Mike Sando

1. A pair of Rose Bowl princesses greet WSU QB Ryan Leaf by dotting his face with rose decals. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Quarterback Ryan Leaf, left, and coach Mike Price comes to grips with roses. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Michigan is known for having a demanding schedule, so why stop now? The top-ranked Wolverines will spend 5 hours on Northwest Flight 207 today, arriving at Orange County's John Wayne Airport at 11:14 a.m. PST. Washington State has a slightly easier road, potholes notwithstanding. The eighth-ranked Cougars will bus from Bohler Gym to Spokane International Airport at 8:30 Saturday morning. They'll have time to stretch before boarding their 11 a.m. charter for the 2-1/2-hour flight into LAX.

Washington State receiver Kevin McKenzie cuts across the tennis courts and into Lane One on the indoor track. He hauls in Ryan Leaf's pass and has plenty of time to avoid one of the giant concrete pillars that keeps WSU's 34-year-old field house standing. A handful of reporters scatter as McKenzie approaches, more out of courtesy than to avoid any real danger. When football practice ends, players sign autographs for the dozen or so fans who have stepped in from the rain. Coach Mike Price and various players grant one-on-one interviews with reporters. Across the country, the straight-faced Michigan Wolverines hold their Rose Bowl practices behind the closed doors of their multimillion-dollar indoor football facility. The practice field has sidelines, not track lanes, and the new $6 million tennis center is housed elsewhere.

Leaf

Reid Alisch might consider making a small investment in Rand McNally. A pocket atlas would serve him well.

Alumni include President Gerald R. Ford, three U.S. Supreme Court justices and Madonna. John F. Kennedy launched the Peace Corps from the steps of the student union.

Idaho was giving up size to Southwest Missouri State at almost every position, but the Vandals gave up little else Friday night. Kris Baumann's fadeaway 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left forced overtime, sending a Kibbie Dome crowd of 3,506 into bedlam and propelling the Vandals to a 74-71 victory before a national television audience on ESPN2. Baumann also came up big in OT, hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining. Idaho prevailed when Ryan Bettanhausen's desperation 45-footer rimmed out at the buzzer.

Mike Price

It was worth a try, but Washington State receiver Chris Jackson wasn't about to be lured into saying anything that might warrant another twilight phone call from coach Mike Price. "What are we going to do to Michigan?" Jackson said Saturday, repeating the question with caution. "We're not doing anything in particular. We're just going to go out and play Cougar football."

Washington State is in the Rose Bowl, but not in the money. At least not yet. If earning a long-awaited trip to Pasadena seemed like hitting the lotto, there is at least one similarity: Instead of an immediate windfall, any payoffs will be dispersed over time. WSU hopes that means increased donations to the athletic department, although there are no guarantees. Sure, the athletic department received an extra $1.248 million from the Pacific-10 Conference, but that was merely to finance a travel party that could exceed 800 people. As of Friday, barely $30,000 remained.

Mike Price has been inundated with phone calls since Washington State clinched a Rose Bowl berth two weeks ago. At least one call came from a prospective employer. "I've already turned down a job," the ninth-year WSU coach said Friday. "I told them I don't even want to know how much it pays - don't even tempt me on it."

WSU athletic director Rick Dickson

WSU's Leif Nelson shows Doug Griffin of Gonzaga a little bit of the improvement that has Kevin Eastman excited. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Leaf

Washington put five players on the Pac-10 first-team offense, while Washington State managed only one. Would this be the joke or the punch line? As always, point spread (in parenthesis) provided for entertainment purposes only. Arizona at Arizona State (-9) TV: FSN, 3:30 p.m. ASU quarterback Ryan Kealy throws for 650 yards and five touchdowns, but Rashaan Shehee and Benji Olson share Pac-10 player-of-the-week honors. The pick: Sun Devils 35, Wildcats 27 Last week: 4-0 Season to date: 50-20

After a long summer of working on his game in his native Spain, Rodrigo de la Fuente has returned to Washington State with an improved shooting touch and desire to prove skeptics wrong. Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review

1. WSU lineman Rob Rainville celebrates scoring a TD on a fumble recovery. Photo by Bart Rayniak/The Spokesman-Review 2. Washington State running back Michael Black fights for yardage against Washington. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

REPLAY: Sports, November 24, 1997: In Sunday's Apple Cup coverage, WSU offensive lineman Cory Withrow was misidentified in a photo on page C1 and defensive lineman Dorian Boose was misidentified in a photo on C8. 1. Washington State's Michael Black shoots through the Washington defense for the Cougars' first touchdown, an 8-yard run that tied the game at 7-7. Black went on to finish with 170 yards on 37 carries. Photo by Bart Rayniak/The Spokesman-Review 2. Chris Jackson, left, and Ryan Tujague celebrate Cougs' first trip to Rose Bowl in 67 years. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 3. The Cougars' Josh Didjurgis scoops up a second-quarter fumble. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

WSU's running attack will focuse on Michael Black, who is healthy and coming off a 174-yard game against Stanford. File/The Spokesman-Review

1. Leon Bender almost passed on WSU. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Leon Bender and Jonathan Nance (99) bring down Cal QB Justin Vedder. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

WSU is rooting for UCLA, which is rooting against WSU, which is rooting against Arizona State, which is rooting against UCLA, which is favored against USC, which could nose out WSU for the Aloha Bowl if the Cougars don't beat the Huskies on Saturday. As always, point spreads (in parenthesis) are for entertainment purposes only.

Ryan McShane is looking forward to taking on Jason Chorak. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

With one week left in the regular season, college football's bowl picture remains a mosaic. For the first time in three years, Washington State is part of the landscape. In short, the 11th-ranked Cougars (9-1) need to defeat No. 17 Washington on Saturday for a reasonable shot at their first Rose Bowl since 1931.

1. Ryan Leaf doesn't mind standing out on the football field, but he'd like to be considered just one of the crowd on campus. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. It wasn't a snap at first, but Ryan Leaf has developed star qualities as WSU quarterback. File/The Spokesman-Review