COALITION CHANGES DESIGNED TO PLUG A FEW GAPS

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

DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993                   TAG: 9301310038
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: D12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium
COALITION CHANGES DESIGNED TO PLUG A FEW GAPS
The infant bowl coalition still is alive and should survive for at least two more years. However, expect some changes.
To refresh your memory, the ACC, Big East and Notre Dame struck a deal last year to form an alliance that would help assure a national championship game in football.
In that regard, it worked, with No. 2 Alabama beating No. 1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl. It could be argued that pairing would have taken place anyway, but there is no debate the coalition restored validation to the selection process.
Previously, bowls struck agreements with teams far in advance of the alleged permissible date, often resulting in situations such as three-time loser Virginia going to the Sugar Bowl.
The coalition assured the ACC, Big East and Notre Dame of playing in a major bowl, although the Irish really didn't need the help.
The first crack in the deal came when the Cotton passed up No. 3 Florida State for No. 5 Notre Dame. While it wasn't specifically spelled out that a No. 3 vs. No. 4 pairing automatically would be made, it violated the spirit of the agreement.
However, the Cotton felt vindicated when Notre Dame thrashed unbeaten Texas A&M while attracting a large television audience.
If the coalition remains in '93, only the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup will be required. The changes, however, will occur among the Tier Two bowls.
Last season, Tier Two consisted of the Gator, Blockbuster and John Hancock, who picked in that sequence. The latter two were most unhappy.
The Blockbuster, its future uncertain because it lost its major sponsor, has dropped from the rotation. It had only itself to blame last season for the midsummer deal it made with Penn State.
The Hancock, which may return to its original name, the Sun Bowl, apparently has decided to stick around for the next two years. A decision on the whole package is expected by Feb. 15.
If the Hancock stays, it likely will take the last two remaining runner-up teams from among the ACC, Big East, Big Eight, Southwest and Pacific 10 conferences. The SEC and Big Ten remain committed to the Citrus Bowl with their No. 2 teams.
Should this deal be accepted - it is on the table - the Fiesta would get its choice of the second-place entries unless it winds up with the title game.
Because of the need for regional teams, most years the Fiesta would be expected to pick a Pac-10 school. For the same reasons, the Gator would opt for the ACC, as it did this time with North Carolina State.
The new entry in Tier Two is expected to be the fledgling Alamo Bowl, starting this year in San Antonio. It would replace the Blockbuster in the rotation. Its host team would be the most attractive of the three remaining conference runners-up.
The last two then would go to the Hancock, which should come to its senses and realize it cannot do any better on its own.
None of this is official yet. But, after seeing the coalition in operation last season, it is a far better situation than the open market that existed previously. There, the wheeling and dealing made a mockery of the system, and deserving schools were bypassed in favor of others that would bring more people.
To a degree, that always will be the case. The ACC found out, with 7-4 Virginia, that none of the smaller western bowls were interested. They will not be interested in the future, either.
This is a stopgap measure. It is hoped that logic (and big bucks) eventually will prevail and the playoff the public wants will take place in the next few years.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB