Rose Bowl’s field named for donor

The field at the Rose Bowl will be called Spieker Field, it was announced Tuesday, marking the first time the stadium’s playing surface has been named in its 95-year history.

UCLA alum and Bay Area philanthropist Tod Spieker donated $10 million to jumpstart a fundraising campaign aimed at netting $40 million in the next five years. There are expected to be mentions of Spieker only in select places around the field, not painted on it or displayed outside the Rose Bowl. Pac-12 title rematch: Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre is playing the aw-shucks card ahead of Saturday’s home game against Washington, but Las Vegas doesn’t quite concur.

“Washington is better than they were when we saw them in the Pac-12 championship game. That’s the difference,” MacIntyre said in a weekly conference call. “They’re a better football team, so I hope we’re better.”

The Huskies rolled the Buffaloes 41-10 in the conference title game in December, but No. 7 Washington is favored by only 10½ points Saturday.

The Huskies are averaging 47 points per game, tied for third best in the Pac-12, but the Buffaloes are allowing only nine, best in the conference. Kick it out of bounds: Washington senior Dante Pettis returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown against Fresno State on Saturday, tying the NCAA record with eight career puntreturn scores.

He has returned a punt for a touchdown in each of the Huskies three games this season, becoming the third player in NCAA history to have a puntreturn TD in three consecutive games.

“You get mesmerized watching him on tape,” MacIntyre said.

Just for kicks: USC head coach Clay Helton said he had one of his easiest recruiting pitches ever with preferred walk-on kicker Chase McGrath, who sent Saturday’s game against Texas into overtime with a 31yarder and then won it with a 43-yarder in double overtime.

“He was a young man who just had USC on his heart,” Helton said. “… I said, ‘You have a home here. I want you to know that.’ He immediately said: ‘Coach, I’m in.’ I wish they were always that easy.” Briefly: Seven Pac-12 teams are 3-0, two more than any other conference. (The Big Ten and SEC each have five.) The Pac-12 has posted a combined record of 6-2 against other Power 5 conference schools.