Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 15, 1994 TAG: 9411150092
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Millions may be riding on the 76th Virginia-Virginia Tech game. The difference between winning and losing at Lane Stadium might be a couple of points and at least $1.5 million bucks. You might want to swallow your Grape Nuts before digesting what's next.
The winner of Saturday's game could end up in the Sugar, Cotton or Fiesta Bowl. Seriously. Tech or UVa at 9-2 and in the first tier of the coalition seems a stretch, except that Southern Cal beating Notre Dame on Nov.26 does not.
Besides, if the Fiesta wasn't serious, would it have dialed up Tech athletic director Dave Braine on Monday then requested pressbox seats for two UVa-Tech scouts? The Gator Bowl might like the winner of this game, but it might have to settle for the loser. ``That's possible,'' said Gator executive director Rick Catlett.
That's incredible, too, but the No.14 Hokies and No.16 Cavaliers are the second-ranked teams in their respective conferences, the Big East and the ACC.
This much is certain for Tech and UVa: Win or lose, the Hokies (8-2) will play in a bowl. The Carquest is a nice, $1 million safety net. Virginia (7-2) surely will go to a $1 million bowl if it splits its final two games with Tech and North Carolina State. The Cavaliers could even go bowling if they lose both, but need to do more than keep their fingers crossed..
Neither is certain to know its bowl destination at least until the night of Nov.26. That's because the Notre Dame-Southern Cal game in prime time will unfreeze a bunch of bowls. Of course, if the Fighting Irish (5-4) lose Saturday to Air Force, some reservations could be made as soon as Sunday.
One thing hasn't changed. In the second tier of the coalition, it isn't second-place teams in conferences that are the darlings. It is a second team from a league, at each bowl's discretion, and usually that's determined by rankings, potential TV ratings and projected ticket sales.
So, how can Tech or UVa get to the Fiesta, Sugar or Cotton? Win, and jeer, jeer for old Notre Dame. Somebody has to lose, and that somebody is Notre Dame. If the Fighting Irish go 6-5, the word from South Bend is that Notre Dame will be staying home for the holidays. That creates a vacancy in the top tier of the coalition.
Nebraska will play Miami in the Orange Bowl. If Notre Dame is 7-4, it will go to the Sugar if Florida wins the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec.3 and Sugar host role. If Alabama wins the SEC, the Sugar has 'Bama-Florida State. Notre Dame won't play in the Cotton because it has been to Dallas two straight years.
FSU could go to the Cotton against the weak Southwest Conference champ, but the Seminoles would rather play Colorado in the Fiesta. The Fiesta gets to pick one of its teams before anyone else in the coalition, and it wants the Buffaloes.
If Notre Dame goes 7-4, it will have beaten Southern Cal, and at 8-3 the Trojans won't be as attractive, or highly ranked, as the UVa-Tech winner, which should be close to or in the top 10. However, USC does bring the Los Angeles TV market, although the Fiesta is said to be yawning about the Trojans.
If the Irish aren't 7-4, someone has to play somewhere, and that someone is likely to be the second choice from the ACC or Big East. Southern Cal could go Sugar, Cotton or Fiesta at 9-2. FSU gets one of those slots. The other would be available, and under coalition rules, any third pick from a league - like Kansas State, likely to finish 9-2 - cannot be picked until the end of the line.
That would be in a Sun Bowl against the SWC second team. That translates to one team in the first tier and one in the second (Gator) from the ACC/Big East second-team duo. The Gator pays $1.5 million per team. The Fiesta and Cotton pay $3 million, the Sugar in excess of $4 million.
Who's most interested in Tech and UVa? Besides the Fiesta and Gator and likely the Sugar, the Peach (Virginia) and Carquest (Tech) will have scouts at Saturday's game. However, if Boston College (6-2-1) beats West Virginia on Saturday, the large-market Eagles probably will be a Big East favorite over Tech for the Fiesta unless BC is torched by Miami next weekend.
Tech is the Big East front-runner with the Gator, to play Mississippi State or Tennessee. UVa, by virtue of its ranking above other ACC second-team contenders, controls its own destiny to an extent. However, if the Cavaliers beat the Hokies, North Carolina beats Duke and FSU downs N.C. State this weekend and then the Wolfpack wins at Scott Stadium on Nov.25, the ACC has four 8-3 teams going for three locked-in bids (Coalition 2, Peach and Hall of Fame) behind Florida State.
Who's where then on the totem bowl? The Hall of Fame loves Duke but doesn't want N.C. State, which played in Tampa last year. The Gator doesn't want UNC for a second straight year and would prefer UVa or State among ACC teams. The ACC also is likely to have a fifth bid to the Liberty or Independence.
And if you're not in a bowl of confusion by now, you're in the minority.
by CNB