Tigers, Rebels try to enhance bowl résumé

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 20, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 6:50 a.m.

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The winner of the Ole Miss-LSU game Saturday won’t get an automatic berth in the Cotton Bowl. But having that head-to-head edge will enhance the victor’s portfolio.

“This is certainly an important game,” Cotton Bowl President Rick Baker said. “Both Ole Miss and LSU are on the short list.”

The Cotton Bowl appears to be the highest bowl to which LSU can aspire, although the Tigers are still being considered for the Capital One Bowl.

Two games Saturday loom large in helping form the picture for the Cotton Bowl,  which pits a Southeastern Conference team against a Big 12 team.

First, No. 18 LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC) hosts Ole Miss (6-4, 3-3) at 2:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium (CBS).

Then, No. 2 Texas Tech (10-0, 6-0 Big 12) and No. 5 Oklahoma (9-1, 5-1) play at 7 p.m. Saturday (ABC).

“Those games will certainly have a big impact,” said Baker, who said he’ll watch both games on television at home.

Baker attended the Alabama-LSU game, with the top-ranked Tide pulling out a 27-21 overtime win Nov. 8 in Tiger Stadium. Charlie Fiss, the Cotton Bowl’s vice president of communications, is expected to be on hand Saturday.

“I think the Cotton Bowl is a real possibility for us,” LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said. “Being a Western Division school, I think that’s probably the most likely scenario. But it’s still early. We’ve got to win. We’ve got to see who else is winning and who else is losing, and see how it plays out.”

The Tigers are also alive for the Capital One Bowl, at noon on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.

“We are very much looking at LSU,” Capital One Bowl Executive Director Steve Hogan said. “It’s hard to imagine our (SEC) team not coming out of those four: LSU, Georgia, Alabama or Florida.”

According to the SEC’s bowl agreements, the Capital One, pitting an SEC team against a Big 10 team, makes the first choice following the Bowl Championship Series selections.

Alabama and No. 3 Florida meet in the Dec. 6 SEC title game. Both must first play rivalry games on Nov. 29, with Alabama hosting Auburn and Florida visiting Florida State.