Bowl exec. says Terp chances of Emerald invite 'nine' out of 10

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.

Though Terp fans have a reputation for traveling well to bowl games, Cavalli said attendance isn't as much of a concern for the ACC representatives in the bowl. Cavalli said the bowl only expects about 5,000 fans from the ACC school.

Even so, Brian Ullmann, the Terps' senior associate athletics director of external operations, said the Terps will have their fair share of fans present.

"I think we'll be well represented with fannies in the seats," said Ullmann, who said about 4,000 alumni live in the San Francisco area. "It's cross-country, but we have a pretty good reputation as a good traveling team."

Ullmann also said the Terps brought about 22,000 fans to the Orange Bowl in 2001 and about 16,000 to the Peach Bowl in 2002. Last year, the Terps helped break the Champs Sports Bowl attendance record, bringing about 10,000 fans to the game, according to Ullmann.

While the Terps seem to have the pole position for the Emerald Bowl invitation, the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. - the bowl with the sixth choice among ACC schools - still remains a possible destination.

Though the Terps have two wins over top-10 teams and a strong reputation for traveling well, it appears unlikely they will be invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl. ESPN college football analysts Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach currently project Florida State and Wake Forest, respectively, to face Connecticut on Dec. 29 in Charlotte.

However, Will Webb, the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl, wouldn't dismiss the Terps as an option, especially if Virginia Tech loses to Boston College but still receives an invitation for a BCS bowl.

"If BC beats Virginia Tech and moves up, I think [the Terps'] chances are very good - they have good fan support, they're a good team," Webb said. "The main thing is getting a good football team that's going to bring a good football game and a good, strong fan base."

While a Boston College win could change where the ACC teams land, the Terps seem to be set to head out to the Emerald Bowl, and Cavalli said the situation couldn't be better for Terp fans looking for a winter vacation.

"I can't imagine a better place to go," Cavalli said. "We've got a great schedule this year, with a game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. It's tailor-made for fans to come out and spend a weekend in San Francisco."

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