Nov. 14, 2000

By Tim Mimick
The Gazette

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - This credit card will solve those financial problems.

Beings from Mars are invading.

Colorado State might get shut out of the bowl extravaganza.

Well, it's just not true. No matter what Colorado State coach Sunny Lubick says, the Rams are already assured of at least a share of the Mountain West Conference championship and will be going to the Liberty Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl or Silicon Valley Classic.

All CSU has to do is beat injury-ravaged, one-win Wyoming on Thursday night in Hughes Stadium and the outright league title will be among the Rams' loot. In their bag also will be a Liberty Bowl invitation.

So don't let Lubick fool you when he says, "We've got to win a game this week or we'll all be sitting home for the holidays."

At best, the Mountain West will provide enough teams to fill the three aforementioned bowl slots with which it has agreements. UNLV must win its final two games -- Nov. 25 at San Diego State and Dec. 2 at Hawaii -- to qualify for bowl eligibility.

Colorado State (8-2) and Air Force (7-3) are the only league members with the required records for bowl participation. No other Mountain West teams will be able to qualify this season.

If Air Force or San Diego State ties Colorado State for the league championship, Colorado State almost certainly would go to the Las Vegas Bowl at 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

"I'm not 21, so it doesn't matter to me if we go to the Liberty Bowl or Las Vegas," Colorado State sophomore tailback Rahsaan Sanders said. "It just matters that we're going to a bowl game."

If the Rams win the MWC title outright by beating Wyoming in their regular-season finale, Colorado State athletic director Tim Weiser said, "We'd have the obligation to go to the Liberty Bowl and that would be our intent."

The Rams went to Memphis, Tenn., last season for the Liberty Bowl and lost 23-17 to Southern Mississippi.

Conference USA provides its champion as the other team for the Liberty Bowl, set for 3 p.m. MST Dec. 29 and televised by ESPN. Louisville is atop the Conference USA standings.

RAM BAMS: The Rams might not face Wyoming senior quarterback Jay Stoner. He's been out since Oct. 26 when he sprained an ankle against Brigham Young. The Cowboys didn't play Nov. 4 and he wasn't healthy enough to play Saturday in the 34-0 loss to Utah. Stoner, a Mitchell High School graduate, is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game.