No. 9 Irish generating plenty of bowl appeal

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame's turnaround season under first-year coach Tyrone Willingham has bowl executives excited.

Even after a loss to Boston College and a poor showing against Navy, Bowl Championship Series officials say the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish remain highly desirable.

"I think either a 10-2 or an 11-1 Notre Dame team is going to be attractive for some BCS bowl," said Mitch Dorger, chief executive officer of the Tournament of Roses, which puts on the Rose Bowl.

"If they lose to Rutgers, they're not that attractive. But I don't think they hurt themselves too bad if they lose to USC."

If the Irish (9-1) beat Rutgers (1-8) and No. 8 Southern California (7-2) they are a virtual lock for a BCS berth. Notre Dame is ranked No. 7 in the BCS standings, less than a half-point behind Georgia. A clause in the BCS rules guarantees the Irish an at-large berth if they finish in the top six.

A loss to Southern Cal would complicate Notre Dame's bowl prospects, especially when considering all the other possible upsets.

"Our heads are just swimming here because everybody comes up with a new scenario and you say, 'Oh, I never thought of that,"' said Nancy Atkinson, Rose Bowl sports information director.

Officials with the Rose, Orange, Sugar, Gator and Cotton bowls agree, though, that the Irish are appealing because of their large fan base and national audience, which translates into traveling fans and high TV ratings.

"Notre Dame is always an attractive possibility," said Paul Hoolahan, executive director of the Sugar Bowl. "In almost all scenarios you can find, they satisfy any of your needs."

The only certainty is that the No. 1 team in the final BCS standings will play No. 2 in the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame will need a lot of help to qualify for that game.

There are two ways the Irish could get into the Rose Bowl for the first time in 78 years. If either Ohio State or Washington State qualify for the Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame could replace them.

But if Ohio State remains at No. 1 in the BCS standings, it might be hard for the Rose Bowl to pass over sixth-ranked Iowa (10-1) in favor of the Irish considering the bowl's long-standing relationship with the Big 10. Dorger said it would be "difficult -- not impossible."

But if Notre Dame beats USC, Ohio State losses and Washington State ends up in the Fiesta Bowl, the Irish could go to the Rose Bowl in place of Washington State.

If the Irish don't qualify for the BCS, the next option is the Gator Bowl. Rick Catlett, president of the Gator Bowl Association, said his committee would love to see the Irish in Jacksonville -- no matter what happens.

Elsewhere

COLORADO: Freshman wide receiver Jeremy Bloom, the defending World Cup champion in moguls skiing, will resume ski competition Dec. 19 at the World Cup.

Colorado is 7-3 and bowl eligible, and Bloom would miss some of the football practices in preparation for any bowl the team appears in.

PURDUE: The referee doll that once hung from the front door of Joe Paterno's house has been taken down, but the coach refuses to talk about it.

Paterno would not comment Tuesday when asked about the adornment, which showed an official hanging by its neck from the door knocker.

-- From wire reports