BOWL REPORT : CITRUS : Georgia Tech’s Ross Curbing Emotions

Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Ross is trying to play down the national championship implications of Tuesday’s Florida Citrus Bowl game against Nebraska. If Georgia Tech should win and Colorado lose to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, the Yellow Jackets probably will be voted No. 1.

“I’m certainly reminded enough that should we win, we would at least be in the hunt for the national championship,” Ross said.

“But I think you can get too emotional too early, and we’ve still got five days to go. Besides, we’re not really an emotional type of football team. My teams at Maryland were a lot more emotional than my teams here.”

Ross coached at Maryland for five years before coming to Georgia Tech four seasons ago.

If Colorado should win, some believe that the victory over Missouri, in which the Buffaloes scored on a fifth-down play, would taint their No. 1 ranking. However, Ross refuses to be brought into that controversy.

“I’m not getting into the fifth-down controversy because in every game there is a time when an official misses a critical call,” Ross said. “Obviously, this looks bad to the fans, but coaches see it every game. All I’m concerned about is beating Nebraska, and you’re not going to bait me into anything about Colorado.”