Spring Break
Bowl exec. says Terp chances of Emerald invite 'nine' out of 10
Jeff Amoros
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
Pending the result of the ACC Championship game between Virginia Tech and Boston College, the Terrapins will likely head to San Francisco to play a Pac-10 school, according to Gary Cavalli, the executive director of the Emerald Bowls.
With its 37-0 win over N.C. State in the final game of the regular season, the Terps became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. The Terps will find out where they are headed for a bowl game this weekend after the BCS Bowl field is announced.
"I'd say it's about a nine" on a scale of one to 10, Cavalli said yesterday when asked of the Terps' chances of getting invited to the Emerald Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 28. "We're looking for a national program that will travel well and create a good matchup for the national television audience."
The Emerald Bowl, which pays the ACC participant $750,000, has the seventh choice among the eight bowls that invite teams from the ACC. The conference does not allow bowls to select a team with two fewer conference wins than another team, meaning the Terps, 3-5 in the ACC, could be taken over only Florida State and Georgia Tech, both 4-4 in the ACC.
Of those two teams, it appears the Terps will compete with Georgia Tech as to which team ends up in the Emerald Bowl and which team plays in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
But Cavalli said Georgia Tech's dismissal of coach Chan Gailey on Monday might not bode well for the Yellow Jackets' hopes of avoiding the eighth-choice ACC bowl.
"It's a quality program; they're a great group," Cavalli said. "But one of the things that factors in is the coaching situation. Anytime there is a coaching change, it affects the bowls."
If the Terps do get an invite to the Emerald Bowl, they will face one of five Pac-10 teams, as the conference finishes its regular season tomorrow. While the California Golden Bears appear most likely to be headed to San Francisco because of the school's proximity to the city, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona and UCLA are all still in the mix for the game.
With its 37-0 win over N.C. State in the final game of the regular season, the Terps became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. The Terps will find out where they are headed for a bowl game this weekend after the BCS Bowl field is announced.
"I'd say it's about a nine" on a scale of one to 10, Cavalli said yesterday when asked of the Terps' chances of getting invited to the Emerald Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 28. "We're looking for a national program that will travel well and create a good matchup for the national television audience."
The Emerald Bowl, which pays the ACC participant $750,000, has the seventh choice among the eight bowls that invite teams from the ACC. The conference does not allow bowls to select a team with two fewer conference wins than another team, meaning the Terps, 3-5 in the ACC, could be taken over only Florida State and Georgia Tech, both 4-4 in the ACC.
Of those two teams, it appears the Terps will compete with Georgia Tech as to which team ends up in the Emerald Bowl and which team plays in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
But Cavalli said Georgia Tech's dismissal of coach Chan Gailey on Monday might not bode well for the Yellow Jackets' hopes of avoiding the eighth-choice ACC bowl.
"It's a quality program; they're a great group," Cavalli said. "But one of the things that factors in is the coaching situation. Anytime there is a coaching change, it affects the bowls."
If the Terps do get an invite to the Emerald Bowl, they will face one of five Pac-10 teams, as the conference finishes its regular season tomorrow. While the California Golden Bears appear most likely to be headed to San Francisco because of the school's proximity to the city, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona and UCLA are all still in the mix for the game.
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