With conference championship games and the final games of the regular season just five short days away, our team selection process is about as clear as it can be for this time of the year.

We had our final Team Selection Committee meeting of the year last night – and with all members present and engaged in the debate – we went through all the possibilities of team combinations that may be available to us on selection Sunday.

Here are our final thoughts as we head into the last weekend of the regular season and what has to happen to finalize our game match-up in the 39th annual Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Georgia Tech – There’s no doubt Georgia Tech hurt their chances by losing a close game to arch rival Georgia in Athens. But, if the Yellow Jackets come up short in the ACC Championship against Wake, they could still be a good selection for us IF we do not have Georgia on the other side as their SEC opponent (and that will mainly depend on whether or not the SEC gets two teams up into the BCS). We have made it clear, we are not interested in playing a re-match game and have made the decision not to look at that possibility. That being said, if we could put together a Georgia Tech vs. Auburn or Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee game, we certainly would be very interested in how Georgia Tech compares with Virginia Tech for those possible match-ups.

Virginia Tech – The No. 14 Hokies are finished at 10-2 and are one of only two teams right now to have recorded three consecutive 10-win seasons – USC is the other, by the way, and will probably play for the national title. Not bad credentials. We are looking very closely at Virginia Tech because there is a lot to like about this team:  great leadership, great defense, an exciting brand of “Beamer Ball” and an incredible fan base. And this is a team that has won its last six games heading into their bowl. They make a very strong case.

Wake Forest – We haven’t stopped seriously looking at Wake Forest and will follow them closely in the ACC Championship game against Georgia Tech. After the slip against Virginia Tech, the Deacs got back on track with a strong win against Maryland and we are still very excited about the style of play coming out of Winston Salem. This is still a 10-win team playing for a shot in the Orange Bowl and very appealing on those merits alone – not to mention the great story this team has been all year long. If they lose in Jacksonville, Wake is still a team that will get serious consideration in our selection process.

Georgia – We made no secret of the fact that the Georgia / Georgia Tech game was a possible play-in game for the Bulldogs and Georgia took full advantage of the opportunity. Right now we’re looking at an 8-win team that beat a No. 5 Auburn on the road and a No. 16 Georgia Tech team to finish the season. That’s a strong statement for Coach Richt and his team that has showed a lot of character coming down the stretch. We’re also looking at a team that hasn’t played in the Chick-fil-A Bowl since 1998 that could deliver a great match-up against a Virginia Tech or a Wake Forest team.

Kentucky – The Wildcats’ best chance comes if the SEC gets two teams up into the BCS and we are looking at a choice between Kentucky and Georgia, a team UK beat head to head. The decision would have been a lot easier if Kentucky had beaten Tennessee to get to eight wins, but they will definitely be strongly considered under those circumstances. We’d probably see a lot of debate and the final selection would be a close one to say the least.

Auburn or Tennessee – Either one of these two ranked teams would make a great selection on our SEC side. We’re simply waiting to see if the SEC gets two teams up into the BCS. If they do, we probably won’t have a shot at either. But if the SEC only get one team into the BCS, we could be looking at the team that does not go to either the Cotton Bowl or the Outback Bowl to match against the #2 selection from the ACC.

South Carolina – A strong win on the road against rival Clemson will keep the Gamecocks in the mix for our selection process for now. This will be another situation where we would only be looking at USC if the SEC gets two teams into the BCS. Then we’d have to consider them along with Georgia and Kentucky. South Carolina had a better season than most people think. They were in every single game this year and had a chance to win most of them. If a few more breaks go their way, this could have been a completely different season for Spurrier’s troops. We’ll definitely take that into consideration.

After a very busy scouting season, we’ve just got one game on the board for this week – the ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville – for what should be a great Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest match-up.

Last chance: We fully expect to announce our 10th straight sellout when we select our teams this Sunday. So, if you’re planning on attending the Chick-fil-A Bowl this year, you better reserve your tickets before Friday.

Finally, I’d just like to thank our Team Selection Committee for their hard work this year. At this point, we can’t go wrong with any of the match-ups we’re looking at and we’re all very excited to see how it works out.

I’d also like to that the fans and media for their interest in our process this year and I hope these Blogs have helped shed some light on our team selection process. It’s been another great season and we’re sorry to see it end.

We hope to see you Dec. 30 in the Dome. It’ll be another classic Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Enjoy the game!