The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • C7

Orlando Sentinel: PRODUCT: OS DESK: SPT DATE: 12-16-2002 EDITION: FLA ZONE: FLA PAGE: C7.0 DEADLINE: 17.0 OP: Isavage COMPOSETIME: 23.22 CMYK Orlando Sentinel MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2002 C7 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Baseball Almost half the teams in Division I-A are in bowls BOWLS FROM CI THE SERIES i The Beat A's acquire Durazo; Jays peddle Lopez THE ASSOCIATED PRESS First baseman Erubiel Durazo was dealt by Arizona to Oakland on Sunday as part of a four-team trade that sent pitcher Elmer Dessens from Cincinnati to the Diamondbacks. Toronto sent former Lake Brantley shortstop Felipe Lopez to the Reds, and the Blue TODAY: Do there really need to be 28 bowls? Heck, almost half the teams in Division I-A were invited to a bowl this season. But despite its detractors, the current bowl system looks strong, and there are two more postseason games in the development stage. TUESDAY: The current bowl system revolves around money a lot of money. But are the bowls truly an economic boost to the schools, their leagues and the host cities? WEDNESDAY: What does the future hold for the bowl system? The current BCS format runs through the end of the 2005 season.

What happens then? And will there ever be a playoff? Jays get a player to be named from the Athletics. As part of the deal, Cincinnati is sending cash to the LOPEZ JERRY LAIZURETHE ASSOCIATED PRESS (SEPT. 2002) Come on! Too many bowls? Not to South Florida Coach Jim Leavitt, whose team went 9-2 as an independent this season but couldn't squeeze its way into one of this season's 28 postseason games. help it provides and the overall positive impact on a university as reasons losing money on a bowl can be rationalized. "It's plus-plus-plus," Pruett said.

UCF Coach Mike Kruczek and South Florida Coach Jim Leavitt would like to find out if Pruett is correct. While the validity of having 28 bowls is questioned, there haven't been enough postseason games for either UCF or USF. Leavitt's team was snubbed despite a 9-2 record this season. "Maybe I need to run naked through the streets of Tampa with a sign that says we need to go to a bowl," Leavitt said last week. "Really, what do we have to do?" The Bulls can rest assured there is a bowl on the horizon that will be willing to give them a shot.

Joe Schad can be reached at jschadorlandosentinel.com. are excited just to be playing another game. "You could send us to Alaska for all I care," defensive end Calvin Pace said. "We lucked out and we made it." Coaches stress that at least 28 teams will end this season on a winning note. A playoff system, like one used in every other NCAA sport, would cut that number by 27.

What about the money? Even if a school does not qualify for a bowl game, it still shares in the bowl profits of its conference members. For instance, Vanderbilt will share in the money generated by its seven Southeastern Conference brethren who made it to the postseason. At times, though, because schools must guarantee they'll sell a certain number of tickets, bowl-bound schools actually may lose money because not enough fans scarf up tickets. But to Marshall Coach Bob Pruett, that's a price worth paying. He cites the TV exposure, the positive feeling it gives alumni, the recruiting ta, shunting the other 27 bowls into the shadows.

This system is in place through at least the 2005 season, when the current BCS contract with ABC expires. While the Fiesta Bowl deserves the attention it will get, there's no question some of the other bowls deserved to be overlooked. Nearly half 56 of the 117 Division I-A football programs will be playing in bowls that begin Tuesday. Are Tu-lane (7-5), North Texas (7-5), Minnesota (7-5) Cincinnati (7-6), New Mexico (7-6), Ole Miss (6-6), Iowa State (7-6), Wake Forest (6-6), Wisconsin (7-6), Purdue (6-6) and even Nebraska (7-6) truly deserving of bids? The Independence Bowl matches Nebraska and Ole Miss, teams with a combined 13-12 record. How psyched are Huskers fans about the game? The school's alumni association has canceled plans for a trip to the Dec.

27 game because there wasn't enough interest among members to justify the trip. Independence Bowl Executive Director Glen Krupica is on record as saying that "the line between a bowl-eligible team and bowl-deserving team is getting blurrier and blurrier. The integrity of the bowl system is at stake in this." Let's take a look at a few of the aspects of college football's bowl landscape that may have you asking "What?" or "Why?" Why are there so many games? There are 28 bowls this season, with two more in the works. Anybody who tries to limit bowl games, including the NCAA, would lose in an antitrust lawsuit. Some games will lose money.

Some schools will lose money. Many tickets will go unsold. But there always will be sponsors willing to pay and ESPN seems likely to want to broadcast it. Why is ESPN or ESPN2 showing 19 of the 20 pre-Jan. 1 bowls (CBS is showing the other)? The ratings for the Seattle Bowl, as unappealing (Oregon vs.

Wake Forest) as it may seem, figure to be better than anything ESPN usually shows at 5:30 p.m. And while the Oklahoma State-Southern Miss matchup in the Houston Bowl may be unappealing to you, Oklahoma State fans are expected to travel en masse to Houston for the game, snatching up the $50 tickets and spending money on food, lodging and the like. Indeed, bowl organizers expect fans from Clemson, Kansas State, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Tennessee, among others, to sell a ton of tickets for their pre-Jan. 1 games. And while the Capital One Bowl matchup of Auburn and Penn State doesn't feature any Top 10 teams, Penn State already has sold out its allotment of 12,000 tickets and wants more.

Still, it seems bowls now are Durazo, 28, hit .261 last season with 16 homers and 48 RBIs in 222 at-bats, competing for playing time with Mark Grace. Dessens, a 30-year-old right-hander, went 7-8 with a 3.03 ERA in 30 starts. Lopez, 22, batted .227 with eight homers and 34 RBIs. The player to be named is frozen on a minor-league roster and cannot be announced until after today's winter-meeting draft. Mets deal Ordonez The New York Mets took another step in reducing their payroll and shedding one of their problem players, trading Rey Ordonez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for two players to be named.

The Mets will pay at least $4.5 million of Ordonez's $6.25 million salary for next season, but the deal helps them save money and paves the way for super prospect Jose Reyes to make the majors at some point next season. Jeremy Giambi to Boston The Boston Red Sox acquired Jeremy Giambi, the brother of 2000 American League MVP Jason Giambi, from Philadelphia in a trade that sent right-hander Josh Hancock to the Phillies. Jeremy Giambi, 28, was acquired by the Phillies from Oakland on May 22 for John Mabry. He hit .244 with 12 homers and 28 RBIs for the Phillies after batting .274 with eight homers and 17 RBIs. Briefly Outfielder Matt Stairs and the Pittsburgh Pirates have reached a tentative agreement on a one-year contract, contingent on him passing a physical.

The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals traded right-handed pitchers, with Brett Tomko going to St. Louis for Luther Hackman and a player to be named later. From Wire Reports being created to appease non-power conferences frustrated by not being a part of the BCS chain. Eleven bowls feature at least one team from a non-BCS league and four (New Orleans, GMAC, Hawaii and Liberty) feature two teams.

"We have so many bowl games now, and many of them are not community ventures," former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey said. "They're run by promoters and I think many of those are not in the best interest of college football. We need to look at those second-tier bowls. "We need to examine what is the purpose of postseason bowls. At one time, it was a reward for having a great season.

Today, we have many schools playing who will be 6-6. I'm not sure that's a successful season worthy of a reward." Some bowl honchos would like to see a reduction. "If we could trim it down to about 18, with 36 teams, that would be about the right number," said Tom Mickle, head of Florida Citrus Sports, which runs the Tangerine and Capital One bowls. What do coaches and players think of non-BCS bowls? No matter the bowl, coaches relish the three extra weeks of practice that come with it. "It's like another spring," Florida Coach Ron Zook said.

Florida fans may be disappointed their favorite team is in the Outback Bowl, opposite Michigan, whose fans are probably just as disappointed. But the players say they'll be motivated. "We don't want bad tastes in our mouths the entire offseason," Wolverines quarterback John Navarre said. Then there are teams such as Wake Forest, whose players BOWL LINEUP Bowl Location When TV The matchup The line New Orleans New Orleans 7 p.m., Tuesday ESPN2 North Texas vs. Cincinnati Cincinnati by TA GMAC Mobile, Ala.

8 p.m., Wednesday ESPN2 Louisville vs. Marshall Marshall by 2'A Tangerine Orlando 5:30 p.m., Dec. 23 ESPN Clemson vs. Texas Tech Texas Tech by 5Vi Las Vegas Las Vegas 4:30 p.m., Dec. 25 ESPN New Mexico vs.

UCLA UCLA by 10'2 Hawaii Honolulu 8 p.m., Dec. 25 ESPN Tulane vs. Hawaii Hawaii by 12 Motor City Pontiac, Mich. 5 p.m., Dec. 26 ESPN Toledo vs.

Boston College BC by 4 Insight Phoenix 8:30 p.m., Dec. 26 ESPN Pittsburgh vs. Oregon State Oregon St. by 2Vi Houston Houston 1 p.m., Dec. 27 ESPN Southern Miss vs.

Oklahoma State Oklahoma St. by 7 Independence Shreveport, La. 4:30 p.m., Dec. 27 ESPN Ole Miss vs. Nebraska Nebraska by VA Holiday San Diego 8 p.m., Dec.

27 ESPN Arizona State vs. Kansas State Kansas St. by Wi Continental Tire Charlotte, N.C. 11 a.m., Dec. 28 ESPN2 West Virginia vs.

Virginia WVUby5 Alamo San Antonio 8 p.m., Dec. 28 ESPN Wisconsin vs. Colorado Colorado by TA Music City Nashville 2 p.m., Dec. 30 ESPN Arkansas vs. Minnesota Arkansas by 8Vi Seattle Seattle 5:30 p.m., Dec.

30 ESPN Oregon vs. Wake Forest Oregon by 7 Humanitarian Boise Noon, Dec. 31 ESPN Boise State vs. Iowa State Boise St. by 1 1 Vi Sun El Paso 2 p.m., Dec.

31 CBS Washington vs. Purdue Washington by 3Vi Liberty Memphis 3:30 p.m., Dec. 31 ESPN TCU vs. Colorado State OFF Silicon Valley San Jose, Calif. 3:30 p.m., Dec.

31 ESPN2 Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Ga. Tech by 3Vi Peach Atlanta 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31 ESPN Maryland vs. Tennessee Maryland by 1 San Francisco San Francisco 10:30 p.m., Dec.

31 ESPN Virginia Tech vs. Air Force Va. Tech by 11'2 Outback Tampa 11 a.m., Jan. 1 ESPN Michigan vs. Florida Florida by 1 Vi Cotton Dallas 11 a.m., Jan.

1 Fox Texas vs. LSU Texas by 10 Gator Jacksonville 12:30 p.m., Jan. 1 NBC NC State vs. Notre Dame Pick 'em Capital One Orlando 1 p.m., Jan. 1 ABC Auburn vs.

Penn State Penn State by 6 Rose Pasadena, Calif. 5 p.m., Jan. 1 ABC Oklahoma vs. Washington State Oklahoma by 6Vi Sugar New Orleans 8:30 p.m., Jan. 1 ABC Georgia vs.

FSU Georgia by 3Vi Orange Miami 8 p.m., Jan. 2 ABC Iowa vs. USC USC by 6 Fiesta Tempe, Ariz. 8 p.m., Jan. 3 ABC Miami vs.

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