SWC Runner-Up Likely to Cotton to the Holiday Bowl

SAN DIEGO —  Either Texas A&M; or Texas will oppose the Western Athletic Conference champion in the Holiday Bowl Dec. 29 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, sources close to the Holiday Bowl and Southwest Conference said Sunday.

The most likely scenario has Texas A&M; (6-2-1) in the Holiday Bowl because No. 14 Texas (7-1) is in the driver’s seat in the SWC race and will likely earn the conference’s automatic bid to the Cotton Bowl--probably to face Miami, Fla. That would put the Aggies in the Holiday Bowl against the WAC champion, which almost certainly will be No. 8 Brigham Young (8-1).

“If you can’t spend New Year’s Eve in Dallas (at the Cotton Bowl), I don’t think there’s a better place to spend the latter part of December than in San Diego,” said John David Crow, athletic director at Texas A&M.;

There is an outside chance of Baylor (5-3-1) winning the conference title, but Holiday Bowl officials and the schools have made a deal to take either Texas A&M; or Texas. Should Baylor win the conference title, a source close to the Holiday Bowl said the bowl officials would have the option to choose either Texas or Texas A&M;, and they would most likely pick the winner of the Texas A&M-Texas; game, Dec. 1 in Austin.

Bowl bids cannot be officially extended until Nov. 24, according to the NCAA, but because four Pacific 10 Conference schools unofficially committed to games last week, bowl officials and teams spent the weekend scurrying to arrange holiday dates.

“As an option, we are very intrigued by (the SWC),” said John Reid, executive director of the Holiday Bowl. “It would seem to be an exciting move for us, bringing a new flavor and a new look to the game. It would broaden our base even further. We’ve had Southwest Conference teams, but never either of these two.”

Southern Methodist, which lost to BYU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, and Arkansas, which defeated Arizona State in 1985, are the only SWC teams to have played in the Holiday Bowl.

Texas A&M;, which lost to Pittsburgh, 31-28, in last year’s John Hancock Bowl, was a preseason pick to win the SWC because of its offensive backfield and linebackers. Tailback Darren Lewis (149 yards a game) is second in the nation in rushing, but the Aggies were upset, 17-8, earlier this season at Louisiana State and they lost to Houston, 36-31. They tied Baylor, 20-20, leaving them with slim hopes for the Cotton Bowl.

Although Texas A&M; has never played in a Holiday Bowl, Crow and Coach R.C. Slocum are familiar with the city of San Diego. Crow was offensive coordinator of the Chargers under Tommy Prothro in 1974-75, and Slocum visited with Holiday Bowl executives in San Diego last summer during a hospitality function for various coaches.

Still, like Crow, Slocum hasn’t given up on the Cotton Bowl.

“Any time you’re in a conference situation, you’d like to win the conference championship,” Slocum said. “If we can’t, the Holiday Bowl is very attractive. We’ve had contact with them over the last several years and we have a high impression of the people and the Holiday Bowl.”

The only way Texas A&M; (3-1-1 in the SWC) can win the conference championship is if the Aggies defeat their final three opponents--Arkansas, Texas Christian and Texas, and Texas loses at Texas Christian on Saturday.

The only way Texas (5-0) can lose the conference championship is if the Longhorns lose two of their final three, against TCU, Baylor and Texas A&M.;

“We would be flattered if (the Holiday Bowl) would ask us,” said DeLoss Dodds, Texas athletic director. “. . . We plan to go to the Cotton Bowl, but we have three hard ones left.”

For Baylor (4-1-1) to win the SWC championship, the Bears must win their final two games--against Rice and Texas--and hope somebody else beats Texas.

In that case, the choice for the Holiday Bowl would come down to the winner of the Texas A&M-Texas; game.

“I think either one of those teams would be very attractive,” said Vinnie Vinson, chairman of the Holiday Bowl’s team selection committee. “The worst (that probably would) happen is that A&M; would come in here 8-3-1 or Texas would be 9-2.”