Pondering the possibilities of a Stoops Bowl

Published: November 23, 2006

Mike Stoops' Arizona Wildcats have turned the corner. Back-to-back upsets of Cal and Oregon have made Arizona 6-5, going into a finale against Arizona State.

Stoops' future in the desert is much brighter. The Wildcats are bowl eligible and with a win over the Sun Devils will climb into at least fourth place in the Pac-10.

A myriad of bowl possibilities exist. Alas, an Oklahoma-Arizona matchup this season seems impossible. But in the future, it seems plausible that the Sun Bowl or Holiday Bowl might try to pair the Brothers Stoops.

Would they try to get out of it?

"Probably," Bob Stoops said. "But I don't know. Heck, Mike and I don't care. It's a bowl game. Best scenario would be the national championship. Then someone's gotta win."

In 2002, an OU-Miami national title game was possible, and Mark Stoops, now on Mike's Arizona staff, was a Miami coach. "We thought, ‘Hey, that would be a good thing. Somebody's gotta win,'" Bob Stoops said.

But don't expect an OU-Arizona regular-season series.

"That wouldn't make sense," Bob Stoops said. "Someone's going to lose. Knock each other off in the regular season, that doesn't make any sense."