Will Webb doesn't speak in absolutes, but the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl offered a strong indication that he will invite Rutgers should it beat West Virginia this Saturday.
"I think they're very high on the radar,"
Webb said Sunday. "I think it was a good win over Louisville. I think with West Virginia's win over Pitt, we're still going to look very, very hard at the loser of the Pitt-Cincinnati game, but Rutgers has to figure in that equation very strongly if they beat West Virginia."
"Rutgers has a got a great program. We're excited about the potential. We do want to give the loser of the Cincinnati-Pitt game a fair shake and we'll look at them. My guess is we're down to Rutgers and the loser of that game."
Should No. 5 Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh in the de facto Big East championship game Saturday, all indications point to the Gator Bowl selecting West Virginia, perhaps pitting the Mountaineers against Florida State in what could be Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden's final game. Bowden, college football's second-winningest coach all-time, coached at West Virginia for six seasons prior to arriving at Florida State in 1976.
Other Atlantic Coast Conference options for the Gator include Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami and North Carolina. All four of those ACC teams are under consideration for the Meineke as well.
"My guess is they'll take West Virginia-Florida State and have the Bobby Bowden show,"
said Webb, whose Charlotte, N.C.-based bowl has the second pick among Big East teams after the Gator.
If Pitt upsets Cincinnati, Webb said he could see the Gator taking an 11-1 Bearcats team.
"Cincinnati-Virginia Tech would be a heck of a game,"
said Webb, who conceded he would love a West Virginia-Florida State matchup for his own bowl game.
Assuming Cincinnati beats Pitt, Webb said he expects his options would be between Rutgers and Pitt.
"Pitt deserves a good look,"
he said. "They're a good team. They've increased their season-ticket base dramatically. They have a lot going for them, which is all good."
