THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160436
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
If the Gator Bowl snubs Virginia and picks Clemson as its ACC team, the Cavaliers won't be disappointed.
Coach George Welsh and most players say they don't care where they go if they are not selected for one of the Alliance bowls, the Orange or Sugar.
The Gator will pick an ACC team after the Alliance chooses. The Peach and Carquest bowls have the third and fourth picks of ACC teams.
``Once you get by the Alliance bowls,'' Welsh said, ``it doesn't matter that much.''
Welsh, though, said he is irked that most bowl selections are still being based on things other than team accomplishments.
Gator Bowl sources say that while Clemson does not have Virginia's credentials, it probably would sell twice as many tickets.
``It is just a shame you have to commit to selling so many tickets,'' Welsh said. ``But I understand it is a business.''
Not having a band also works against Virginia, as well as the university's record for not aggressively courting bowls.
``I used to lobby (bowls), but I found out the last couple of years that what I say or think doesn't mean a damn thing,'' Welsh said. ``I learned my lesson. I'm not doing it anymore.''
Meanwhile, Gator Bowl executive director Richard Catlett refuted a report that Notre Dame would be invited if it loses to Air Force Saturday and gets shut out of the Alliance bowls.
If the Alliance bypasses Notre Dame and selects two teams from the Big East or ACC, then the Irish could play in the Gator Bowl. But given the current rankings, there's virtually no chance that a second team from the Big East or ACC will be chosen by the Alliance.
FAMILY MATTERS: Twins Tiki and Ronde Barber disagree on whether their mom, Geraldine, a Virginia Tech grad, will be rooting for Virginia or Tech when the teams meet Saturday.
``She's half-hearted for Tech and whole-hearted for Virginia with Tiki and me here,'' defensive back Ronde said.
Tailback Tiki isn't convinced.
``She always wants us to do well,'' he said, ``but deep down inside she wants Tech to win. I know she does. It's her school.''
NO ADVANTAGE: Welsh insists that winning or losing the Virginia Tech game has no bearing on recruiting state prospects.
``We won five out of six games from 1987 to '92 and they still put together a pretty good football team,'' he said.
Welsh, though, has been surprised by the favorable reaction from prospects about Virginia's win over Florida State.
``Maybe that win did change how people view us and the ACC,'' said Welsh, who said he's had ``a big response'' from around the country.
MOVE IT: Welsh is still campaigning to move the Virginia Tech game to the middle of the season, and he thinks current television deals may work in his favor.
``With our (ACC) contract with ABC and theirs (Big East) with CBS, I think television could dictate something,'' Welsh said.
``If television doesn't want this game at the end of the year, it won't be at the end of the year.''
Welsh said he prefers to finish the regular season against an ACC opponent instead of Tech.
NEW GOAL: Now that Tiki Barber has set a school record for yards rushing in a season (1,339), he hopes to finish with 1,500 yards.
Barber needs 69 yards to have the second-most productive season in ACC history. The record is 1,720 yards by North Carolina's Don McCauley in 1970.
NEARS RECORD: Welsh, in his 14th year at Virginia, would tie Bill Dooley for the most victories by an ACC coach (98) with a win Saturday.
HEELS WILLING: If any bowls are desperate, North Carolina coach Mack Brown says his team (4-5) will accept any bid if it wins its last two games to qualify.
The Heels may be without tailback Leon Johnson (sprained ankle) on Saturday against Duke. Their final opponent is N.C. State on Nov. 24.
TOP ROOKIE: Clemson linebacker Anthony Simmons is the odds-on favorite to be named the ACC's top rookie, and coach Tommy West says he doesn't know if the Tigers ever have had a freshman to contribute as much.
Simmons, who leads the Tigers against rival South Carolina on Saturday, has 123 tackles this season.
The second best rookie may be Virginia defensive back Anthony Poindexter.
SLIM CHANCE: Virginia fans will be cheering for Maryland to beat Florida State on Saturday to give the Cavaliers sole possession of the league title, but no one should get their hopes too high.
Maryland coach Mark Duffner concedes a scoring brawl could erupt and the Terps haven't shown much offensive firepower the last five games. MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
by CNB