Leeman Bennett's Chick-Fil-A Bowl Short List

Interesting. Bennett is chairman of the bowl selection committee.  While this list isn't dispositive, it will tell you who they are focused on with just three regular season games left.

SEC
LSU
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Texas A&M

ACC
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Miami

Just to remind you, the CFA bowl gets the first choice of ACC teams after the BCS. They get the fourth pick of SEC team after the BCS. Most projections have two SEC teams going to the BCS. Many projections have FSU and Clemson making a BCS bowl.

Basically that leaves some combination of Duke/Miami vs. SEC team not named Texas A&M. I just don't see how the Cotton Bowl leaves them on the table barring an absolute collapse (See South Carolina circa 2007). It'd be interesting to see if they pair Duke and South Carolina here, but I'm thinking it'll be more like Duke and Mississippi State, which would be like the Egg Bowl, but with far better academics on one side. The winner of the Miami/Duke game at the end of the season may well decide who goes to Atlanta.

Of course, that also assumes Duke doesn't win the ACC. Yes, Duke.

No Georgia though. I guess the committee doesn't think it is such a trap this weekend.

TD