The Weeks Ahead What To Watch And Watch For

SATURDAY 27

CONTINENTAL TIRE BOWL PITTSBURGH (8-4) VS. VIRGINIA (7-5) ESPN2
11 AM > Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald missed the Heisman
but could have a thrilling finish: UVA's passing defense is 62nd
in the nation.
--NO. 20 LOUISVILLE VS. NO. 2 KENTUCKY CBS 5 PM > Louisville's
Rick Pitino faces the team he led to three Final Fours.

MONDAY 29

MASTERCARD ALAMO BOWL MICHIGAN STATE (8-4) VS. NO. 22 NEBRASKA
(9-3) ESPN 9 PM > Nebraska's head coach, Frank Solich, was fired
three weeks ago. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is a candidate
to take over as the Cornhuskers try to stop Michigan State
quarterback Jeff Smoker, who completed 29 of 50 passes for 357
yards and four TDs in his final regular-season game.

TUESDAY 30

EV1.NET HOUSTON BOWL NAVY (8-4) VS. TEXAS TECH (7-5) ESPN 4:30
PM > Navy, which leads the nation in rushing (326.1 yards a game)
is in its first bowl game since '96.
--PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL NO. 5 TEXAS (10-2) VS. NO. 15
WASHINGTON STATE (9-3) ESPN 8 PM > The Longhorns are the best
of the non-BCS teams.

THURSDAY 1

CAPITAL ONE BOWL NO. 11 GEORGIA VS. NO 12 PURDUE ABC 1 PM >
Mascot of the year will be announced at halftime; Georgia's Hairy
Dawg has a shot.
--ROSE BOWL NO. 1 USC VS. NO. 4 MICHIGAN ABC 5 PM > BCS
supporters want Michigan.
--FEDEX ORANGE BOWL NO. 10 MIAMI VS. NO. 9 FSU ABC 8:30 PM > As
hot as any rivalry.

FRIDAY 2

SBC COTTON BOWL NO. 21 OKLAHOMA ST. (9-3) VS. NO. 16 MISSISSIPPI
(9-3) FOX 2 PM > Mississippi senior Eli Manning's last college
game. State receiver Rashaun Woods had 66 catches for 1,144 yards
and 14 TDs.
--TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL NO. 8 KANSAS STATE VS. NO. 7 OHIO STATE
ABC 8 PM > Kansas State (11-3) has won seven straight.

SATURDAY 3

SIXERS AT SPURS ABC 1:30 PM > Take a Bowl breather tonight. AI's
out nursing his knee, and the Sixers are 2-2 without him. The
Spurs' Tim Duncan leads the NBA with 21 double doubles.
--MIGHTY DUCKS VS. RED WINGS ESPN2 7:30 PM > In his first season
as a Duck, dynamic center Sergei Fedorov (who played 13 years for
Detroit) has a team-best 11 goals.

SUNDAY 4

NFL WILD CARD GAMES FOX 1 PM (NFC) CBS 4:30 PM (AFC) > End of a
wild weekend. Last year Pittsburgh scored 22 fourth-quarter
points to win one game; the 49ers rallied from 24 down to win
another.
--NOKIA SUGAR BOWL NO. 3 OKLAHOMA VS. NO. 2 LSU ABC 8 PM
> Oklahoma's Heisman winner, Jason White, tries to make his team
No. 1.

COLOR PHOTO: ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES (PITINO)

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID BERGMAN (NAVY)

COLOR PHOTO: CORBIS (ORANGE)

COLOR PHOTO: JAMES D. SMITH/ICON SMI (HAIRY DAWG)

COLOR PHOTO: BRUCE NEWMAN-OXFORD EAGLE/AP (MANNING)

COLOR PHOTO: COURTESY OF NHL (RED WINGS LOGO)

COLOR PHOTO: ROYALTY-FREE/CORBIS (JOKER)