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2011 Bowl Projections: Champs Sports Bowl Eyeing FSU Seminoles?

Official bowl invitations won't be released until this upcoming Sunday, but according to recent rumors, it's possible that the Champs Sports Bowl already has its eye on one potential team: the Florida State Seminoles. From Coley Harvey, Orlando Sentinel:

What we do know is that there have been some Internet reports that say FSU has already been asked to accept a bid to one bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. At this time, the reports are based on unnamed sources inside Florida Citrus Sports, the group that puts on the Champs Sports Bowl and Capital One Bowl. Also at this time, the bowl is publicly denying that any invitations have been extended and votes officially cast by the committee with respect to which teams it would like to bring in.

As Harvey notes, these rumors are quite sketchy at the moment and they have already been denied by the group running the Bowl. I wouldn't put much stock in them, as even if they have a basis in truth, this isn't exactly radical news. The Champ Sports Bowl would ideally love to get the highest profile team possible, while the Seminoles have a large following, but have fallen down in the AP rankings this year due to injuries. They're also a local team -- Orlando is closer than any other bowl the Seminoles will get offers from -- so the Seminoles would certainly draw well.

But this idea hinges on one thing: #20 Clemson beating #5 Virginia Tech this weekend. If Clemson wins, then they would go to the Orange Bowl and Virginia Tech would play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. If Clemson loses, though, then the Chik-fil-A Bowl is likely going to look for another team besides Clemson, opening the door for the Seminoles.

Yes, it's all a tad confusing; these bowl scenarios are never simple or clear. For more details on how this scenario would play out, though, see Daniel Russel's column on the possible Florida bowl scenarios.

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