Collegiate Times

This weekend the Tech football team will be traveling to the Orange Bowl in Miami to face-off against the Miami Hurricanes. And although the chances of the Hokies going to the Orange or another BCS-caliber bowl dissipated several weeks ago, Tech will be going to a bowl of some sort.

The big question is which city, and more specifically which bowl, will invite and host Tech this holiday season?

I?m going to toss out the possibilities of where the Hokies may end up, because just like everyone else, I honestly have no idea.

However, what I can assure you is Tech will not be traveling to Phoenix to play in the Insight Bowl. The Pittsburgh Panthers were invited and have accepted a bid to play there as No. 3 in the Big East.

Now let?s get down to where the Hokies do have a chance of playing. The biggest rumor, which floated into the minds of fans during this past Thanksgiving , is that Tech will travel to Charlotte to play in the prestigious Continental Tire Bowl.

This could very well have some validity since the bowl is supposed to invite the No. 4 or No. 5 ranked team in the Big East. As of now, Tech is behind Miami, Pittsburgh and West Virginia (having lost to the latter two) in the pecking order of the Big East.

But why travel to nearby Charlotte when the Hokies could visit the West Coast, playing in the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl? That game should be a great temptation for the Hokies, as their opponent
in that bowl would be the Air Force Falcons, a team that lives and dies solely on the option play. Tech would make short work of such a one-dimensional offense and take home whatever extra revenue the bowl winner gets.

Or how about another bowl a little south of San Francisco, the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose?

Right now, it is being slated as Fresno State taking on the sixth-ranked team in the Pac-10 conference, but if Washington State wins this Saturday, there won?t be six teams in the Pac-10 eligible to play in a bowl. ESPN?s website has projected if the Cougars should win Saturday afternoon, this bid may be given to the Hokies as an at-large selection.

Just like the Pac-10, there are not enough bowl-eligible teams in the ACC to fulfill their usual bowl selection arrangements.

Would anyone fancy a trip to Seattle to play in the Seattle Bowl? It could happen, since this spot is slated to go to the fifth or sixth seed in the ACC, but there are only four bowl eligible teams in that conference.

Tech could steal an at-large bid from there as well. The Hokies could end up facing the fear-inspiring Lobos from the University of New Mexico.

While it would probably be a bit of a snoozer, doesn?t Tech have the reputation of not playing quality opponents as it is?

The point I?m making here is the blessed BCS and bowl system needs major help and is being run by too much behind-the-scene, back-room politics. Nobody really has any solid clue as to where anyone outside the top 10 will end up.

One thing is for certain: we won?t end up in the Toilet Bowl ? I think that?s reserved for Tulsa and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.