The UCLA football team may have already beaten Washington once
this season, but it still has one more fight left with the Huskies:
the battle for San Jose.
The Silicon Valley Classic Bowl committee will have to choose
between UCLA and Washington, tied for sixth place in the Pac-10,
for the Dec. 30 postseason game. The bowl’s board of
directors will meet early next week to decide, but with the
schools’ campaigns already under way, it appears Washington
has shown more interest.
“Washington has put on a campaign like no other,”
bowl Executive Director C. Jay Key said, citing the numerous
e-mails and calls they’ve received from Husky fans.
“They want to come to our bowl.”
Though the Bruins have not rushed to campaign as quickly as
Washington, the Athletics Department has said it is still very
interested in participating.
“We are very interested in participating for any bowl
which we are eligible,” said Marc Dellins, head of Sports
Information. “We are certainly happy to play in any bowl, and
(Athletic Director) Dan Guerrero has had many conversations with
them while we draft a proposal.”
This comes as a surprise, considering seasons past when UCLA,
under the helm of former Athletic Director Peter Dalis, often had
lukewarm receptions to less prestigious bowl games. But Key
downplayed the issue, dismissing those past scenarios as
irrelevant.
“(UCLA’s athletic director) wasn’t around
then, and neither was I,” Key said. “We’re
looking at the level of interest now.”
For either the Huskies or the Bruins, an invitation to the bowl
likely would entail a loss of money, with a commitment to buy at
least 8,000 tickets yet receive only $575,000 for the game. But Key
promises the event will be worthwhile, with plans for parties and
activities for athletes, coaches and fans.
BALL AN ALL-AMERICAN: Senior defensive end Dave
Ball is a first-team All-American.
Ball was honored for his record- setting season by the Football
Writers Association of America on Tuesday.
Ball has a nation-leading 16.5 sacks, a UCLA single-season sack
record. Ball also set the UCLA career sack record with 30.5.