CAL MAKES MOVE IN BCS.

Byline: Scott Wolf Staff Writer

California made a big leap Monday in the Bowl Championship Series standings, giving the Rose Bowl a sigh of relief and possibly dashing Utah's hopes.

The Golden Bears jumped four spots to No. 4 in the rankings and are positioned to play in the Rose Bowl, or with a few breaks, the Orange Bowl, if they remain undefeated.

Thanks to a disastrous day in the Sunshine State as No. 3 Miami and No. 5 Florida State were upset, Cal was the clearest beneficiary. The Bears leapfrogged Wisconsin and Utah and for the first time have a clear path toward a BCS bowl as the final stretch of the season begins.

``The writers' poll (Associated Press) poll was the biggest help they got,'' BCS computer analyst Jerry Palm said. ``Their Rose Bowl chances are good.''

Cal moved from seventh to fourth in the AP poll, which accounts for 33 percent of the BCS formula.

Utah didn't benefit from Miami and Florida State's upsets because its computer average actually dropped from fifth to sixth.

``A sobering result,'' Palm said. ``Their schedule stinks and it's not helping them in the computers.''

Texas A&M's shocking loss to Baylor didn't help Utah either. That was supposed to be the Utes' best win, but the Aggies suffered one of the most embarrassing losses of the season.

It could have been worse but North Carolina, which lost to the Utes 46-16, upset Miami to give Utah a little boost in strength of schedule.

More worrisome for Utah, Texas is just .0059 of a point behind the Utes and has a much tougher schedule. Texas plays Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas A&M. Utah plays Colorado State, Wyoming and Brigham Young.

If Texas wins out, it passes Utah.

``Utah is more likely to pass Wisconsin than hold off Texas,'' Palm said.

If the Utes don't finish in the top six, they won't be guaranteed a BCS bowl berth, although they would be eligible. Only the top six finishers are guaranteed a berth while the top 12 can be considered.

``If the top seven teams win out, Utah is out of luck,'' Palm said.

That would sure anger Utah and other non-BCS conference members, who feel slighted by the system.

The Rose Bowl will be happy with the results, because as of today, Cal is eligible to be selected and face the Big Ten champion. If USC finished No. 1 in the BCS standings, Cal would need to finish No. 4 or higher to be selected by the Rose Bowl.

A conference is allowed only two teams in BCS bowls and the second team must finish in the top four. That means even if Utah finished sixth, which guarantees a BCS bowl for at-large teams, the Rose Bowl still could select Cal. Utah would end up in another bowl, possibly the Fiesta.

Cal could move into the Orange Bowl and play USC in a rematch if Oklahoma and Auburn lose.

As for USC, the Trojans remain on course for the Orange Bowl. Although their lead was slightly cut, it's still a comfortable margin (.0247 of a point).

``How did we drop when we won and Oklahoma almost lost?'' USC tailback Reggie Bush wondered.

The answer lies in the computers, because the Sooners were rewarded just by playing Oklahoma State, which remains 19th in the BCS. USC and Oklahoma are tied in the computers but the Trojans are ahead because they are No. 1 in both top 25 polls.

``The only thing threatening USC is themselves,'' Palm said.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

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Quarterback Aaron Rogers has helped Cal move up four spots in the BCS rankings.

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

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BCS STANDINGS