The BCS outcome was "horrible, it's not based on merit," said 31-year-old Ryan Sandoval-Sullivan, who was 8 years old when he attended his first game with his mother, Gloria, a Cal alum. "Nothing against Texas, but it's just been a long time coming.
"I thought a win was all they needed. What if this game was played back in September, when it was supposed to?"
Many Cal boosters already had bought Rose Bowl tickets in anticipation of a berth. Don Mitchell, former president of San Francisco Federal Savings and Loan and a big Cal donor, had bought six. "Does anybody know how this BCS works?" he asked.
"It's terribly disappointing," said alumnus Rob Sandman of Sacramento, "but that's the system. I expected it when I saw the coaches poll (Sunday morning). The clipping call that took away a touchdown (in the closing minutes) hurt us. That would have made the score 33-16, and maybe that would have been more impressive."
On campus, freshmen Yelena Vinarsky and Dale Dualan took a more Berkeley- esque approach to the news. "We should protest," Dualan said.
At Kip's, the popular hangout a block from the Berkeley campus, the mood shifted from anticipation to frustration when the BCS pairings were announced. Wardell Myles, 31, whose parents live a 10-minute walk from the Rose Bowl, said he had bought tickets but now plans to sell them. Asked if he would make the trip to the Holiday Bowl, instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you?" he shot back.
Cal grad Gary Slavit of Sacramento said he would attend the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, but he thought the BCS system proved faulty. "Clearly, there is something wrong when a No. 21 (Pitt) gets an automatic bid, but other far more deserving teams are relegated to lesser bowls."
Slavit was glad Tedford took the high road by not trying to pass for another touchdown Saturday night.
"The fact that a decision to run up a score even comes into play bothers me," Slavit said. "The BCS seems to be creating a situation where sportsmanship could be compromised. Personally, I would rather play in the Holiday Bowl knowing that I'll be cheering for a team that played with class and in the spirit of sportsmanship than go to the Rose Bowl by running up scores."
He added, "Rose Bowl or not, Cal had a great year with an incredible group of athletes that we are all very proud of."
Chronicle staff writers Janny Hu and Glenn Dickey contributed to this story.E-mail Tom FitzGerald at [email protected].
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