GT-Auburn in Charlottesville died when VT became Bowl Eligible.... Virginia Tech’s momentum appeals especially to the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland, and Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina....this is where the Alabama-Georgia result comes in. (For VT Placement)
If the top-ranked Bulldogs prevail, the Big Ten’s Ohio State would be the ACC’s probable Orange Bowl opponent, in which case the ACC inherits the Big Ten’s slot in the Tampa-based ReliaQuest Bowl. The ReliaQuest, in turn, would likely select Notre Dame, since the Fighting Irish enter the ACC’s bowl mix when they don’t qualify for a New Year’s Six game.
Notre Dame (9-3) in Tampa could well leave N.C. State (9-3), Clemson (8-4) and UNC to fill the ACC’s contracted spots in the TaxSlayer (Jacksonville, Florida), Pop-Tarts (Orlando) and Holiday (San Diego), with Duke or Miami in the Sun (El Paso). In that scenario, the Duke’s Mayo would pounce on Virginia Tech, which bowled in Charlotte in 2016 and ’19 and, just this month, brought thousands of fans to the city for a women’s basketball game against Iowa. The ACC’s opponent in Charlotte will be from the SEC.
But if Alabama upsets Georgia, either the Crimson Tide or Bulldogs would likely go to the Orange, and the ACC would not take the Big Ten’s place in Tampa. Clemson/UNC/NC State could then fall to the Duke’s Mayo, and despite their disappointing season, the Tigers’ four-game winning streak and television appeal would be irresistible. Either way Georgia Tech does not get an invite to Charlotte.
