ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported earlier tonight that, "The Russell Athletic Bowl is the leading candidate to get the ACC's second team in the league's new bowl lineup beginning in 2014".
Excerpts from his report:
Two weeks ago, conference and bowl officials met in Charlotte. At the meeting, it appeared the Taxslayer.com Gator, Belk and American Mortgage Music City bowls would share the ACC's top bowl pick after the Orange Bowl, industry sources said. Each of those three bowls would play an SEC opponent, a source said.
"Those bowls (Gator, Belk, Music City) believed they were going to be pooled at No. 1 (after the Orange Bowl)," an industry source said. "Somehow things changed. This is a huge blow to the ACC" to lose the Gator Bowl exclusively.
With the Russell Athletic Bowl getting the ACC's next selection after the Orange Bowl, the ACC would lose its exclusive deal with the Gator and Music City bowls. Instead, the two bowls would each get an ACC and Big Ten school three times over the six-year period.
The following factoid comes courtesy of David Teel.
#ACC's new associate commish for football, Michael Strickland, worked 9 yrs w/Florida Citrus Sports, which runs @russellathbowl.— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) May 14, 2013
Perhaps that connection put the Russell Athletic Bowl over the top?
I'm going to reserve my judgement until all the details have been announced by the ACC.
