Tuesday, August 24, 1999
ACC gets
Christmas Day
invitation
Bowl Games of Hawaii will
By Paul Arnett
take the fifth-place team in
the conference for its college
football doubleheader
Star-BulletinBowl Games of Hawaii securing the fifth selection of the Atlantic Coast Conference doesn't mean June Jones can't spend Christmas Day at Aloha Stadium. Quite the contrary.
"That's one of the reasons we kept open our other spot in the Jeep Aloha/Oahu Christmas Football Classic," Bowl Games of Hawaii chief executive officer Lenny Klompus said yesterday.
"If Hawaii wins seven games this year, they're in. Period. The Hawaii connection also ties us to the Western Athletic Conference. We are also looking at the Big East as another possibility. We like the East-West matchup."
The two Christmas Day games will feature the fourth and fifth selections from the Pac-10, and now the fifth team from the ACC. Commissioner John Swofford made the announcement yesterday.
"We're pleased to have five guaranteed spots in this year's bowl schedule," Swafford said. "And Honolulu certainly is an attractive place for one of our teams to compete. Matching up with the Pac-10 Conference is a real plus."
The ACC has participated in three previous Aloha Bowls. Maryland lost to Washington in the first game, North Carolina was knocked off by Arizona four years later and Georgia Tech edged Stanford, 18-17, in an exciting 1991 matchup.
"In visiting with our schools, we found that the ACC teams who participated in past Aloha Bowls had a wonderful experience," Swofford said.
Jones was glad to hear Hawaii would still be in the formula, but conceded the only thing on his mind these days is USC.
"I can't even be thinking about winning seven games," Jones said.
Hawaii has been to only one Aloha Bowl, but was invited to play in two. In 1992, the Rainbows, as WAC champs, opted to face Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.
"We would love to have Hawaii," Klompus said. "We're also pleased to have the ACC because it means they have time to charter a plane. The Pac-10 already has charters in place and those help with attendance."
