Dec. 17, 2004

Complete Bowl Release in PDF Format
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For the fourth straight year, the ACC will have at least six teams take part in postseason play ... 25 ACC teams have earned bowl bids the last four years ... Virginia Tech captures 2004 ACC grid crown outright with 16-10 win over Miami ... Hokies head up a list of four ranked ACC teams ... ACC teams are 24-10 in non-conference play ... ACC sets two attendance records in 2004 - total attendance (3,693,032) and per game average (55,655) ... the ACC was 24-20 in home league games ... 20 of the 44 ACC games were decided by seven points or less, including four games decided in overtime ... the ACC is the winningest conference in the nation in terms of bowl success among conferences with 50 or more bowl appearances. ... nine players earn first team All-America honors while six garner second-team recognition ... Virginia TE Heath Miller, Florida State OT Alex Barron and Miami DB Antrel Rolle earn unanimous All-American status while Virginia G Elton Brown is a consensus All-American ... Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer named National Coach of the Year by SI.com.

15th Annual Champs Sports Bowl - Tuesday, December 21
Georgia Tech (6-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Syracuse (6-5, 4-2 Big East)
Florida Citrus Bowl (65,438); ESPN, 7:30 p.m. -- Gametracker
Georgia Tech will be making its eighth-straight bowl appearance and 33rd overall when they take on Big East foe Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl. The Yellow Jackets have won seven of their last 10 post-season games, including last year's 52- 10 win over Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl ... Tech is the nation's winningest bowl team with a .645 (21-11) winning percentage while Syracuse is 12-8-1 (.595) in 21 previous bowl appearances. Both teams finished the regular season at 6-5 ... Tech finished tied for sixth in the ACC with a 4-4 league mark while the Orange won a share of its fourth Big East championship winning four of six league contests. Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey is 44-28 in six seasons overall and 20-17 in three years with the Yellow Jackets ... Paul Pasqualoni is 107-58-1 in 14 seasons at Syracuse and 141-75-1 in 19 years overall. Georgia Tech's only previous game in Orlando was a 45-21 victory over Nebraska in the Florida Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 1991, capping an 11-0-1 season for the Jackets and the 1990 national championship The Yellow Jackets and Orange have met only one time previously, a 13-7 Georgia Tech win in the 2001 Kickoff Classic.

8th Annual MPC Computers Bowl - Monday, December 27
Fresno State (8-3, 5-3 WAC) vs. Virginia (8-3, 5-3 ACC)
Bronco Stadium (30,000); ESPN, 2:00 p.m. -- Gametracker
Virginia will be making its third-straight postseason appearance and 15th overall when the 18th-ranked Cavaliers take on the WAC's Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl. The Cavaliers have won two straight bowl games and are 6-8 all-time in post-season play, including a 23-16 win over Pittsburgh in last year's Continental Tire Bowl ... the Bulldogs are 10-8 all-time in bowl games, including last year's 17-9 win over UCLA in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. Al Groh is 30-20 in his fourth year at Virginia and 56-60 in 10 years overall ... Pat Hill is the school's second-winningest coach with a 63- 38 mark in eight years at Fresno State. Virginia is ranked 12th nationally in rushing offense (241.3) ... Fresno State averages 5.4 yards per carry and is 15th (228.0) nationally in rushing offense. The Cavaliers' tailback tandem of Alvin Pearman (985 yards, 9 TDs) and Wali Lundy (801 yards, 16 TDs) has combined for 1,786 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns in 2004 ... Fresno State's duo of Bryson Sumlin (1,008 yards, 12 TDs) and Wendell Mathis (869 yards, 12 TDs) has totaled 1,877 yards rushing and 24 TDs. Virginia led all ACC schools with five All-ACC first-team selections ... junior TE Heath Miller was the recipient of the 2004 John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end.

3rd Annual Continental Tire Bowl - Thursday, December 30
North Carolina (6-5, 5-3 ACC) vs. Boston College (8-3, 4-2 Big East)
Bank of America Stadium (73,367); ESPN2, 1:00 p.m. -- Gametracker
North Carolina will be making its 25th bowl appearance and the first since 2001 when the Tar Heels take on Boston College in the 3rd annual Continental Tire Bowl. The Tar Heels have won five straight bowl games, 10 of its last 14, and are 12-12 overall in post-season play ... UNC and Marshall are the only two schools in the country to win their last five bowl games ... Boston College is the only team in America to have won a bowl game in each of the past four seasons and will be playing in a school-record sixth straight bowl game ... the Eagles are 8-6 all-time in post-season play. Predicted to finish 10th in the 11-team ACC, North Carolina enters the game tied for third in the ACC and ranked 26th in the Sagarin computer poll ... Boston College marks the eighth ranked team that the Tar Heels have faced this season and the Sagarin Compter ranks UNC's schedule as the nation's second-toughest. North Carolina and Boston College are meeting for just the third time overall and the first time in a bowl game ... UNC registered a 56-14 win in 1981 ... in 1984, Boston College posted a 52-20 victory behind Doug Flutie's six TD passes. Boston College will be joining the ACC next season and will play the Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium in 2005 ... the Eagles will play in the Atlantic Division, while UNC will reside in the Coastal Division.

37th Annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Friday, December 31
Miami (8-3, 5-3 ACC) vs. Florida (7-4, 4-4 SEC)
Georgia Dome (72,157); ESPN, 7:30 p.m. -- Gametracker
14th-ranked Miami will be making its 31st bowl appearance overall and the 21st in the last 25 years when the Hurricanes play No. 20 Florida in the 37th annual Peach Bowl. The Hurricanes have won six of their last seven bowl games, including last year's 16-14 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl ... Miami is 17-13 all-time in post-season play ... the Gators enter the New Year's Eve contest with a 14-17 all-time record in bowls, including a 5-3 mark against the ACC. Miami will be making its second Peach Bowl appearance having defeated Virginia Tech 20- 10 in the 1981 Peach Bowl ... prior to that game, Miami had not appeared in a bowl game for 14 years. Over the last 15 years, the average margin of victory in the Peach Bowl has been 6.8 points per game ... the Peach Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the history of college football and has been a sellout in each of the past seven seasons and in 11 of the past 13 years. Larry Coker is 43-6 in his first four seasons at Miami ... Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will be the interim head coach for the Gators. The Gators and Hurricanes are meeting for the 53rd time with the Hurricanes owning a 27-25 series lead... 25 of the 52 previous meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.

60th Annual Toyota Gator Bowl - Saturday, January 1
Florida State (8-3, 6-2 ACC) vs. West Virginia (8-3, 4-2 Big East)
Alltel Stadium (76,976); NBC, 12:30 p.m. -- Gametracker
15th-ranked Florida State will be making its 23rd consecutive bowl appearance and 33rd overall, when the Seminoles take on 23rdranked West Virginia in the 60th annual Toyota Gator Bowl. The Seminoles have won 14 of their last 19 bowl games and are 18-11-2 all-time in postseason play ... the Mountaineers are 9-14 alltime in bowl games. Florida State is 3-0-1 in previous Gator Bowl games, including a 31-12 victory over West Virginia in 1982. Bobby Bowden is 277-70-4 in 29 seasons at Florida State and 350-102-4 in 39 years overall ... Bowden compiled a 42-26 mark in six years as the head coach at West Virginia (1970-75) ... Rich Rodriguez 28-20 in four years at West Virginia and 73-56-2 in 12 seasons overall. Over the last 17 years, Florida State has won the Sugar (4), Orange (3), Fiesta (2), Cotton (1), Blockbuster (1) and Gator (1) Bowls. The Seminoles had a league-high eight players named to the All-ACC 1st and 2nd teams ... senior Alex Barron is a two-time consensus All- American at offensive tackle ... LB Ernie Sims and DL Travis Johnson also earned first team All-America honors in 2004.

71st Annual Nokia Sugar Bowl - Monday, January 3
Virginia Tech (10-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. Auburn (12-0, 8-0 SEC)
Louisiana Superdome (75,000); ABC, 8:00 p.m. -- Gametracker
Virginia Tech will be making its 11th straight appearance in post-season play when the ninth-ranked Hokies take on third-ranked Auburn in the 71st annual Nokia Sugar Bowl. This will be Virginia Tech's 18th appearance in a bowl as the Hokies have appeared in 10 different bowl games ... overall Virginia Tech is 6-11 in post-season play, including a 1-1 mark in the Sugar Bowl ... Auburn is 16-12-2 all-time in bowl game play and 1-2-1 in previous Sugar Bowl games. Auburn is 2-1-1 against Virginia Tech ... last meeting was a 18-7 Tiger win at Blacksburg in 1978. Auburn enters the Sugar Bowl with a 14-game win streak while Virginia Tech has won eight in a row. Frank Beamer is 177-99-4 in 24 seasons overall and 135-76-2 in 18 years at Virginia Tech ... Tommy Tuberville is 75-44 in 10 years overall including a 47-24 mark in six years at Auburn. Virginia Tech is third nationally in scoring defense (12.6) and fourth in total defense (265.4) ... Auburn leads the country in scoring defense (11.2) and is fifth in total defense (269.5). Virginia Tech has won 10 games for the sixth time in the past 10 years ... eight freshmen have scored touchdowns for the Hokies this season.