U.'ll be home for Christmas.
A day after the Las Vegas Bowl took North Carolina over Utah to fill its at-large position, the directors of the Aloha/Oahu Christmas Day bowl doubleheader offered their tentative final position to Central Florida. The 9-2 independent team is in its third year of Division I play and is led by NFL-prospect quarterback Daunte Culpepper.Marcia Klompus, executive director of the Hawaii bowls, told the Deseret News Tuesday evening that they have offered the contingency berth, which will be available if UCLA remains in the top two in the Bowl Championship Series final ratings that will be released on Sunday, to Central Florida. And that school has accepted on a contingency basis, Klompus said.
Central Florida would be matched against WAC Mountain champion Air Force, and Washington will play Colorado in the other game.
"That's expected," said Utah athletic director Chris Hill. "We're not surprised. Colorado State, Wyoming and Utah will be in the same boat (left out of bowls)."
Hill called the Hawaii bowls office Tuesday, "but I didn't get a return call," he said, adding that it tipped him off that Utah wouldn't get the bid.
Utah was a candidate for the Western Athletic Conference's berth in the Las Vegas Bowl, which on Nov. 23 went to San Diego State. The Vegas committee then said Utah was a high candidate for its at-large berth that went to North Carolina two days ago. And the next day, Hawaii went south to Central Florida.
"The whole thing has worn me out," Hill said.
Utah coach Ron McBride was in St. George Tuesday night for a speaking engagement and wasn't available for comment.
The Pac-10 Conference is contracted to fill two spots in the Hawaii twinbill but may not have enough eligible teams if UCLA beats Miami Saturday and goes to the Fiesta Bowl for the BCS championship.
If UCLA, the Pac-10 champion, doesn't make the Fiesta, it will go to the Rose Bowl, and Oregon will take the Pac-10 berth in Hawaii. If UCLA is BCS material, Oregon will play in the Rose Bowl, and the Golden Knights get a trip to Hawaii.
Klompus said Central Florida was favored for several reasons -- a better record, Culpepper, "a highly offensive team, and it will truly be an East-West matchup with Air Force."
That effectively ends the Utes' attempts for postseason play.
It is thought that the Independence Bowl on New Year's Eve may have to scramble to fill the Southeastern Conference portion of its matchup with the Big 12 since Ole Miss is a candidate but has lost its coaching staff to Auburn. But Hill said he doubted that the Independence would rather have Utah than Ole Miss or another Eastern or Midwest team.