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BYU to Face the Florida State Seminoles in 2000 Pigskin Classic
By Tad Walch, The Provo Daily Herald
Nov. 11, 1999
PROVO -- The long-awaited announcement that BYU will play Florida State in the 2000 Pigskin Classic finally came down Wednesday. The game will be played Aug. 26 in Jacksonville, Fla., at Alltel Stadium, formerly known as the Gator Bowl. The Cougars could be pitted against the defending national champions. The Seminoles are ranked No. 1 in all the polls and ratings systems. "What's our record against defending national champions?" BYU athletic director Val Hale asked Wednesday night with a hearty laugh. "What's our record against defending national champions from Florida?" The answer to both questions is 1-0. The Cougars beat No. 1 Miami in 1990, a year after the Hurricanes won the title. "We'll be the favorites," Hale said. Actually, Hale went to LaVell Edwards' office after ABC called in mid-September armed with a depth chart. "We talked about the financial guarantee and the exposure -- we'll be the only game on TV," Hale said. "We also knew that the NCAA will phase out these preseason games by 2002 and had talked about hopefully being in one. "We didn't know if the invitation would come again. Then we discussed the next question: Do we play next year with an inexperienced quarterback and veteran skill players or hope for an invite when we have an experienced quarterback but maybe some rookies at skill positions." The pair finally went for a veteran defense and experienced skill players, the exposure and the $650,000 guarantee. It's actually more lucrative than higher-paying bowls because the teams take fewer people along and stay only two nights at the site. "LaVell is very unusual in that regard," Hale said. "A lot of coaches would say, 'No way.' "LaVell has never shied away from great teams." Florida State has a great program. Head coach Bobby Bowden has led the Seminoles to 12 consecutive 10-win seasons, a number which should grow to 13 straight this weekend. "I'm excited about opening the season with BYU on national television," Bowden said. "LaVell and I come from the same coaching fraternity and that group seems to be getting smaller every year. "He always has BYU in the hunt and it will be a tough opener for us, but I feel like you might as well as find out what kind of team you have right out of the gate." The matchup will be historic. Bowden has won 302 games while Edwards has won 251. "This will be our second opportunity to play them," Edwards said, referring to a 44-28 loss to Florida State in an earlier Pigskin Classic. "Hopefully, we can give them a better game than in Anaheim in 1991." The Cougars played that game with an experienced QB, defending Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, but a team otherwise very young. Still, Hale said, "Playing in the Pigskin Classic will be a great way to kick off the new century of BYU football." It'll be quite a kickoff, with the Cougars following that opener with a trip to Virginia on Sept.2, a home game against Mississippi State on Sept. 16 and another trip East to Syracuse on Sept. 30. The Mountain West Conference slate will not be released until January.
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