THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 14, 1995 TAG: 9511140223
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
If given the choice between Virginia Tech and Virginia, the Gator Bowl has decided it will select the Hokies, sources said Monday.
The teams meet in the regular-season finale Saturday at Charlottesville, but neither the outcome nor the polls likely will affect the Gator Bowl's choice, the sources said.
There is one caveat, however. A Virginia win coupled with a Clemson loss to South Carolina on Saturday could force the Gator Bowl to take 9-3 Virginia instead of 7-4 Clemson as its ACC representative.
After the Big East and ACC conference champions go to the Bowl Alliance (Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls), the Jan. 1 Gator picks a second team from each conference.
Virginia Tech and Virginia have clinched at least a share of their conference titles. Florida State only needs to beat Maryland Saturday to tie for the ACC title; Miami or Syracuse can tie for the Big East title by winning their final two games.
If there are ties, speculation has it that the Alliance bowls - who have their choice of co-champions - will take Florida State ahead of Virginia (8-3, No. 13 in the Associated Press poll) and Miami or Syracuse ahead of the Hokies (8-2, No. 20).
Gator Bowl officials already have said they do not want a Virginia-Virginia Tech rematch. That would leave them with a choice between the two, a choice that has essentially already been made.
The Gator wants to pit the Hokies against Clemson (7-3), which has locked up third place in the ACC. Virginia Tech and Clemson traditionally bring large numbers of fans to bowl games; Virginia does not.
The Cavaliers would then drop down to the Peach Bowl, where they would meet a third team from the Southeastern Conference, possibly Arkansas. That is, unless the Peach Bowl opts for hometown Georgia Tech - which is 6-4 but needs to beat Georgia Nov. 23 to reach six wins against I-A foes. Virginia could slip to the Carquest, which takes a fourth team from the ACC or a fifth team from the SEC against the Big East's No. 3.
Gator Bowl executive director Rick Catlett would not confirm that the bowl has decided which way it will go if it has to choose between the two Virginia schools. He said Virginia would offer a bigger name and is more attractive for TV, but that the Hokies could sell more tickets.
``Virginia Tech brought 20,000 fans to the Gator Bowl last year and we had to go to Gainesville,'' Catlett said. ``This year we're at home (in Jacksonville) and have a brand new stadium. I would expect them to bring the same, if not more.''
Tech athletic director Dave Braine would not confirm that the Gator Bowl has told him it will take the Hokies if the Alliance members pass on Tech.
``The conversations I've had with them are privileged,'' Braine said. ``I'm not going to say that. I don't think it would be fair to Virginia or Virginia Tech or the Gator Bowl or anyone else.''
Virginia athletic director Terry Holland could not be reached for comment. ILLUSTRATION: Site: Jacksonville, Fla.
When: Jan. 1, 1996 at 1 p.m.
TV: WAVY
by CNB