The Peach Bowl offered a bid to Southeastern Conference power Tennessee yesterday to play No. 21 Maryland in Atlanta on Dec. 31, paving the way for the fifth postseason meeting between the schools.

An announcement is expected this afternoon. The pairing will feature a Maryland program that went 10-3 this year after an Orange Bowl appearance last season, and the Volunteers (8-4), who have had four top-10 finishes in the past five years.

"I think we're in for a heck of a game," said Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan, who added that there will be only 2,500 tickets left after the allotments for both schools are dispersed. "The [television] audience will enjoy the game, and I think the crowd will, too."

Officials of both schools declined to comment yesterday.

Maryland received its bid Saturday after defeating Wake Forest, 32-14.

The Peach Bowl committee could have waited on the availability of No. 20 Auburn or Louisiana State, but it has long been eager to pick Tennessee.

Looking for its sixth straight sellout, the committee chose a program that has fans willing to travel, and the Knoxville campus is only a three-hour drive away.

The Volunteers, who will be making their first Peach Bowl appearance since 1987, ended the regular season with a three-game winning streak.

Unranked Tennessee has had a disappointing season, however, with three of its losses by 17 points or more. Those losses were to No. 1 Miami, No. 14 Alabama and No. 23 Florida. The Volunteers stayed with No. 4 Georgia before falling, 18-13.

Tennessee played parts of the season without key players expected to be available in Atlanta, including standout quarterback Casey Clausen and receiver Kelly Washington. The committee is hoping the Volunteers can deliver a performance reflecting the marquee appeal they'll bring.

"A healthy Tennessee team is a new season because they'll be young and they'll be with their players healthy," Stokan said. "This is the springboard for next year."

The Peach Bowl committee had considered Auburn, but the Capital One Bowl - formerly the Citrus - still has the Tigers on its list, but is not able to select a team until after the SEC title game on Saturday night.

Stokan said his committee saw no reason to wait, given the strong finish by the Volunteers, the school's pledge to sell 22,000 tickets and its 14,000-person alumni base in the Atlanta area.

"If we did not have a clear-cut decision with respect to Tennessee, then we would have waited," he said. "We had the opportunity to get Tennessee now."

Though the Peach Bowl didn't choose Tennessee until yesterday, the Terps have been collecting data on the Volunteers.

With most of the coaching staff on the road recruiting, graduate assistants Brian Hickson and Greg Sesny have been breaking down tape on the Volunteers in hopes of getting a head start on the matchup.

Video coordinator Mitch Wilkens, who has worked for Tennessee and attended the school, arranged a tape exchange between the programs.

"We just decided [to] play the percentages and pick the opponent most likely to play us," Sesny said.

Tennessee's results

Record: 8-4

Date...Opponent...Result

8-31...Wyoming...W, 47-7

9-7...Middle Tennessee...W, 26-3

9-21...Florida...L, 30-13

9-28...Rutgers...W, 35-14

10-5...Arkansas...W, 41-38*

10-12...at Georgia...L, 18-13

10-26...Alabama...L, 34-14

11-2...at South Carolina... W, 18-10

11-9...Miami...L, 26-3

11-16...at Mississippi State...W, 35-17

11-23...Vanderbilt...W, 24-0

11-30...Kentucky...W, 24-0

*-Six overtimes