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The college football bowl season got under way last weekend, and once again bowl game rosters are littered with Prince George's County residents.

One former county player finds himself in the midst of one of college football's foremost controversies.

Will Lawrence, a 2006 Charles H. Flowers High School graduate, has started all 13 games this season at right guard for undefeated Boise State University, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and the final Bowl Championship Series standings.

Lawrence and the Broncos will take on unbeaten Texas Christian University in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 4 in Glendale, Ariz. Ever since the inception of the BCS as the method of deciding college football's national champion in 1998, the system has come under fire because it favors teams from six major conferences.

Until the 2004 season, the BCS excluded teams that weren't from the Southeastern Conference, Big East, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-10, Big Ten and Big XII. Teams from leagues like the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference — Boise State and Texas Christian's leagues, respectively — still struggle to be taken seriously in the national championship picture.

"We're pretty much happy to play anybody, it doesn't really matter long as it is the BCS," Lawrence said. "My team feels as if we can take on anybody. I think this is a good way for our teams to show that we belong in this game. Both teams are well known for balance on offense and defense."

With the emergence of programs like Boise State, other conferences are making a case to be regular BCS participants. Boise State beat the Big XII's Oklahoma 43-42 in an overtime thriller in the Fiesta Bowl three years ago. Utah, of the Mountain West Conference, beat the SEC's Alabama last year in the Sugar Bowl.

Lawrence said he verbally committed to the Big XII's Kansas State University as a senior in high school, but changed his mind after his recruiting visit. At that point, Boise State showed interest in him, and he decided it would be a good fit for a number a reasons including "knowing that your team is the only team in America with a colored field," referring to the Broncos' eye-catching blue field turf.

Lawrence said prep players deciding on where to play during college should keep their options open for all programs because "if a [big] school isn't winning, what's the point of wanting to go there?"

Lawrence said carrying a 13-0 record into the Fiesta Bowl brings a sense of pressure, but it's nothing he can't handle.

"I got all of my friends talking about ‘you better win,'" Lawrence said. "I told them no need to worry."

Going ‘bowling'

Here's a look at several other county athletes who have seen significant playing time with bowl teams this season:

Friendly graduate Brandon Campbell is a junior left offensive tackle for Marshall University, which will take on Ohio University in the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit on Saturday. Ohio's roster includes Mitchellville resident Gerald Moore (St. John's, D.C.), a redshirt freshman safety, who has 62 tackles and six interceptions.

Redshirt freshman Okechukwu Okoroha (Eleanor Roosevelt) has played in eight games at safety for Boston College, which will face Southern Cal in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco on Saturday.

Upper Marlboro resident Marcus Dowtin (Georgetown Prep) is a sophomore linebacker for Georgia, which will face Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., on Monday. Dowtin has 48 tackles and two sacks in 10 games.

Gwynn Park grad Rashad Carmichael, a junior at Virginia Tech, has 55 tackles and five interceptions for the Hokies, which will take on Tennessee in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve in Atlanta. DeMatha grad Kenny Jefferson, a fifth-year senior, has played 11 games at fullback for Virginia Tech. Brandywine resident Nekos Brown (Thomas Stone High) is a senior defensive end for the Hokies and has 53 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks.

Junior Navorro Bowman (Suitland) is one of the leaders on Penn State's defense, with 84 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two touchdowns from his linebacker spot. Penn State also has Stephon Morris (Roosevelt), a freshman cornerback, who has made 25 tackles and has one interception. The Nittany Lions will face Louisiana State in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day in Orlando, Fla.

Sophomore Lamaar Thomas, a Friendly grad, has seen action in 11 games, amassing 376 kickoff return yards for Ohio State, which will face Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif.

Junior Joe Haden, Friendly graduate, has emerged as one of the nation's top cornerbacks. He has 62 tackles and four interceptions this season for Florida, which plays Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day in New Orleans. Cincinnati's roster includes Frederick Douglass grad Marcus Barnett, a redshirt junior, who has made 10 catches for 95 yards and has 109 kick return yards for the Bearcats.

Gwynn Park grad Andrew Banks, a sophomore, saw action in 11 games as a quarterback and wide receiver for Middle Tennessee State, which beat Southern Mississippi, 42-32, in the New Orleans Bowl on Sunday.

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.