UNC likely headed to Charlotte bowl

North Carolina’s football team appears to be the choice of the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.

“I think the chances are good that it’s going to happen,” said Will Webb, the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl. He added that an offer had not yet been formally made to the university.

UNC officials could not be reached for comment.

UNC (8-4) is likely to play No. 23 Pittsburgh or West Virginia in the Dec. 27 game at Bank of America Stadium.

The ACC has nine bowl tie-ins and the complete lineup won’t be finalized until after Saturday’s championship game between Virginia Tech and Boston College.

But some major pieces appeared to have fallen into place Tuesday, setting off a chain reaction.

Clemson, with newly-minted head coach Dabo Swinney, appears set to jump up the ACC bowl ladder and make a trip to the Gator Bowl, according to ACC and bowl sources, allowing Charlotte an opportunity to bring in UNC.

The Tar Heels’ last bowl trip was to Charlotte in 2004, a 37-24 loss to Boston College.

Butch Davis’ second team improved from 4-8 to 8-4 and was in the Coastal Division title mix deep into November.

A late loss to N.C. State appears to have cost the Heels a bigger bowl prize.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, which chooses first after the ACC champion is decided for the Orange Bowl, is set to select No. 15 Georgia Tech (9-3), the highest-ranked ACC team. Tech would play on Dec. 31 against either Mississippi or LSU.

Clemson would be the big mover in heading to the Gator, which chooses next. The Tigers didn’t reach bowl eligibility until the final Saturday of the regular season. They beat South Carolina 31-14, which secured the job for Swinney and improved the Tigers’ record to 7-5 overall.

At 4-4 in the league, they are eligible for any conference bowl tie-in except the Orange Bowl, which goes to the league champion.

The Champs Bowl in Orlando, Fla., chooses after the Gator Bowl and appeared ready to select Florida State (8-4), according to ACC and bowl sources.

Under the ACC bowl agreement, the championship game loser cannot fall past the Music City Bowl in Nashville, meaning either Virginia Tech or Boston College would likely head there. An exception allows for the championship loser to agree to be selected by another bowl — Charlotte among them — which could lead to some changes in the current scenario.

Still, the Charlotte bowl had targeted Clemson, UNC and N.C. State. On Monday, the league announced the NCAA would not allow the Wolfpack to fill one of its conference affiliated bowl tie-ins because, at 6-6, they can’t jump a 7-5 team.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl, originally known as the Continental Tire Bowl, has been a success story since its inception in 2002 in part because of its ability to attract regional teams.

The Tar Heels’ Big East opponent would be determined on Saturday but Pittsburgh, which is 8-3, is considered the favorite heading into its game against Connecticut on Saturday.

UNC has already played Big East eligible teams Rutgers and UConn this season, and Charlotte bowl officials want to avoid a rematch. That leaves Pitt or West Virginia. The Panthers beat WVU on Saturday. If Pitt loses on Saturday, the Mountaineers (7-4) could take the bid with a win over South Florida.

Miami, Wake Forest and Maryland are also eligible and will end up in the three other ACC bowl tie-ins: The Emerald Bowl in San Francisco; the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho; and the Congressional Bowl in Washington.