Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410270058
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Tech and UVa have been ranked by the writers in the same week only twice, both late last season, and No. 21 was the high when the 'Hoos and Hokies were in the poll together.
When they met last November, UVa was 23rd and Tech 25th. The Hokies won on the road, but the game had virtually no bearing on the bowl picture. A year later, it could be very different.
On Nov. 19 at soldout Lane Stadium - expanded with temporary bleachers to bring capacity to 53,000 - the state rivals may be playing for a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, or, much more likely, the Gator Bowl.
There's a month of regular-season games to be played, starting with 13th-ranked Tech's visit to No. 6 Miami on Saturday. The Hokies are 14-point underdogs, but even a loss shouldn't drop Tech from the poll or out of the bowl coalition race. That's because in the Big East, Syracuse still must play Miami and Boston College and BC also has to play the Hurricanes.
Miami figures to get the Big East's No. 1 spot in the coalition. The second Big East berth appears to be a Tech-Syracuse struggle, and the coalition rules state the bowl's option isn't a second-place team, but a second conference team of a particular bowl's choice.
The Hokies' loss at Syracuse earlier this month probably won't hurt Tech (7-1) as much as Rutgers' tying of BC last Saturday will help Frank Beamer's team. If the Hokies can stick with Syracuse in the polls, even with one more league loss, they would be the preference of certain bowls - like the Gator - because they're looked upon favorably for their ticket-selling potential.
Tech fans were thrilled when BC beat Notre Dame because it was a good win for the Big East. That was fuzzy logic. That score could damage Tech's bowl prospects, despite a 12-7 win over the Eagles. That's because BC has a huge TV market and two straight wins over the Fighting Irish, two items attractive to bowls.
The 18th-ranked Cavaliers (6-1) could finish second in the ACC and be the league's highest-ranked team behind Florida State no matter what happens in the UVa-Tech game. The ranking difference between the two state schools could be crucial, because the Fiesta Bowl has consistently picked the two highest-ranked teams available in the coalition's second tier.
The first-tier pairings are far from locks, and with Penn State perhaps unbeaten and bound for the Rose Bowl, the national title picture stretches from coast to coast. The Orange, Sugar and Cotton matchups hinge mostly on the future performance of Notre Dame and the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The Orange projection has the Colorado-Nebraska winner against Miami. The Sugar has the SEC champ - Florida or Alabama, with Auburn ineligible - against any of three teams. If Alabama wins the SEC, Florida State seems Sugar-bound. If the Gators go, there will be no rematch of the Nov. 26 Florida-FSU game in the Sugar.
That could put Notre Dame into the Sugar - bringing bigger TV ratings to the game in the same time slot as the Orange - unless the Irish finish only 6-5. Then, ND is likely to turn down a tier one bid, or any berth. Notre Dame also is likely to pass on a third straight trip to the Cotton Bowl to meet the Southwest Conference champion (Texas, Rice or Baylor - Texas A&M is ineligible). FSU could go to the Cotton if Notre Dame takes the Sugar.
Bowl sources say the Sugar, with Florida hosting, might opt for the Colorado-Nebraska loser if Notre Dame passes. That would open a berth in the Fiesta for Notre Dame. Then, the other Fiesta spot, a Gator berth and two spots in the Sun Bowl - John Hancock has pulled its sponsorship - would be passed out to second teams from the ACC, Big East, Pacific-10 and SWC.
If Arizona doesn't win the Pac-10 and go Rose, the Wildcats could return to their home-state Fiesta, which had officials on hand to see UVa crunch North Carolina last weekend. The Gator is said to like the Hokies, if they finish no worse than 9-2, against a third SEC team.
The Sun will have a Southwest team, and the other second-tier team that's left. It could be the Tech-UVa loser in El Paso, although, if the Sun had to choose from comparable records among Tech, Syracuse and BC, the Northeast duo would have an edge due to TV ratings potential.
That wouldn't be bad for Tech, which then could take the Big East's third berth, in the Carquest in suburban Miami. If it has a choice among the Hokies, BC and Syracuse, the Carquest will take Tech. The Sun's $1.1 million payoff is only $100,000 more than the Carquest check, and more Tech fans would go to Miami than El Paso.
Virginia has the Peach and Hall of Fame bowls (ACC No. 3 and 4 teams) available if the Cavaliers fall from the coalition. Both the Big East and ACC are discussing a possible extra berth (for a Big East No. 4 and ACC No. 5) with the Liberty, Aloha and Independence bowls, but so is the Big Ten.
So, what are the likely bowl berths for Tech and UVa? The Hokies appear to be headed toward the Gator or Carquest. The Cavaliers figure to go Gator or Peach. The Sun is possible for each, if not as desirable. The Fiesta is a stretch for a 9-2 team outside the top 15 - depending on the luck of the Fighting Irish - but 10-1 could buy a Tempe ticket.
by CNB