The University of Cincinnati football program has not been to a bowl game since 1950, and odds are against the 1997 Bearcats making one.
UC (6-2, 1-2 Conference USA) concedes that it probably will not win its league, whose champion goes to the Liberty Bowl. Otherwise, the Bearcats probably must finish 9-2 to attract even mild interest from the four other bowls for which they are eligible (Las Vegas, Independence, Motor City, Boise Humanitarian).
Bowl shopping
UC theoretically is eligible for five bowl games. The list:
St. Jude Liberty (Dec. 31, Memphis): C-USA No. 11 vs. Big East No. 4
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 20, Las Vegas): WAC No. 3 vs. Open
Ford Motor City Bowl (Dec. 26, Pontiac): MAC No. 1 vs. Open
Poulan/Weedeater Independence Bowl (Dec. 28, Shreveport, La.): SEC No. 5 vs. Open
Humanitarian Bowl (Dec. 29, Boise): Big West No. 1 vs. Open
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The Bearcats lack the winning tradition and fan interest that bowls seek. UC, despite its best start since 1976, has averaged only 18,916 fans for four home games - about half of Nippert Stadium capacity.
Coach Rick Minter believes UC must do a better job of promoting the program to students.
''We don't draw today because the school didn't market to its students 30, 40 and 50 years ago,'' he said. ''They're not coming back. . . . And they tell me we have 100,000 alumni living within an hour's drive of here.''
This year, Minter oversaw distribution of a letter to 2,000 UC students, inviting them to football games and explaining how to get tickets.
''We've asked people to come,'' Minter said. ''I can't worry about things I can't control.''
In bowl-speak, UC does not travel well. Bowls are basically tourism vehicles, and teams from leagues such as the Big 10 or Southeastern Conference bring more fans than UC.
The inaugural Ford Motor City Bowl, to be played in Pontiac, Mich., on Dec. 26, is among those posting long odds for UC. The bowl pits the Mid-American Conference champion against an at-large team.
Ken Hoffmann, associate executive director of the Ford Motor City Bowl, said UC is among 15 teams on the bowl's list of at-large candidates. But the Bearcats trail Big 10, Atlantic Coast, and SEC candidates.
''For Cincinnati to make it, it would take a number of circumstances all falling into place,'' Hoffmann said.
Next
So. Miss. (5-2)
at UC (6-2)
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
Where:Nippert Stadium
Line:So. Miss by 4 1/2.
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Brian Teter, Conference USA assistant commissioner, said the league hopes to play its way onto the bowl map. Teter said C-USA is sending promotional materials on its top teams (Southern Mississippi, Houston, Tulane, UC) to the bowls for which C-USA is eligible. Last year, C-USA champ Houston was the league's only bowl team.
UC last contended for a bowl in 1993, when it went 8-3 in coach Tim Murphy's final season. The Bearcats' slim bowl hopes died when only 20,229 attended the final home game.
This week, the Bearcats again will see how many care. They play 24th-ranked Southern Mississippi, the Conference USA leader, at Nippert Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
It will be the first time UC has faced a ranked team this year. It is Homecoming. Plus, UC comes off a 34-31 double-overtime win over rival Miami.
Yet, there is a complication of sorts. Kickoff has been pushed back 2 1/2 hours from the original 1 p.m. start, to accommodate television. (The game will be shown live in Cincinnati on SportsChannel, which officially changes its name to ''Fox Sports Net'' this Saturday).
Live TV could hurt game attendance, which won't win UC any points with bowl selectors. But UC estimates that the game will be telecast to 53 million homes nationally, which will help recruiting.
Top players
UC's Tinker Keck and Phillip Curry were named Conference USA special teams and defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
Keck returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown vs. Miami, while Curry had 22 tackles and became UC's career tackling leader (442).
Another change
The UC-Louisville game (Nov. 8 at UC) also has been switched from a 1 p.m. kickoff to 3:30 p.m. because of television. UC-Louisville also will be telecast live in Cincinnati on Fox Sports Net.
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