For the first time since 2001, the Syracuse football team will be invited to a postseason bowl game. While last season SU was left out of the bowl picture despite having the necessary six wins, that scenario will not repeat itself this year.

‘There’s going to be a place for Syracuse,’ Big East Associate Commissioner John Paquette said.

Syracuse could be headed to one of at least two bowl destinations over Winter Break. The most likely scenario has Syracuse playing in the Las Vegas Bowl against Wyoming on Dec. 23. SU could also be invited to the Hawaii Bowl to play Alabama-Birmingham on Dec. 24.

One bowl on SU’s radar that most likely will not invite the Orange is the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. One Big East official said that the Independence representatives would likely pick Troy, located in Alabama, because of its proximity.

Syracuse will wait to make a decision after this weekend because it is still mathematically eligible for the Bowl Championship Series. For SU to make the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., Pittsburgh must lose on Saturday at South Florida and finish behind Syracuse in the BCS rankings. Pitt is ranked No. 23 in the latest BCS poll. SU is not ranked.

Paquette said that despite the travel considerations, the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu is a viable choice for SU.

‘When Hawaii invites you to a game, they don’t expect you to bring a lot of fans,’ Paquette said. ‘They are concerned about having some name teams and getting a good television rating.’

Las Vegas may be SU’s best opportunity for a bowl and the most accessible destination for fans. Orbitz offers flights from Syracuse to Las Vegas for as low as $285. JetBlue offers fares as low as $250. A flight to Hawaii from Syracuse costs about $1,000.

Hawaii could wrap up a spot in the Hawaii Bowl if it wins Saturday against Michigan State, one conference official said. In that situation, there could be 57 bowl-eligible teams competing for 56 bowl spots.

One unlikely scenario sent Syracuse to the Insight Bowl in Phoenix. Rumors had circulated that Irish players would decide to forgo that bowl because of the firing of head coach Tyrone Willingham, opening a spot for SU. But Notre Dame accepted the invitation Wednesday.

Published on December 1, 2004 at 12:00 pm