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RALEIGH Either Duke or North Carolina will be one win from bowl eligibility after Saturday's game in Chapel Hill.
Given bowl tie-ins (nine) for the ACC and likely bowl-eligible teams (seven or eight), "bowl eligible" will equal "bowl bid" this season. The question is, where would Saturday's winner end up?
The logical answer is Charlotte. But there are a ton of variables - getting a seventh win being foremost - before either team can pack its bags for the Meineke Bowl on Dec.26 at Bank of America Stadium.
Bowl machinations are never easy, but the first piece of the ACC bowl puzzle will be who wins the Atlantic Division.
If Clemson (3-2 in ACC) or Florida State (2-3) wins the Atlantic, the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec.27 would be an option for Duke or North Carolina. If Boston College (3-2) wins the Atlantic, by ACC rule, Nashville would have to take the Eagles, and the Blue Devils or Tar Heels would be limited to Charlotte (sixth in the bowl order) or San Francisco's Emerald Bowl (seventh in the order) on Dec. 26.
If you have an eraser, you can pencil in the top four spots to Georgia Tech (Orange), Virginia Tech (Chick-fil-A), Miami (Gator) and either Clemson or FSU (Champs).
Recruiting
Pompano (Fla.) Ely High cornerback Jabari Price has switched his commitment from Minnesota to North Carolina after visiting Chapel Hill.
Ely coach Rodney Gray said he considers Price a shutdown corner.
"He takes care of his side of the field," Gray said. "Once he takes that side of the field, we're able to establish our game plan.
"He's strong and he's rangy."
Gray said Price, who is 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, has legitimate 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash, and is a key to the track team's 400 relay.
Ely is 8-0 in Class 5A competition. Price has 30 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups.
He is the Tar Heels' 12th commitment. Stan Olson
Elsewhere
FLORIDA: All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes has had his suspension for apparently trying to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey increased from a half to a full game by coach Urban Meyer.
FLORIDA STATE: Starting quarterback Christian Ponder did not take part in Monday or Tuesday practices and was limited to a few gentle lobs Wednesday. Coach Bobby Bowden said he is optimistic Ponder will play Saturday against Clemson. OBSERVER NEWS SERVICES
