Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511300054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Miami, which shared the Big East Football Conference championship with Tech, remains the one obstacle between the Hokies and their first major bowl berth.
The Hurricanes will wait until Friday in hopes of first getting official word from the NCAA Committee on Infractions on any possible bowl sanctions that might be included in their impending penalties. If Miami doesn't hear from the NCAA by Friday, sources indicated the Hurricanes are leaning toward pulling the trigger and self-imposing a bowl ban.
Paul Dee, Miami's athletic director, refused to speculate Wednesday on whether the 'Canes might bow out of the bowl picture if they do not hear from the NCAA by Friday.
``How do you evaluate the situation when you really don't know exactly what's going to happen [with the NCAA]?'' Dee asked. ``We're still hoping we'll get an official decision from the NCAA this week.''
A source said Miami officials first want to know if the impending NCAA penalties will include bowl sanctions. The Hurricanes then must determine if a self-imposed bowl ban this season would be accepted by the Committee on Infractions as sufficient punishment for the violations.
While Dee said Miami hasn't received any official assurances from the NCAA, a source said the school has been unofficially told a self-imposed bowl ban for this season would cover any potential postseason sanctions handed down by the Committee on Infractions.
If 22nd-ranked Miami (8-3) pulls out of the bowl picture, No.13 Tech (9-2) becomes the Alliance's pick from the Big East. The Hokies then would be guaranteed a spot in either the Sugar (most likely) or Orange bowls.
If Miami doesn't pull out, Tech's Alliance hopes become slimmer. The Orange Bowl, especially, has let it be known it would covet a matchup between hometown Miami and Notre Dame in its Jan.1 game.
Hokies coach Frank Beamer, whose team beat Miami 13-7 on Sept.23, declined to comment on the sanctions issue.
``It's between Miami and the NCAA,'' Beamer told The Associated Press. ``What they decide is their business. My position is, regardless of what they do, Tech is a very deserving football team.''
If Tech doesn't get the Alliance bid, it will end up in the Gator Bowl on Jan.1 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Clemson (8-3). A Gator berth for Tech would be its second in as many years, but would be worth $1.5 million less than the payoff for an Alliance bid.
Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director, said Wednesday he was well aware of the ongoing situation at Miami. Needless to say, he was an anxious man.
``I've been on the phone for six days, and this thing has been changing from one hour to the next,'' he said. ``Right now, anything I could say would merely be speculation. I will say I'm hopeful that things will work out for us.''
Miami's final decision on whether to withdraw from bowl consideration rests in the hands of school's president, Edward T. Foote II, a source said.
``The athletic department wants to do it,'' the source said. ``But Foote hasn't made up his mind yet.''
Time is growing short. The Bowl Alliance, made up of the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls, will officially announce its six participants at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Besides the Hokies and their following, perhaps the most anxious parties awaiting word from Miami are the Carquest Bowl officials. The Miami-based bowl is obligated to take the Big East's No.3 team, which at this point is Syracuse (8-3).
But if Miami pulls out, the Orangemen would be bumped up to Big East No.2 and would fill the conference's spot in the Gator Bowl.
A Big East source confirmed Wednesday the league is receiving intense pressure from Carquest officials to supply them with a definite entry to face North Carolina (6-5). But if Miami withdraws from postseason play, the Big East doesn't have another bowl-eligible team.
The Carquest desperately wants to complete its pairing and begin ticket sales for the Dec.30 game.
``The Carquest is tired of getting held hostage in this,'' a source said.
If no Big East team is available, the Carquest is expected to turn to the Southeastern Conference for a team. A likely candidate would be Arkansas (8-3), unless the Razorbacks upset heavily favored Florida in Saturday's SEC championship game.
The fallout from a Miami pullout also could determine Virginia's opponent for the Dec.30 Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
If Arkansas ends up filling the Big East's Carquest slot, Georgia (6-5) suddenly looms as the likely candidate to face UVa in the Peach.
An ACC source Wednesday confirmed Maryland (6-5) is out of the bowl picture.
by CNB