Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Meineke Bowl officials got the matchup they wanted. North Carolina has accepted a bid to play in the Dec. 27 game against West Virginia.
The matchup of 8-4 teams within driving distance of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium could produce a sellout crowd and a festive atmosphere.
The Tar Heels were the Meineke Bowl’s pick all along, but officials had to wait until bowls ahead of them chose ACC teams. When the Champs Sports Bowl took Florida State, that freed up North Carolina for its second bowl appearance in Charlotte.
The Mountaineers, le by quarterback Pat White, accepted their second Meineke Bowl bid late Saturday night, moments after beating South Florida in their final regular-season game.
IN OTHER ACC BOWLS:
Two of the hottest teams in the ACC and Big East will meet in the Papajohns.com Bowl.
North Carolina State officials said Sunday they have accepted a berth opposite Rutgers in the Birmingham, Ala., game. The Wolfpack (6-6) started 2-6 but won their last four games to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
– Wake Forest accepted an invitation from the EagleBank Bowl to play in its inaugural game. The Deacons will face Navy on Dec. 20 at RFK Stadium.
– The Gator Bowl made it official Sunday, inviting Nebraska to play Clemson on Jan. 1.
– A year after winning the BCS title, LSU is headed to the Chick-fil-A Bowl to play Georgia Tech.
– Miami (7-5) accepted an invitation to play in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27, against California (8-4).
– Vanderbilt will play in the Music City Bowl against Boston College.
The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl let hometown Boise State go free on Sunday and instead will have Nevada play Maryland in the Dec. 30 bowl game on the blue turf.BCS CHAMPS
It’s official: Oklahoma and Florida will play for the BCS national championship.The Sooners and Gators finished atop the BCS standings Sunday and will meet Jan. 8 in Miami for the title.
In BCS BOWLS:
The Orange Bowl slotted Big East champion and No. 12 Cincinnati (11-2) against ACC champ and 21st-ranked Virginia Tech (9-4) on Sunday night, meaning those clubs will play in the 75th edition of South Florida’s showcase game on Jan. 1.
– In a matchup of tradition-laden programs, the Fiesta Bowl will pair Texas against Ohio State on Jan. 5.
– No. 6 Penn State will play in the Rose Bowl game on New Year’s Day for just the third time, facing No. 5 Southern California.
– After missing a chance to play for a national title, Alabama is headed to the Sugar Bowl to face unbeaten Utah.IN AREA BOWLS:
– Conference USA champ East Carolina (9-4) will play Kentucky in the Liberty Bowl.
– South Carolina will face Iowa in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day in their first-ever meeting.