Pack not in ACC bowls

The NCAA guidelines state the bowls must choose a team with a winning record

RALEIGH -- N.C. State will be forced to seek an at-large bowl destination outside the ACC's nine bowl slots, ACC associate commissioner for football operations Michael Kelly said Monday evening.

The ACC has 10 bowl-eligible teams, and an NCAA guideline requires that the nine slots be filled first by teams with winning records. Kelly said the NCAA reaffirmed that guideline Monday.

N.C. State (6-6) is the only ACC bowl-eligible team without a winning record. Kelly said the Texas, PapaJohns.com, Independence, Motor City and Hawaii bowls might have open slots that could allow them to consider the Wolfpack.

"We're confident we can still find a home," Kelly said, "but obviously we have to kind of wait and see what plays out this weekend, see what other teams may be in that pool to select from."

The shortage of bowl-eligible teams in the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-10 conferences mean that there might be opportunities for at-large spots in other bowls. Those bowls must take 7-5 teams first, though.

It appears there will be between two and four open at-large spots for 6-6 teams. N.C. State and Notre Dame are the only 6-6 teams in the BCS without an automatic bowl slot.

Louisville (5-6, at Rutgers) and Arizona State (5-6 at Arizona) could get to 6-6 this week and occupy additional bowl slots.

N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien didn't appear frustrated with the ruling Monday night. He said the Wolfpack's situation reminded him of a time early in his coaching career when many bowls did not have automatic ties with conferences, and administrators had to work to find postseason destinations.

"We've overcome a lot this year," O'Brien said during his weekly radio show. "We'll go find a bowl and we'll go find a way to win it."

Will Webb, executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, had hoped to consider N.C. State and was informed of the NCAA's ruling Monday.

"It's disappointing for us because I think N.C. State would be a great team to have," Webb said. "Their fan base will be fired up. The rule is the rule, and we would have loved to have them, but it's not going to happen."

Wake Forest, North Carolina, Clemson, Maryland, Florida State and Miami are the possibilities from the ACC for the Meineke Bowl.

North Carolina (8-4) will play in an ACC-affiliated bowl, but it's still uncertain which one. Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan, who chooses first from the ACC after the Orange Bowl, said his bowl is likely to choose one of the teams with a 5-3 conference record -- Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State or Boston College.

The Gator, Champs Sports, Music City and Meineke bowls, in that order, select next from the ACC.

"They're an exciting team that's gotten better since Coach [Butch] Davis took over," said Champs Sports Bowl communications director Greg Creese. "[Davis] alone is probably something of a draw here in Central Florida."

The ACC already has had discussions with at-large bowls regarding N.C. State. The PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., can only select an at-large team if Troy (7-4) defeats Arkansas State (6-5) on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference game.

Bowl executive director Mark Meadows said N.C. State will be in the running if the bowl can take an at-large team. Texas Bowl manager Heather Houston said her bowl selection committee also will consider N.C. State.

"N.C. State will be a team that a lot of us will want to look at, obviously," Houston said. "It's a great conference. They're a great team. So they're definitely a team that our committee will be focusing on."