Aloha Bowl

OREGON (8-3) vs. COLORADO (7-4) at Honolulu 12:30 p.m., Channel 7 * AT A GLANCE: Two former baseball players who gave up their careers for college football will be quarterbacking their teams in the opener of this Hawaii doubleheader. The Ducks are led by Akili Smith, the Pacific 10 Conference's co-offensive player of the year. Smith finished second in the nation in passing efficiency. Mike Moschetti directs the offense for the Buffaloes of the Big 12 Conference.

It's a simple, two-letter word. Nancy Reagan got huge mileage out of it. Once, seated on the bench in the critical moments of a basketball game, Scottie Pippen said it to Chicago Bulls' Coach Phil Jackson. Mark McGwire used it on the Angels and Darva Conger dropped it on her television hubby, on her honeymoon. Shoot, had DeShaun Foster thought of it, this column wouldn't need to be written. The word is "no," and UCLA should repeat it like a mantra to men wearing loud jackets.

Marcia Cherner has been named president and executive director of the Aloha Bowl, becoming the first woman executive director of a sanctioned NCAA bowl game. She has been involved in the Aloha Bowl since it was founded in 1982, and previously was general manager. Cherner succeeds Mackey Yanagisawa, the founder of the bowl game, who will remain as chairman of the board.

Pacific 10 Conference athletic directors have vetoed a proposal to stage the Aloha Bowl in Anaheim on Christmas Day, jeopardizing the viability of the game and potentially depriving a Pac-10 team of a bowl bid. Although bowl organizers negotiated a five-year contract with Disney to play the game at Edison Field and discussed possible financial guarantees with the city of Anaheim, conference officials essentially killed the bid by informing organizers the Pac-10 would not send a team.

Nine teams remain in serious contention for a bid to the ninth annual Aloha Bowl. The nine teams bowl officials say they would like to have are Oregon (6-2); Arizona (6-2); USC (6-2); Colorado (7-1-1); Louisville (7-1); Michigan (4-3); Ohio State (4-2-1); Penn State (5-2) and Syracuse (4-2-2).

Colorado didn't want to waste any time in establishing its dominance over Fresno State in the Aloha Bowl, and it didn't. The Buffaloes forced four fumbles and turned them into scores and Rashaan Salaam scored three touchdowns in their 41-30 victory on Saturday. "In the first quarter we showed how excited we were to be playing and we and took control of the game. The offensive line played well and opened the holes like it did all year," said Salaam, who finished with 135 yards on 23 carries.

I believe that USC, a poor representative of the Pac-10, should have backed out of the Aloha Bowl. VINCE CARTUSCIELLO Los Angeles

It was snowing at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash., Saturday night, but after the game the victorious Washington State players were wearing leis around their necks. "I'm excited," said quarterback Timm Rosenbach, who scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Cougars' 32-31 victory over Washington. "I'm going to get healed up first and then I'm going to get out and get ready to go."

The Aloha Bowl could surface at Edison Field this Christmas, returning a bowl game to Anaheim for the first time since the demise of the Freedom Bowl. The game, long plagued by poor attendance because of the high cost for fans to follow their team to Hawaii, originally was moved from Honolulu to San Francisco and scheduled for Dec. 30. But the Christmas Day game traditionally delivered solid ratings for ABC, and the network declined to approve the date change.

Hawaii sees the Aloha Bowl as an opportunity to earn the national respect it has long sought. The 25th-ranked Rainbows (9-2-1), of the Western Athletic Conference, will try to add a bowl victory to a long list of 1989 accomplishments when they meet No. 22 Michigan State (7-4) of the Big Ten Conference today. "This is a chance to show the country what we're all about," Hawaii Coach Bob Wagner said. "I mean, they come from one of the oldest conferences in the country and we come from the youngest.

The Aloha Bowl could surface at Edison Field this Christmas, returning a bowl game to Anaheim for the first time since the demise of the Freedom Bowl. The game, long plagued by poor attendance because of the high cost for fans to follow their team to Hawaii, originally was moved from Honolulu to San Francisco and scheduled for Dec. 30. But the Christmas Day game traditionally delivered solid ratings for ABC, and the network declined to approve the date change.

Your TV guide to Bowl Week-And-Half 2000-2001 . . . MONDAY, DEC. 25 Ch. 7 Aloha Bowl--Game Show 12:30 p.m. Arizona State Sun Devils, having defeated UCLA in the finals of last month's "Who Wants To Spend The Holidays Anywhere But El Paso?," enjoy their grand prize: Christmas in Hawaii. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 ESPN Motor City Bowl--Suspense 1 p.m. As Marshall plays Cincinnati in a football game in Pontiac, Mich., the manhunt continues to search for someone who cares. ESPN Galleryfurniture.

Two days after issuing a stinging critique of his team's defense after a 38-35 loss to USC, Coach Bob Toledo declined to say whether embattled defensive coordinator Bob Field would return next season. Toledo said the assistant coaches, including Field, would be evaluated after the Bruins' bowl game. "You take a deep breath, you get rid of all the emotions, and you analyze and make the right decision," Toledo said. "The worst decisions people make are when they're emotional.

It's a good thing Wake Forest Coach Jim Caldwell didn't give in to Ben Sankey's frequent requests for a position change. During his four-year career at Wake Forest, Sankey, a backup quarterback until this season, asked for a switch so he could get more playing time. Caldwell told Sankey to sit tight and good things would happen. It did in the Aloha Bowl on Saturday, when Sankey ended his collegiate career by guiding the Demon Deacons (7-5) to a 23-3 victory over Arizona State (6-6).

ARIZONA STATE (6-5) vs. WAKE FOREST (6-5) * When: 12:30 p.m. * Television: Channel 7 * Update: The Sun Devils will start Griff Goodman at quarterback and also will use John Leonard against the Demon Deacons. The Sun Devils are without starter Ryan Kealy, sidelined because of an injured right knee. Goodman, who did not play quarterback in high school because he was a teammate of former Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine, replaced Kealy against UCLA.

The Pacific 10 Conference didn't fare well on Christmas, and at USC's first team meeting after arriving in El Paso on Saturday, Coach Paul Hackett made a couple of points--Colorado 51, Oregon 43 in the Aloha Bowl, and Air Force 45, Washington 25 in the Oahu Classic, to be precise. "Coach addressed that very strongly," linebacker Chris Claiborne said. "The Pac-10 was 5-0 last year. That's two losses right there, and that just shows what can happen if you underestimate your opponent."

Colorado took advantage of Oregon's charitable mood Friday to win the Aloha Bowl. The Buffaloes converted four of six Duck turnovers into scores, Ben Kelly ran back the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Mike Moschetti set an Aloha Bowl record with four touchdown passes in Colorado's 51-43 victory over No. 21 Oregon.