SAN FRANCISCO — Today's Utah-Georgia Tech game will mark the final year of an agreement between the Mountain West Conference and the Emerald Bowl, which began in 2002.
Utah is the fourth MWC team to play in the bowl, following Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico. The first two years, the Big East was part of the bowl before being replaced by the Pac-10.
Next year, the Emerald Bowl will have a representative of the ACC replace the MWC to go against a representative of the Pac-10.
MWC assistant commissioner Javan Hedlund said the severing of ties with the bowl allows the MWC "the chance to go in a different direction." Next year, the league will have three bowl games just as it does now with the Fort Worth Bowl joining the Las Vegas and Poinsettia bowls.
Hedlund points out that the MWC could have a fourth bowl berth with the fifth BCS bowl being added next year. The MWC will get a berth in that bowl if one of its teams finishes in the top 12 of the BCS standings or finishes in the top 16 and ahead of one of the other automatic qualifiers.
Under those rules, Utah would have made it last year, which it did anyway, and TCU would have made it this year, being ranked 14th in the BCS, ahead of automatic qualifier Florida State at 22.
Considering that the Pac-10 has been unable to field a representative for the Emerald Bowl yet, perhaps the MWC will be back in San Francisco again in the future.
NO RAIN: The weather in San Francisco is often rainy and it has been for much of the week heading into today's game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. MST.
So it was no surprise when a pep rally at Union Square, featuring the bands and cheerleaders from both Utah and Georgia Tech along with players from each school as well as fans, was canceled Wednesday morning because of inclement weather.
Except that it was sunny with blue skies at 11 a.m. when the pep rally was scheduled. A few dozen fans from each school wondered what happened, but it was cancelled because earlier in the morning it had, indeed, been raining.
Instead, an impromptu pep rally was held in a ballroom at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, next door to the room where the welcome luncheon was held at noon for the coaches, players and families of each team.
Later in the evening, another pep rally was held for the Utes and their boosters.
The weather forecast for today is partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain and a high of close to 60 degrees.
ONLY ONE WIFE: When it was his turn to speak at the luncheon, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham paid tribute to his wife, Jamie, saying that she was a big part of his success as a coach and said they were celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary that very day.
Then he added, "I am from Utah and she is my only wife. I've got one wife, no matter what you may have heard about Utah."
MORE THAN ONE WINNER: Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has taken his team to a bowl game all four years he has been the coach at the Atlanta-based school and he endorsed the bowl system in his talk at the luncheon Wednesday.
"I really believe in the bowl system," he said. "The bowl system allows 25 (actually 28) teams to feel good about themselves at the end of the season. With the playoff system only one team feels great."
NOT TOO CROWDED: SBC Park, where the Emerald Bowl will be played today, is the primary home of the San Francisco Giants baseball club. When it opened in 2000, it was known as Pac-Bell Park.
The stadium holds 38,437 for football, 3,000 less than it does for baseball, with a setup that doesn't allow for a team on the north sideline, putting both teams on the other sideline.
According to bowl executive director Gary Cavalli, Utah has sold 4,000 to 5,000 tickets and Georgia Tech has sold more than 7,000, most of which have been donated locally to various groups. He expects a crowd of around 25,000.
Past crowds at the Emerald Bowl included 25,966 in 2002; 25,621 in 2003; and 30,563 last year when Navy defeated New Mexico 34-19.
BOWL GIFTS: The Emerald Bowl presented players from both teams with a portable DVD player, a fleece vest, a watch, a hat, a souvenir football and a backpack. Candy and Emerald nuts were included as well.
The NCAA limits postseason gifts to $500 per player from the bowl and $350 from the school. Shoes, shorts, sweats and T-shirts are considered workout gear and do not count toward the monetary limits.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Tech gave its players PlayStation Portable systems and baseball-style jackets. Utah plans to give its players gift cards from Best Buy.
BONUS BUCKS: As part of their standard contracts, Utah's coaching staff will collect approximately $105,000 in bonuses for reaching the Emerald Bowl. Whittingham tops the payouts with $30,000. Coordinators Gary Andersen ($14,167) and Andy Ludwig ($13,750) lead the assistants.
EXTRA POINTS: Three weeks after knee surgery, Utah quarterback Brian Johnson is no longer using crutches to get around . . . Defensive end Marquess Ledbetter, who missed the entire campaign because of an offseason injury in the weight room, has been denied a medical hardship for another year of eligibility by the NCAA. Whittingham said it's a long shot Ledbetter will play for the Utes again but all appeals will be exhausted . . . Former Ute quarterback Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers didn't make it to the team hotel Tuesday. He planned, however, to watch a movie with the Utes Wednesday night . . . Former San Francisco all-pro defensive back Ronnie Lott was the guest speaker at the Wednesday luncheon . . . A lot of folks may not realize that the Emerald Bowl derives its name from Emerald Nuts, a subsidiary of Diamond Foods. It was originally called the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl . . . The officiating crew for today's game is from the Mid-American Conference . . . The official address for SBC Park is 24 Willie Mays Plaza.
Contributing: Dirk Facer