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North Carolina and West Virginia will face each other in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 27, the parties announced tonight.

                The pairing of the Meineke and the Tar Heels was considered unlikely until Clemson qualified for postseason play with a resounding victory over Clemson eight days ago. That put the Tigers in the mix, and they jumped at a Gator Bowl bid this week.

                "I'm thrilled for the opportunity to continue our season and play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl," UNC coach Butch Davis said.  "Charlotte is an outstanding city and is a great location for our fans to watch us play.  I'm proud of our players for their hard work and effort this year against a difficult schedule.  We will face a challenge against an outstanding West Virginia team that was the preseason pick to win the Big East conference."
                The Mountaineers (8-4) entered the year with national title hopes and later saw Big East title aspirations dissipate with a home loss to Cincinnati, the eventual league champion.  

                The bid will be UNC's second to the Charlotte game, which is owned and operated by Raycom. In 2004, the Heels and Boston College, then making its final appearance while affiliated with the Big East, played to a sellout crowd. The Eagles won 37-24 and moved on to the ACC the following year.