If Rick Catlett has his way, Bobby Bowden's final game at Florida State will be in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia.

Catlett, the president of the Gator Bowl, said Tuesday that his bowl has the right to invite Bowden, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, and the Seminoles despite their 4-4 ACC record.

With three straight ACC wins, North Carolina has put itself in a no-lose bowl situation.

With two more wins, and the right breaks, the Tar Heels could end up in the Gator Bowl. Even with a loss, and the wrong breaks, the Heels could still wind up in the Music City Bowl.

The Independence Bowl will be the second newcomer to the ACC bowl lineup in 2010.

The conference's affiliation with the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco will be replaced by a new deal with the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. The ACC parted ways with the Gator Bowl earlier in the week. In August, the ACC announced a deal with the Sun Bowl, which effectively replaces the Gator.

The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando has been elevated to the number three spot in the ACC's contracted bowl selection order for 2010 through 2013, conference officials announced Wednesday.

That position behind the BCS/Orange Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Bowl previously had been occupied by the Gator Bowl, whose longstanding relationship with the ACC is in jeopardy. 

Without question, the most complicated item on the college football postseason buffet this season is the Gator Bowl, which will be played Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. in the Jacksonville (Fla.) Municipal Stadium.

On one end of the pairing will be a school from the ACC, which could be almost anyone except Duke, N.C. State, Clemson and Virginia.

On the other side probably will be Notre Dame, but that’s assuming the Irish (6-4 after Saturday’s narrow win over Navy) can beat either USC (no) or Syracuse (yes) in their two games of theregular season.