Georgia Tech's bowl waiver in question

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have petitioned the NCAA for a bowl-eligibility waiver if the team loses to the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC Championship game Saturday, according to Ken Sugiura of the AJC.

If the Jackets lose that game, they'll be 6-7 overall. A team can not go to a bowl game if it's under .500.

"We have full confidence that, at the end of the day, we're going to be playing in a bowl game among the ACC selections between Dec. 27 and the first of January," acting athletic director Paul Griffin said, "and we're doing everything we can to be prepared to play the first of January at the Orange Bowl. Beyond that, everything else is secondary."

If the Jackets beat the Seminoles, they'll go to the Orange Bowl. If they lose, they might not play another game this season.

Georgia Tech could find out the status of their waver before Saturday's ACC Championship game, Sugiura wrote. NCAA spokesman Christopher Radford said a decision has not already been made, despite rumors floating around.

"There has been no decision or official movement either way at this point," Radford told the AJC.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson didn't offer much on the topic:

"We'll worry about (not receiving the waiver) if that happens, I guess," coach Paul Johnson said Monday. "I just go off what our athletic director tells me. He's usually a better source than reporters."

The Yellow Jackets play No. 13 Florida State (10-2) at 8 p.m. Saturday.