ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 5, 1997 TAG: 9701060105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: JACK BOGACZYK
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
That warm breeze we've been feeling has been from the south. It's the Bowl Alliance, heaving a huge sigh of relief that Ohio State's Rose Bowl victory over Arizona State made the Sugar Bowl a sweet opportunity for Florida to win its first national championship.
The Gators are deserving kings. They not only beat their lone conqueror in Florida State, but also defeated the most prominently ranked team of the '90s. Another reason Florida belongs No.1? The NCAA computer said that even before the bowls and Southeastern Conference title game, the Gators played the toughest schedule in Division I-A.
A postscript on the bowls is that the sport really needs a playoff to settle seasons such as this one, with multiple one-loss teams. The ``Super Alliance,'' to go into effect after the 1998 season, still is filled with too many chances for teams to not get what they deserve. See Brigham Young, 1996.
Short of a playoff, it needs fewer bowls. That's no more likely to occur than a postseason tournament. There is too much money for too many schools and conferences to make. We even may see a new bowl or two next season.
The Haka Bowl, in New Zealand, may try again after a stutter step this season. Virginia Tech athletic director Dave Braine, chairman of the NCAA Special Events Committee, which sanctions bowls, said the paperwork appears in order for the Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Mich. That could pair the Mid-American Conference champion against Big Ten No.6, whichever 6-5 team that might be.
Wow!
There is one part of the bowl structure that needs remodeling, and it would affect more teams than any change to the alliance. It would be of particular aid to two conferences that occupy thoughts in this region, the ACC and Big East. It certainly could impact Virginia Tech and Virginia, as perennial bowl players.
In his Carquest Bowl post-mortem, UVa coach George Welsh said he wanted to get out of a scheduled series with Boston College in 1999 and 2000 - not because his former offensive coordinator, Tom O'Brien, was named the Eagles' head coach, however. It's because the ACC and Big East are linked in two bowl pairings, the Gator and Carquest.
``With two tie-ins, every regular-season game lessens the chance to play in a bowl,'' Welsh said. ``You could be 8-3 and somebody else could be 7-4 or 6-5, and they could go ahead of you if you played the [potential bowl opponent] during the regular season.''
Tech coach Frank Beamer said after the Orange Bowl that the Big East and ACC ``make great out-of-conference games. Having the bowl matchups doesn't help the situation.''
Next season, there are six ACC-Big East matchups, including Tech-UVa on Nov.29 at Scott Stadium. The possibility for change in the bowl ties below the alliance is being discussed, however, if only informally.
Rick Chryst, an ACC assistant commissioner, said it's not out of the question that multiple bowls might pool their plans and create an ordered selection process below the Super Alliance as soon as 1998. That way, a Big East No.3 might play in the Outback, an SEC No.3 could visit the Cotton or an ACC No.4 could go to the Sun. It would freshen matchups and introduce new teams - and money-dropping fans - to new locales.
``Some bowls don't like the setup we have now at all,'' Welsh said. ``A lot of schools don't like it. Below the alliance, we can only go to three bowls. The same for the Big East. It would be nice to see an ACC team go to the Sun Bowl again, or maybe the Alamo.''
He meant the bowl in San Antonio, not the historical fort. Welsh has a good point. Can any bowl be enthused about getting a conference's sixth-place team annually, as the current pairings, destined to expand, provide?
Among the top seven I-A conferences, the ACC and Big East rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in number of members. Each has only four bowl slots, and any regular-season meetings - which should be encouraged rather than discouraged - will only lessen the postseason possibilities.
It's time for a bowl shuffle.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB