Out of the ordinary

Unconventional matchup pits WSU vs. Oklahoma

Jason Gesser tasted the roses after the Cougars beat UCLA on Dec. 7 in Los Angeles. AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- So much for the Rose Bowl tradition of Pac-10 vs. Big Ten.

You'll find that matchup in South Florida -- not Southern California.

Instead, it'll be No. 7 Washington State against No. 8 Oklahoma in the 89th Rose Bowl in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

While it has the look of an excellent game, it's Pac-10 vs. Big 12 -- certainly out of the norm.

Rose Bowl chief executive Mitch Dorger said last week he'd be "severely disappointed" to lose Iowa to the Orange Bowl. He had a different take Sunday after it was announced the third-ranked Hawkeyes will face No. 5 Southern California in the Orange Bowl in Miami a day after the Cougars and Sooners meet in the Rose Bowl.

While he sounded testy in a conference call with reporters, Dorger seemed to do everything possible to put a positive spin on the pairing.

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"We're extremely excited by the matchup we have this year -- two great institutions," Dorger said. "We think the two teams offer some interesting contrasts in style, both very strong, both conference champions.

"We learned a lot about the BCS this year and the way that it operates. We did not anticipate all the subtleties of the system. Everything this year was conducted in accordance with the rules.

"The Orange Bowl has arranged for themselves an outstanding matchup, we congratulate them for that. We're happy with the teams we have."

Miami beat Nebraska 37-14 last January in the Rose Bowl -- when it was designated as the national championship game. The Fiesta Bowl has that honor this winter, with No. 1 Miami defending its title against No. 2 Ohio State on Jan. 3.

Last year's Rose Bowl matchup was the first that didn't involve teams from the Pac-10 and Big Ten since the 1946 game, when Alabama beat USC 34-14.

The Pac-10 and Big Ten each have two teams playing in the four major bowl games next month. But only one will be playing in Pasadena.

"We entered the year hoping to return to a traditional matchup," Dorger said. "The system did not provide that to us. We're very happy with the current matchup and we want to go forward with that with full enthusiasm."

Washington State (10-2), sixth in the final BCS standings, beat UCLA 48-27 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to make certain it would return to Pasadena to play New Year's Day.

WSU and USC both had 7-1 conference records, but the Cougars beat the Trojans 30-27 in overtime Oct. 5 to earn the Rose Bowl berth.

Oklahoma (11-2), the national champion two years ago and seventh in the final BCS standings, beat Colorado 29-7 in the Big 12 championship game to ensure its place in a BCS bowl.

As it turned out, the Sooners will play in their first Rose Bowl.

"I think it's fantastic," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "We're all incredibly excited about it because it's just rare when this opportunity comes around. It's the way the BCS has worked out. Oklahoma's never been in one, and I don't know how many opportunities we'll have to be in one."

Stoops and his brother, Mike, the Oklahoma defensive coordinator, played in the Rose Bowl for Iowa 21 years ago. Another member of Oklahoma's staff, offensive coordinator Chuck Long, played for the Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl four years later.

WSU will be making its fourth Rose Bowl appearance -- the Cougars beat Brown 14-0 in the 1916 game; lost to Alabama 24-0 in the 1931 game; and lost to Michigan 21-16 in the 1998 game.

Cougars coach Mike Price didn't care about tradition.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is going to be a great game, this is awesome," he said. "They're really excited to come out here, we couldn't be more excited.

"It's great for our conference, it's great for both schools and it's going to be great for the Rose Bowl."

Price expressed confidence that Jason Gesser, who holds several WSU passing records, will be in good shape for the Rose Bowl. Wearing braces on his sprained right knee and ankle, Gesser passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA.

"I plan to have a tractor run over his leg before the game because he seems to play better when he's hurt," Price said. "He'll be back fine."

 

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