Today’S Bowl Games
Liberty Bowl
Brigham Young (9-4) vs. Tulane (11-0)
at Memphis, Tenn.
TV: 10:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Bowl records: BYU 7-12-1; Tulane 2-6.
BYU: The Cougars lost the WAC championship game to Air Force 20-13. Running back Ronney Jenkins, the Western Athletic Conference’s top rusher this season, and defensive back Heshimu Robertson, have been suspended for violating the school’s honor code.
Tulane: Chris Scelfo takes over for Tommy Bowden who has left to coach Clemson. Bowden was 18-4 in two seasons. Shaun King, the nation’s top passer, leads one of the two undefeated I-A teams.
Sun Bowl
Southern Cal (8-4) vs. Texas Christian (6-5)
at El Paso, Texas
TV: 11 a.m. (CBS)
Bowl records: Southern Cal 25-13; TCU 4-10-1.
Southern Cal: Linebacker Chris Claiborne, the Butkus Award winner and Pac-10 defensive player of the year, leads the defense. Paul Hackett, whose Trojans won three of their last four to finish 8-4, won his first game as a head coach in the 1989 Sun Bowl. His Pitt Panthers beat Texas A&M, 31-28.
Texas Christian: The Horned Frogs went 1-10 last year, then rebounded to 6-5 this season for their first winning record since 1995. They haven’t been to the postseason since the 1994 Independence Bowl. TCU was picked over other WAC programs with better records, including Colorado State (8-4), Wyoming (8-3) and Utah (7-4).
Peach Bowl
Virginia (9-2) vs. Georgia (8-3)
at Atlanta
TV: 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Bowl records: Virginia 4-5; Georgia 16-14-3.
Virginia: The Cavaliers have made each of their bowl appearances under George Welsh. The 13th-ranked Cavaliers meet Georgia in a rematch of the 1995 game that Virginia won 34-27 on an 83-yard kickoff return in the final minute. Virginia, looking for 10 wins, has had only one other 10-victory season - 1989.
Georgia: The Bulldogs are led by Quincy Carter, the top SEC freshman. Carter originally signed with Georgia Tech, but dropped out of football for two years after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs. He then signed with Georgia this year and the 21-year-old quarterback passed for 2,484 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Independence Bowl
Mississippi (6-5) vs. Texas Tech (7-4)
at Shreveport, La.
TV: 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Bowl records: Mississippi 15-11; Texas Tech 5-16-1.
Mississippi: David Cutliffe takes over for departed coach Tommy Tuberville. Cutcliffe, the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, was hired as the replacement and will make his debut in this game.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are excited to return to a bowl after a one-year absence. Tech voluntarily withdrew from postseason consideration last year as part of a self-imposed punishment for NCAA rules violations.