.
On the Wolverines' next series, Tar Heels' linebacker Lawrence Taylor
knocked Wangler, running a sprint out, out of the game with a knee injury.
In less than two quarters, Wangler had accumulated 203 yards through the air
and it was North Carolina's time to turn things around.
The Tar; Heels cut the Wolverine lead to 9-7 on a one-yard run by Doug
Paschal before halftime. In the middle of the third quarter, North Carolina
took control, driving 97 yards in 15 plays, scoring on a 12-yard pass from
Matt Kupec to Phil Farris. A 32-yard field goal with 7:31 remaining in the
game put the Tar Heels up 17-9.
With only 1:28 left, B.J. Dickey, Wangler's replacement, hit Carter on a
30-yard scoring strike, to bring the Wolverines within two. On the ensuing
two-point conversion attempt, Dickey could not hit Carter and the Tar Heels
triumphed, 17-15, before a crowd of 70,407.
The Gator Bowl is not foreign to Ole Miss either, but the Rebels have
not been to Jacksonville since 1971. In that game, 71,138 witnessed a 35-
28 Auburn victory.
Quarterback Pat Sullivan fired the Tigers into a 14-0 lead after the first
quarter. Sullivan, the Heisman Trophy winner, hit Terry Beasley and Al
Bresler on eight and seven-yard passes, respectively. Auburn scored again
when Sullivan scampered 37 yards early in the second quarter for a
commanding 21-0 lead.
Rebel quarterback Archie Manning, playing despite wearing a plastic
sleeve to protect his broken left arm, scored on a two-yard run and passed 34
yards to Floyd Franks as Ole Miss closed the gap to 21-14 at halftime. But
Auburn responded on Mickey Zofko's six-yard run when the third quarter
opened.
On the next possession, Manning ran the ball to the the Tiger 23 after
scrambling across the field for roughly 75 yards. On the next play, Shug
Chumbler replaced the winded Manning and threw a 23-yard strike to Jim
Poole to close the Auburn lead to 28-2 1.
Larry Willingham ran down the middle of the field for a 54-yard run and a
35-21 Tiger lead. Ole Miss scored the only points of the fourth quarter when
Chumbler ran into the endzone from yard and Auburn won the game, 35-28.
Sullivan finished the day completing 27 of 43 passes for 351 yards as the
Tigers rolled up 559 yards of total offense. Manning ran 11 times for 95
yards and completed 19 of 28 passes for 180 yards while Chumbler hit on
four of 11 attempts for 76 yards in the Rebels total of 464 yards on offense.
Try this lighter side
of football trivia
by Mike Gill
Daily Football Writer
All right. Now, youtclaim to
know all the answers to all the
serious questions on the left of
this football spread. With Michi-
gan 's regular season complete, can
you answer these questions?
1. A Wolverines' brother will
have the chance to partake in the
Rose Bowl for Iowa. Name him.
a. Hotchner Fry.
b. Corn Husker.
c. Troy Plate.
d. Todd Plate.
2. Now name the Wolverine
whose cousin will play in the
Rose Bowl.
a. Dave Ritter.
b. Bill Schaffer
c. Todd Plate.
d. Troy Plate.
3. Scott Plate, Iowa corner-
back, called fullback Jarrod Bunch
the following after the' Hawkeyes
defeated the Wolverines.
a. The Frig.
b. The Human Torpedo.
c. Jarrod.
d. The Big Bunch.
4. Gary Moeller's favorite
phrase when giving accolades to a
player or team is:
a. "Good."
b. "Pretty good."
c. "Simply Sensational."
d. "Fly-around."
5. Between halves, the
Michigan Marching Band debuted
a new band director. His name is:
a. William Revelli.
b. J.P. Sousa.
c. Gary Coleman.
d. Gary Lewis.
6. From reading the Daily
Opinion Page, the most pressing
issue in the world today to
Michigan Marching Band
members is:
a. Peace in the Middle East.
b. Gary Coleman's stunted
growth.
c. Feeding the homeless.
d. Making sure hoards of
people stop by the Daily and drop
of long-winded letters to-the editor
stating how much they love to
brown nose their band director.
7. Bo Schembechler set a pers-
onal record in college football this
year. It is:
a. Most wins by a coach.
b. Fewest losses in a season.
c. Spending time with Millie
(not Vanilli, but his wife.)
d. Fewest penalties on Bo.
8. After the clock accidently
kept running late in the first half
of a game, while Michigan was
driving, what did former coach Bo
Schembechler do at halftime?
a. Watch the marching band.
b. Give tips to the Band
Corner critic.
c. Gargle.
d. Enter the timekeepers
booth and read him the riot act.
9. Gary Moeller celebrated
Michigan's third consecutive Big
Ten title the Sunday after
Thanksgiving by:
a. Buying rounds of drinks for
everyone at O'Sullivans. -
b. Meeting Bo for a scenic
tour of Windsor.
c. Being arrested at the corner
of South University and Church
for attempting to start a riot.
d. Watching pro football.
10. Dreams of a national title
raced through every Michigan
football fan's head early this year.
What Michigan sports team
currently has a very good chance at
the national title?
a. hockey.
b. hockey.
c. hockey.
Freedom Bowl