Kansas cornerback Chris Harris (16) celebrates with his fellow Jayhawk defenders after intercepting a Baylor Bears pass. Wednesday, Harris was named Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year.

The University of Georgia recently sent a marketing package to the Rose, Orange and Fiesta bowls showing just how the school is going to sell a boat-load of tickets to whichever game the Bulldogs are invited.

This is what the at-large BCS bowl candidates do in the days leading up to Selection Sunday.

“I believe it’s my job and our job to put our best foot forward why Georgia would be a good choice,” Georgia athletic director Damon Evans told the Athens Banner-Herald. “I’m going to tell each of those bowls why I think we’re the best.”

Georgia is trying to flaunt itself in what amounts to a competition of sorts with other schools such as Kansas University, Illinois, Arizona State and perhaps the loser of Saturday’s Big 12 championship game between Missouri and Oklahoma.

The at-large candidates for BCS bowl games – like the Jayhawks – are being forced to wait it out. And, in the meantime, come up with some good pickup lines just in case it matters.

“We’ve been in close contact with members of the BCS bowls for almost the entire season,” KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said. “In the case of the Fiesta Bowl, before the entire season.”

Kansas is considered a strong candidate for the Fiesta Bowl and a near-lock for the Glendale, Ariz., game if Missouri beats Oklahoma on Saturday to advance to the BCS National Championship Game.

But even if Oklahoma beats Missouri and the Sooners get an automatic invitation to the Fiesta Bowl, analysts and various media reports suggest Kansas would be considered as OU’s opponent anyway. It’s a matchup Fiesta Bowl president John Junker doesn’t rule out.

“Kansas is a great story,” Junker said. “It’s been a great year for them in a lot of ways.”

The hole in that speculation, however, is that it’s partly out of the Fiesta Bowl’s hands.

The BCS rules state that whichever BCS bowl loses its host to the National Championship Game will get first pick among at-large teams. The Big East doesn’t play host to any BCS game, so it’s not a factor if No. 2 West Virginia plays for the title. But if Missouri qualifies, the Fiesta Bowl then would get first crack at choosing a replacement. Kansas expects to be that choice.

If Oklahoma wins, it’s likely that Ohio State out of the Big Ten moves into the BCS National Championship Game to play West Virginia, provided the Mountaineers beat 28-point underdog Pittsburgh.

In that case, the process plays out as follows:

¢ The Rose Bowl would start by choosing a replacement for Ohio State. Reports indicate it would be either Georgia or Illinois, depending on if it wants to keep the Big Ten/Pac-10 tradition or go for the most appealing opponent.

¢ The Orange Bowl would then choose an at-large team to play the ACC champion.

¢ The Fiesta Bowl would then choose an opponent for Oklahoma.

¢ The Sugar Bowl would get last pick, believed to be Hawaii if the Warriors are in the top 12 of the BCS standings.

With the Fiesta Bowl picking third assuming an Oklahoma victory, it can’t guarantee anything. If the Rose Bowl picks Georgia, for example, Kansas or Missouri could be the most appealing choices for the Orange Bowl to scoop up.

Dizzy yet? Join the club.

The Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls all have been to multiple Kansas games this season, with the Fiesta coming to a majority of them. That established relationships that built by the week.

The finish line is Sunday. The position-jockeying continues until then.

“We’re still in discussions and just watching the process go forward,” Marchiony said. “We’re in contact with all of them. No one more than the other.”