PHOENIX -- The University of Oregon arrived for the Fiesta Bowl Wednesday, the anger at not being chosen for the national championship game waning a bit as it contemplated the possibility it still could earn half the title.

	Oregon coach Mike Bellotti addresses the media after he and his team arrives in Phoenix on Wednesday.

"I'm not as angry as I was," said Ducks coach Mike Bellotti, adding that he remains miffed that his team could be ranked No. 2 in both major polls and not play in the Bowl Championship Series national title game.

Retribution could come next Tuesday.

An Oregon victory and a Miami loss to Nebraska in the Rose Bowl two days later could mean split national champions, with the Pac-10 champion Ducks earning the top spot in The Associated Press rankings. Big 12 champion and No. 3-ranked Colorado, which beat Nebraska, has the same incentive.

"If this works out that this does in fact create a split national championship, and we -- or Colorado -- could be the beneficiary of that, I think that would be awesome," Bellotti said after the Oregon entourage landed at Sky Harbor International Airport.

The ESPN/USA Today poll, determined by a vote of coaches, has a pact with the BCS that automatically gives the Miami-Nebraska winner the national title. The AP poll, determined by a vote of sportswriters, has no such agreement.

"I hope the AP people vote their minds," Bellotti said.

The day the Miami-Nebraska championship matchup was announced, Bellotti likened the BCS to "a cancer."

He said that while he has cooled off, his feelings haven't changed.

"I understand it's a system that is trying to accommodate all and probably can't really accommodate any," Bellotti said. "I do think now that I'm much more in favor of a playoff system of some type."

Oregon (10-1) is making its first appearance in a BCS game. The Ducks made it to the Rose Bowl in 1995, but the game wasn't part of the BCS system at the time.

Bellotti said the chance to meet No. 3 Colorado (10-2) in a game that could result in a split national title makes it easier for his players to shake off some of the disappointment of not going to the Rose Bowl.

"That disappointment probably will live with them the rest of their lives, to be honest with you," Bellotti said. "It's not something you can overcome. But certainly the opportunity to compete in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against Colorado, who probably feels much the same way we did, gives us an opportunity to save this a little bit."

Both Oregon and Colorado practiced on Wednesday.

The Buffaloes arrived Christmas night.

The Ducks had three weeks off before their "`Civil War" battle against Oregon State, then five more weeks before the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl.

Bellotti gave the team five days off at Thanksgiving, five days off for final exams and 3½ days off for Christmas.

"Other than that, we've alternated about two days of practice with a day off to keep them fresh," Bellotti said. "I do believe we're healthy. We have fresh legs, and yet we haven't lost what I call that competitive edge, which is the scary part about taking this type of time off."