MWC's agreement with Emerald about to expire

SAN FRANCISCO — Today's Utah-Georgia Tech game will mark the final year of an agreement between the Mountain West Conference and the Emerald Bowl, which began in 2002.

Utah is the fourth MWC team to play in the bowl, following Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico. The first two years, the Big East was part of the bowl before being replaced by the Pac-10.

Next year, the Emerald Bowl will have a representative of the ACC replace the MWC to go against a representative of the Pac-10.

MWC assistant commissioner Javan Hedlund said the severing of ties with the bowl allows the MWC "the chance to go in a different direction." Next year, the league will have three bowl games just as it does now with the Fort Worth Bowl joining the Las Vegas and Poinsettia bowls.

Hedlund points out that the MWC could have a fourth bowl berth with the fifth BCS bowl being added next year. The MWC will get a berth in that bowl if one of its teams finishes in the top 12 of the BCS standings or finishes in the top 16 and ahead of one of the other automatic qualifiers.

Under those rules, Utah would have made it last year, which it did anyway, and TCU would have made it this year, being ranked 14th in the BCS, ahead of automatic qualifier Florida State at 22.

Considering that the Pac-10 has been unable to field a representative for the Emerald Bowl yet, perhaps the MWC will be back in San Francisco again in the future.

NO RAIN: The weather in San Francisco is often rainy and it has been for much of the week heading into today's game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. MST.

So it was no surprise when a pep rally at Union Square, featuring the bands and cheerleaders from both Utah and Georgia Tech along with players from each school as well as fans, was canceled Wednesday morning because of inclement weather.

Except that it was sunny with blue skies at 11 a.m. when the pep rally was scheduled. A few dozen fans from each school wondered what happened, but it was cancelled because earlier in the morning it had, indeed, been raining.

Instead, an impromptu pep rally was held in a ballroom at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, next door to the room where the welcome luncheon was held at noon for the coaches, players and families of each team.

Later in the evening, another pep rally was held for the Utes and their boosters.