Welp, there’s a glimmer of hope.

The Holiday Bowl indicated to Olivas it will take USC if it beats Arizona but hasn’t made a decision between Arizona, Oregon State, Cal or Stanford in the event of an Arizona win.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_13931971

With the USC loss and Cal now losing, my feeling on this:

1. Arizona has the head to head vs the Beavers, so they should go, but…

2. Oregon State was playing Oregon for the Rose Bowl, suggesting they’re the 2nd best team in the conference.

3. OSU travels well, has a lot of alumni in California, and would bring in more money via flights, hotels,etc. Arizona fans could make a day trip and not spend the night.

4. Stoops vs Stoops is a plausible matchup in the Sun Bowl, one for which I’d think the selection committee would lobby.

5. The Holiday Bowl representative at the Civil War said he loved the Beavers and they got his vote, but others on the committee dissented. The telecasters during the USC/Arizona game said, “The winner of this game is going to the Holiday Bowl.”  Not sure if that was inside information or just ignorant assumptions.

6. I have no idea where Stanford fits into the picture. They might like the idea of having a Heisman candidate in the game. Quiz has some appeal in that regard, but not as much, and again they bowl would lose on a lot of possible income.

The bowl matchups will be announced tomorrow night. Cross your fingers, but don’t hold your breath.

This story from the Gazettetimes has some legs it appears.

De Carolis confirmed that OSU has had some discussion with Texas Christian about opening the 2010 season with an ESPN game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. It would replace the Sept. 4 game with Eastern Washington at Reser Stadium.

“ESPN has approached us about trying to do a game like that,” De Carolis said. “But right now we’d have to find somebody to take Eastern Washington,” and give the Eagles a payday game similar to the one they’d give up against the Beavers.

“That’s been the struggle.”

Substituting TCU, the Mountain West Conference champion and probable BCS-bowl entrant, for FCS Eastern Washington would give OSU one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country. It’s also slated to host Louisville of the Big East on Sept. 18, and visit Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State – another probable 2009 BCS team – on Sept. 25.

If Lyle is granted a 6th year (and this is possible, as a LB in this Pitt game was granted a 6th year under almost identical circumstances) then I’m all for scheduling TCU. But with Katz taking over, a cupcake like EWU is important for early game experience and confidence. Tough call–do you go all in and take on a tough schedule in hopes of earning respect and having a magical season, or do you take the win and increase your bowl chances? With the personnel the Beavers have returning, I’d say the latter makes more sense.

Things don’t seem as gloomy this morning. It’s funny what a good night sleep and a little sunlight can do (ah, thank you Santa Barbara).

Just a few thoughts the morning after:

1. The better team won–I know some of my comments sounded like sour grapes. I really strive to be objective in this blog, and the bottom line is that the Beavers were close but not good enough. We saw this same pattern against USC and Cincy, the other two elite teams the Beavers played.

2. I wish Duck fans were more classy and gracious in victory. I’m on the record as admiring the image and program they’ve created. On a personal level, I don’t act or dress flamboyantly and such, but it’s an ingenious idea/image that demands a lot of attention. It’s brilliant marketing; that’s the bottom line. I want to pat them on their feathers, but they make it difficult. I’ll take the high road, though. Gotta set an example, right? Congrats Ducks.

3.  Under the circumstances, the Beavers played the best game you could have expected. Not so much on this blog, but on other forums I hear fans talking about refs, injuries, etc. First of all, the refs had an outstanding game. We get on them when they’re terrible, which is 99% of the time, but last night they were spot on. I don’t have a problem with a single call. In fact, I think they missed a few Beaver blocks in the back (on kick returns) if anything. As far as injuries…yes, Clark went out, but I’m not sure that had any effect. He’s not exactly good in run support and nobody got beat deep after he left the game. The middle linebacker, Bubba III (can’t spell his name), was playing well and the Ducks run game seemed to pick up when he left the game. Thing is, and this was me simply being unobservant, I have no idea if he came back in the game or who took his spot (assume Kristick moved to MLB and Pankey/Roberson were outside?). Just didn’t really look for that. Bottom line is that you recruit good backups for this exact reason.

4. The play of the game was in the 4th quarter. The defense had the Ducks 4th and 16 and gave up 14 on a straight ahead handoff to James. Remember in an earlier post when I said the Beavers would likely have to stop the Ducks not only on 3rd down but on 4th downs as well since Chip Kelly is an uber-aggressive mad scientist? Well, the game was decided on one of those 4th downs.

5. I didn’t really care about the Rose Bowl. Honestly, last night was my Rose Bowl. Sure it would have been nice to get to the game, but mostly because it would symbolize arrival as a program and validate last year’s demons. But as far as beating Ohio State, I couldn’t really give a shit.

6. This team grew on me. After the losses to Cincy and Arizona, I was positive the Beavers would miss a bowl game. With so many graduations and young players across the board, this ride was all gravy. Right? Can you really say you expected a Rose Bowl run? The downside is that it became a drug. With each win the stakes were raised, the high stronger, and last night when the drug ran out it was essentially withdrawal.

7. Recruiting. I don’t care what people say, having highly regarded/desirable athletes does matter. You can debate the level that they matter, but they matter. Good guys who play well as a team can get you this far. But the Beavers seem to be taking two steps up and one back on an infiniately long staircase. To make headway you have to do it on the recruiting trail.

8. Beaver fans have no ammo. Ducks will be all over us for years. That’s the worst thing about this. Personally, I don’t read forums where Ducks hang out, but every once and a while I bump into them on a Beaver forum. Everyone says those Duck fans are the exceptions, even hated by fellow Ducks. Who knows. All I know is that there’s no ammo. Not that I care about talking trash, but it would be nice to have at least a couple bullets in the gun if needed.

That’s about all I have to say today.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way in one sentence: there weren’t any, really. The missed tackles, the big plays–those are a product of playing strong and fast opponents. The Ducks gave up big plays to us as well and they missed tackles.

For the record: Riley going on 4th and 15 was the right call. You have to be up by 2 scores at the end of the game to beat the Ducks, because you know they’ll drive it down for at least one. It’s not Mark Banker or Keaton Kristick who can’t stop the spread, it’s every team and player in the Pac-10 (and most likely the nation). Let’s admit and accept this.

The Beavers played their A game tonight. It just wasn’t enough. The most upsetting thing about this game is a theme I see not only in sports, but across this nation: the bad guys always win. Why does the bad guy always win? I asked my lady Beav this philosophical question during the game. She said, “the good teams have integrity and honor. the bad teams don’t have that but they have a will to get what they want anyway they can.” Astute point, and it reminds me why I adore the girl. I feel bad for Yankee fans, Duck fans, Florida fans, Red Sox fans, and everyone who buys their glory. Just as bad are those who weasel their way to glory with dirty recruiting, reinstating LeGarrette Blount, etc. Sour grapes? More like a budding frustration with moral infrastructure in this country.

This might be the only time in my life I witness a game with these stakes, a sad reality, but I’d rather “suffer” through these near misses done the right way than the alternative. I just wouldn’t be able to enjoy the latter. But that’s me. It seems most people can. Whom I feel worse for in all this is Mike Riley. The guy is the hometown, homegrown hero who’s been on the brink of the Rose Bowl twice now. It’s ironic, isn’t it, how success can augment failure? There was a time when Riley would be ecstatic with consolation prizes, but tonight we saw, through his countenance and near-tears, how much (emotion) he has invested in this.  Another interesting point is that my girlfriend feels terrible for me, I feel terrible for Mike Riley, Mike Riley feels most terrible for his players. The hurt is deflected off self and put onto others whom you admire. Care becomes circular like that when people do things the right way.

The Beavers played a fantastic game tonight. If that team is representing your school you raise your head high. You take solace in winning the intangible battles tonight. On the field, you try to get better. This is a sad night, but one that demands reflection, at least from those on the right side of the fight but the wrong side of the ball.