Cougs see their late surge as a bowl edge

When the Washington State football was snubbed by the bowl system seven years ago, a lack of late-season momentum was deemed one of the reasons.

This time, the Cougars are billing themselves as a fast-improving team, despite their 27-17 loss in the Apple Cup last week.

"In most instances, the bowls are very interested in a team that's hot at the end of the year and is playing well," WSU athletic director Bill Moos said Monday on his weekly radio show in Spokane. "And I really think that we're playing our best football right now, even coming off a tough and close loss to Washington."

The momentum factor could give the Cougars an edge, for example, over Oregon State in their competition for a bid from the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque on Dec. 21.

The Beavers and Cougars have identical records of 6-6 overall and 4-5 in Pac-12 play. But the Pullman team has won two of its last three games and Oregon State has lost five straight.

Although both teams are bowl-eligible, there's no guarantee they will receive a bid. The Pac-12 has nine bowl-eligible teams but tie-ins with only seven bowls.

Also in the running for a New Mexico Bowl bid is Arizona (7-5, 4-5), which competed in that bowl last season and whose fans live relatively close to Albuquerque.

Moos said proximity is a two-edged sword. Bowl officials like the access to fans within driving distance of their games, but such fans tend not to spend much time and money in the community.

In any case, the New Mexico Bowl appears to be the Cougars' primary focus as they pursue their first bowl invitation in a decade. They met the six-win requisite for bowl-eligibility in 2006 but were spurned after losing their final three games.

"The New Mexico Bowl has a real sincere interest in us," Moos said, "and I know the Pac-12 is working very hard to secure some other spots in some at-large bowls.

"But we've still got to see how things play out. It's all about making sure I have the Cougars positioned and we shout about the good things we have to offer."

He mentioned the Cougars' tight seven-point loss at Auburn, which is now 11-1. He also mentioned the Cougars' prolific passing offense and their high-profile coach, Mike Leach, a particular selling point in Southwestern towns like Albuquerque because of his successful decade at Texas Tech.

Moos said more than 2,000 WSU fans have already committed to buy bowl tickets.

Other bowl possibilities for the Cougars, he said, were the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1; the V100 Bowl at Shreveport, La., on Dec. 31; the Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 31; the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26; and the Pinstripe Bowl at the Bronx, N.Y., on Dec. 28.

"So there's a lot of possibilities," Moos said. "We just want to make sure we're in a position to get a real good look and hopefully land one of these."

The New Mexico Bowl ranks No. 7 in the hierarchy of bowls with links to the Pac-12 The top six are the Rose Bowl, the Alamo Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Sun Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Fight Hunger Bowl.

The picture is expected to clarify Sunday when the BCS bowls make their selections based on the outcome of this week's games. From there, the less elite bowls will make their picks.

The winner of the Pac-12 title game between Stanford and Arizona State on Sunday will advance to the Rose Bowl. No other Pac-12 team is likely to receive a BCS bid.

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Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.