`C' IN BCS CERTAINLY DOESN'T STAND FOR CAL.

Byline: Scott Wolf Staff Writer

California was livid, Auburn disappointed and the Rose Bowl philosophical.

Just another Bowl Championship Series selection Sunday, as unhappy teams from coast to coast again sparked debate about the BCS, even if there was mostly agreement that USC and Oklahoma deserved to be the two teams in the Orange Bowl.

Auburn plays Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, the first 12-0 Southeastern Conference team to be excluded from the title game, but the Tigers were so far behind in the BCS rankings, no one expected them to crack the top two.

The bigger controversy concerned Cal and Texas.

The Golden Bears apparently didn't run up the score enough Saturday in a 26-16 victory over Southern Mississippi to sufficiently impress the poll voters.

Cal lost 66 points in the two top-25 polls released Sunday, which meant an expected close battle with Texas for the No. 4 spot was actually a Longhorns rout.

``That's 30 people changing their mind in the polls when it only really took three or four,'' BCS analyst Jerry Palm said. ``Their loss of points in either poll was enough to send them down a spot.''

Even USC coach Pete Carroll was sympathetic to the Bears' plight.

``For Cal to fall for some reason, I don't get it,'' he said.

Instead of their first Rose Bowl trip in 46 years, the Bears will play Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.

``It just shows it's a faulty system, and we've got to do something to change it up,'' Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. ``I bet Auburn is pretty ticked, too. ... Nobody cares about West Coast football, I don't think. I just hope USC represents us well.''

The Rose Bowl, which wanted California, got a small measure of satisfaction when the Fiesta Bowl agreed to release Texas and instead took Utah. That set up the Longhorns' first visit to Pasadena in school history.

``The Fiesta Bowl indicated a willingness to let Texas move on,'' said BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg, who is commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. ``It was a gracious gesture on the part of the Fiesta.''

Rose Bowl executive director Mitch Dorger said the New Year's Day game has no intention of leaving the BCS, although it again got stuck without a Pacific-10 vs. Big Ten matchup.

``We understood there would be years where we would be disappointed for one reason or another,'' Dorger said.

The Rose Bowl is contracted to participate in the BCS through 2014.

Texas coach Mack Brown, who was criticized for lobbying last week for the Longhorns, said there would be extra scrutiny on how his team performs in the Rose Bowl.

``I know there's a tremendous amount of pressure on us coming there from the outside,'' Brown said. ``Last year I thought No. 5 Texas deserved to be in a BCS bowl, and this year I thought No. 5 Cal deserved it.''

Weiberg said the idea of a coach lobbying for a BCS bid - and he didn't limit it to Brown - is something the BCS needs to evaluate for next year.

``Last year we took criticism for too much influence of computers,'' Weiberg said. ``This year we've taken criticism for coaches' lobbying. I'm sure it's something we'll take a look at.''

Exactly how the BCS could limit free speech was not addressed by Weiberg.

``Even though voters changed minds, it was the weight of support Texas received in the computer rankings that made a big difference,'' he said.

While Texas won out in the computers, it was the Longhorns' surge in the top-25 polls that made the difference over the weekend.

Rodgers criticized Brown's lobbying, especially since Cal coach Jeff Tedford didn't try to influence votes.

``I thought it was a little classless how coach Brown was begging for votes after the (Texas A&M) game,'' Rodgers said. ``I think we are a bigger team. Classier than that.''

Another sticking point for the BCS was Pittsburgh's automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl as the Big East champion while undefeated Boise State was excluded. Pitt (8-3) tied for the worst record of any team playing in a BCS bowl game. The Big East, in its weakened state without Miami and Virginia Tech, doesn't deserve an automatic bid, critics say.

``I don't think there are any regrets, but there are sure things we need to look at,'' Weiberg said. ``Obviously, we've got some work to do about automatic qualifying standards.''

Weiberg stressed the Big East will retain its automatic bid until at least 2007.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Chase Lyman, left, drapes his jersey over his head after Cal got the bad news.

Dino Vournas/Associated Press