The football players and coaches at the University of Cincinnati still don't know which bowl game they'll be playing in. They'll leave that to the athletic directors, league presidents and bowl officials as events unfold over the next several days.

        But they know they'll be playing somewhere in a few weeks. For a program that still sees every bowl game as a precious treat, whether they'll be traveling to Detroit or Boise, Idaho, doesn't really matter.

        “As long as we go to a bowl game, I don't care,” said defensive end Antwan Peek. “Two years ago, we weren't going to a bowl.”

        Talk surfaced this week about the Motor City Bowl trying to work a deal that would ship UC to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise to clear a spot for Michigan State should the Spartans become bowl-eligible. While the suits work it all out, the Bearcats have focused this week on preparing for their final regular-season game against 2-8 Louisiana-Monroe at 1 p.m. today at Nippert Stadium.

        After all the close games they've competed in this season, the heavily favored Bearcats (6-4) are looking forward to putting on a good show as 17 seniors play their final home game knowing that their second-place Conference USA finish will assure them of one more appearance in a UC uniform after today.

        “It's like you took a truck and drove it off all of our chests,” said junior left guard Kirt Doolin. “We can come out here and we can say we're a good team. We're probably going to a bowl game. We just want to unleash on somebody. We want to play the best game we can play for us. We really don't think we've played the best that we can play all year long. We think we're pretty good right now. We've got momentum.”

        This game originally was scheduled for Sept. 15 but was postponed after the Sept.11 terrorist attacks. It was built into the schedule as the third game of the season sandwiched between the Conference USA opener against Army and the annual rivalry game against Miami.

        Freshman quarterback Gino Guidugli, on the heels of his fourth-quarter heroics against Army, was scheduled to make his first collegiate start against the Indians. Since then, Guidugli has evolved into one of the best young quarterbacks in the country, with four 300-yard passing days to his credit.

        “Our offense has shown that it can move the ball against anybody, any time,” UC coach Rick Minter said.

        The Bearcats are still riding high after their scintillating comeback victory over Memphis last week. They gained 572 yards in that game, the most by a UC team since 1986, with wide receiver Jon Olinger catching six passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Louisiana-Monroe, which snapped a four-game losing streak last week with a 16-7 victory over Arkansas State, has allowed 402 yards a game.

        Given the circumstances, Minter cautions against the Bearcats going into this game a little too relaxed.

        “We still have to slow this team down,” Minter said. “This is a typical Southern team that's got some speed in the skill spots. They're a dangerous team for us to be playing. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're going into this with full guns blazing.”

        And with considerable peace of mind as they wait for the bowl picture to be sorted out.

        “Nobody has given us anything,” Minter said. “We've earned our right to be in a bowl game. We just look forward to being in one somewhere, and my gut feeling is that it will be the Motor City Bowl.”

Chaney accepts Huggins' apology SULLIVAN: UC-Temple flap Logan happy to have help Grove might return to UC UC enters finale with postseason in sight UC spikes XU in NCAAs

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