UNC, Florida State top Meineke bowl list

A return visit by North Carolina or hosting Bobby Bowden’s likely last game as the Florida State coach are the most likely scenarios for the ACC side of the Meineke Car Care Bowl, executive director Will Webb said today.

Bowl pairings won’t become official until Sunday but Webb said he’s optimistic the Dec. 27 game at Bank of America Stadium will have either the Tar Heels or the Seminoles as the ACC representative in the game.

“We feel very good regardless of who we have,” Webb said.

The Big East representative will likely come from among Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, West Virginia or Rutgers.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will meet Saturday to determine the Big East championship while West Virginia faces Rutgers.

After the Clemson-Georgia Tech ACC championship game Saturday night in Tampa, the bowl scenario should become clearer. The winner will be the ACC representative in the Orange Bowl.

Webb said he anticipates Virginia Tech playing in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta and Miami playing in the Gator Bowl. Under ACC bowl rules, Miami’s 9-3 record would not allow the Hurricanes to slip farther down the bowl list.

The loser of the ACC championship game, Webb said, could wind up in the Music City Bowl in Nashville while the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando may pick Florida State. That would allow the Meineke Car Care Bowl to pick the Tar Heels for a second straight year.

“Everybody would love to have North Carolina,” Webb said.

It’s all conjecture at this point, however.

“If the Chick-Fil-A Bowl decides to take the ACC championship loser, it throws all of this into disarray,” Webb said.

The Orange, Gator, Chick-Fil-A and Champs bowls have the first four choices among ACC teams. The Music City, Meineke and Emerald Bowls then work with league officials to fit teams into bowl slots. If no agreement can be reached, the Music City Bowl will have the first choice among the three this year with the Charlotte bowl getting first choice next year.

If Cincinnati, ranked fifth nationally, were to lose to Pittsburgh on Saturday, it’s possible the Bearcats could wind up in Charlotte. If both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are unavailable, West Virginia or Rutgers become the most likely Big East representatives.

“We feel very good regardless of who we have,” Webb said.
-- Ron Green Jr.