
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, November 15, 1993                   TAG: 9311150097
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FAME IS FLEETING FOR 7-3 CAVALIERS

Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland said Sunday it has been a week since he talked with officials of the Hall of Fame Bowl, which apparently is close to extending a bid to North Carolina State.

Dick Bowers, a selection committee member, attended N.C. State's game Saturday with Maryland and said he was in favor of inviting the Wolfpack, the fifth-place team in the ACC standings.

The Hall of Fame Bowl will have the fourth choice of ACC teams for its game Dec. 31 in Tampa, Fla. At no point did Bowers mention UVa, which has clinched at least a share of third place with Clemson.

"I was surprised [at Bowers' comments]," Copeland said. "I don't know if I'm concerned because I don't know if he is speaking for the bowl or not."

Efforts to contact bowl officials Sunday were in vain.

Copeland said he had been told that the Hall of Fame was not sending scouts to games, although Bowers clearly watched N.C. State play and apparently listened to a sales pitch from Todd Turner, the Wolfpack's athletic director.

Copeland was unable to persuade a bowl to take the Cavaliers last year, when they were 7-4, but they did not get their seventh victory until the final game. They will take a 7-3 record into Saturday's game against Virginia Tech.

"N.C. State may end up with the Hall of Fame Bowl, but to say a deal has been cut is absurd," he said. "Next week is big. At 8-3, it would be a travesty if we didn't get a bid. [At] 7-4, [a bid] would be iffy.

"The way the Football Bowl Coalition works, standings don't matter. The bowls have got to consider the people you will bring, the kind of offense you play, the polls, things like that."

Bowers said a big factor was N.C. State's support. The Wolfpack took 20,000 fans to the Gator Bowl last year and is projected to take 12,000 to the Hall of Fame Bowl.

"We're leaning to the Wolfpack over Clemson for a variety of reasons," said Bowers, who apparently did not realize the Tigers became front-runners for the Peach Bowl with a 23-14 victory over Virginia.

Copeland said he planned calls today to the Hall of Fame, Peach, Alamo and Carquest bowls, as well as the ACC office.

The Alamo Bowl has the third choice of Southwest Conference teams, but there may not be three SWC teams with the required six victories over Division I-A opposition.

The Carquest Bowl gets the fifth choice of Southeastern Conference teams, with Louisiana State (4-5) the only possibility, provided it wins its last two games over Tulane and Arkansas at home.

Keywords:
FOOTBALL

by CNB