Gator Bowl and ACC part ways

By night1  |   Thursday, October 29, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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FOr years, or at least as long as I've been watching college football, there was a partnership during the bowl season between the ACC and the Gator Bowl. Now the Gator Bowl has match-up between the #2 Big East v #2 ACC unless Notre Dame has at least 9 or 10 wins, and the Gator Bowl would put them in over the #2 Big East team. Recently it was changed to #3 ACC v #3 Big 12 teams which resulted in a matchup between Clemson v Nebraska. Problem is that there's a little loophole that Gator Bowl has used to where they didn't have to get a team that finish third overall in the ACC, but a team that's in a 1 loss range in the conference. That's how the 7-5 Clemson Tigers got the invite to the Gator Bowl, and how Wake Forest despite defeating Clemson, got shafted to the Eagle Bowl in Washington DC taking on Navy.
Now the defense that the Gator Bowl rep said was, it's about economy, that there were plenty of Clemson Tigers alumni living in Florida that would be happy to travel to Jacksonville, so that's why they chose Clemson over Wake Forest. To me that's a screw job, I've said it before on talk radio when I call in that Clemson didn't deserve to be in Jacksonville unless they had finish at 8-4 or 9-3, not 7-5.
This wasn't the first time the Gator Bowl rep had grip about this, two years ago when Wake Forest beat Ga Tech 9-6 in the ACC Title game, the Gator Bowl rep didn't want Ga. Tech to come back to Jacksonville because the stadium wasn't even half full in the ACC Title game. They claim that in the end they were force to take Ga Tech because they did finish runner up, winning the Coastal division, and earned a spot in the Gator Bowl. The next year, they changed the agreement where they would take the #3 ACC team instead of the runner-up in the ACC title game.
Now after this year's Gator Bowl game between #3 ACC and #3 Big 12, the Gator Bowl will sever ties with the ACC which leaves to wonder where would the #3 ACC team go in 2010? I don't know, it was simple in the NCAA Football game where you have the bowl prejections, and they stuck to it. Now who knows, all I know is the ACC champion at least goes to the Orange Bowl, If not the BCS Title game.
I'm sure the Clemson Tigers will miss playing in Jacksonville in the Gator Bowl, and have the fans come and watch them, well at least you can still go to Jacksonville on vacation, If not play for the Jaguars.
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