Tech officially chosen for Chick-fil-A Bowl

At the start, Georgia Tech’s bowl hopes were modest.

Said coach Paul Johnson, “We really had a goal to stay on the East Coast.”

One more piece of the Jackets’ startling season fell into place Wednesday when their spot in the Chick-fil-A Bowl was finalized.

With a No. 15 BCS ranking, a 9-3 record, the league coach of the year in Johnson and the player of the year in Jonathan Dwyer, Chick-fil-A bowl president Gary Stokan said this was a “truly deserving year for Georgia Tech to be in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.”

The game will be played Dec. 31 at the Georgia Dome.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to play in the home state and be the hometown team and play in the city of Atlanta and in the Georgia Dome,” Dwyer said. “Who doesn’t want to play in the Georgia Dome?”

Tech will learn its opponent, likely LSU but possibly South Carolina, on Sunday. The Jackets’ last appearance in the game was in 2000, when they lost to LSU 28-14. Since then, Tech has gone bowling out West five out of seven years.

Said Johnson, “We’re going to have a great time in Atlanta.”

Bowl officials also considered Florida State and the loser of the ACC title game between Virginia Tech and Boston College (the winner will go to the Orange Bowl). Florida State’s candidacy was dampened after its loss to Florida on the same day that Tech beat Georgia. Virginia Tech was not as appealing because it played in the Chick-fil-A game two years ago. Between Boston College and Tech, the Jackets had a higher BCS ranking (15 to B.C.’s 17) and had beaten the Eagles head to head.

Said Stokan, “I think the Georgia win was huge in our selection process.”

Tech has an allotment of 17,500 tickets that are on sale. Through Monday, the school had commitments for about 3,300 tickets, associate athletic director Wayne Hogan said. He was confident that the school will sell out its allotment.

Given the economic climate, Hogan said, “of all years that it might be an advantage to play in your hometown, this is probably the most desirable.”