2002 Gator Bowl - Pregame Buildup

Pregame Buildup

The Florida State/Virginia Tech matchup was the 31st game between the two teams since they first met in 1955. At the time, Florida State held the advantage in wins, with a 19–10–1 record against Virginia Tech. Heading into the 2002 Gator Bowl, however, spread bettors predicted a reversal of that trend as Virginia Tech was favored to win by two points on Dec. 10. This was reflective of an overall feeling of pessimism toward the Seminoles, who hadn't finished out of first place in the ACC since joining the league in 1992, and would not participate in the national championship game for the first time in four years. Because of this decline in stature, the fact that the game was a rematch of the 2000 national championship game received less coverage than it would have otherwise.

Ticket sales for the game were relatively rapid. By Dec. 7, Virginia Tech had sold almost its entire initial allotment of 12,500 tickets, Florida State fans had purchased approximately 6,800 tickets, and total ticket sales neared the 50,000 mark. Tech's sales increased to more than 13,000 by Dec. 14, and Virginia Tech officials requested an initial allotment from the Gator Bowl. Four days later, more than 60,000 tickets had been sold, and there were expectations that the game would be a sellout. The growing demand for tickets was demonstrated by an incident in which nearly 200 all-access passes to the game were stolen in transit from the printer and resold, causing a police search for the culprits.