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

DATE: THURSDAY, January 23, 1992                   TAG: 9201230128
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BILL BRILL SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

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ACC TO GO WITH ALLIANCE

Atlantic Coast Conference officials apparently have decided to affiliate with the bowl alliance, perhaps meaning an end to the Blockbuster Bowl.

An official announcement will be made later this week, an ACC athletic director who would not be quoted if named told the Roanoke Times & World-News on Wednesday.

Blockbuster officials could not be reached for comment. Chairman Wayne Huizenga, whose bowl had offered the champions of the ACC and Big East $4.3 million each annually for 10 years, had said he wouldn't stay in business unless he could play host to a major bowl.

In a conference call Wednesday morning, ACC officials apparently agreed to stay with the four-bowl alliance, which is made up of the Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta bowls.

The ACC school official said the offer made at the NCAA convention that assures the league its champion will not have to play in the Fiesta was the securing factor in the decision.

And, the school source said, "We were so far down the road with the alliance that I don't think the conference could have backed off that for a few hundred-thousand dollars."

The Blockbuster offer, which would have taken perennial powers Florida State and Miami out of the traditional "major" bowls, was comparable to the Orange, but more than the Cotton and Sugar.

"The Blockbuster meant putting all our eggs in one basket," said the school source. "And it doesn't have a long tradition."

ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan had been the driving force behind the alliance, which includes Notre Dame and the champions of the Big East, Big Eight, Southeastern and Southwest conferences.

Also involved are at least five second-place teams.

"Until we got the agreement that our champion would go to one of the three traditional major [bowls]," said the school source, "there was the chance our champion could be passed over for a second-place team."

Under the terms of the alliance, if a game matching No. 1 against No. 2 is possible between the ACC, Big East and Notre Dame, that would be played in the Fiesta Bowl.

Otherwise, the ACC winner will participate in either the Orange, Sugar or Cotton bowls.

Keywords:
FOOTBALL

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