<p>Chan Gailey isn't going to complain if Georgia Tech had to settle for another obscure bowl game.</p><p>To the Yellow Jackets coach, an invitation from the MPC Computers Bowl (Boise, Idaho), Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) or Continental Tire Bowl (Charlotte, N.C.) would be a sign that his program is on the right track.</p><p>"If you're consistently getting to six and seven wins, you've got a chance of achieving a nine- or 10-win season," Gailey said Sunday. "If you don't have a consistent level, you don't have a chance to get to next level. We're sitting at one level right now and trying to get to next one."</p><p>Georgia Tech (6-3) ensured itself of a winning season Saturday with a 30-10 victory over Connecticut. The Yellow Jackets are now eligible for their eighth straight bowl appearance, though they are unlikely to crack the upper tier without pulling off an upset or two.</p><p>Next up: No. 18 Virginia (7-2) on Saturday, followed by the regular-season finale against 11th-ranked Georgia (8-2).</p><p>"The next step is a nine- or 10-win season," said Gailey, who has yet to win more than seven games in his three seasons at Georgia Tech. "If we can find a way to go out and win this week, it will help us take that next step."</p><p>The Yellow Jackets have been carried by their defense, which has allowed only one touchdown in four of its last five games. UConn didn't score until the final play of the game, benefiting from a pass interference call that gave them another shot at the end zone after time ran out.</p><p>But the offense _ especially quarterback Reggie Ball _ also appears to be coming around. For only the second time this year, the sophomore made it through a game without throwing an interception.</p><p>Georgia Tech was rolling from its very first play: Ball's 45-yard pass to 6-foot-5 freshman Calvin Johnson, who finished with six catches for a career-high 131 yards.</p><p>Ball completed 22-of-38 for a season-best 288 yards, including two short touchdown passes.</p><p>"I think it was his best game overall," Gailey said. "As far as throwing the ball away when he didn't have it, things like that, I thought he managed the game as well as any ball game since he's been here."</p><p>Georgia Tech is one of five Atlantic Coast Conference schools that have reached six wins, joining Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami and Virginia. North Carolina and Clemson are both one win away from bowl eligibility with one game remaining. One other team _ either Maryland or Wake Forest _ has a slim chance of reaching six wins.</p><p>The ACC champion will be part of the Bowl Championship Series, and the league has five other bowl tie-ins: Gator, Peach, Champs Sports, Continental Tire and MPC Computers (formerly the Humanitarian, where Georgia Tech played last year).</p><p>Since some other conferences may be unable to fill all their bowl slots, every eligible team from the ACC is likely assured of a postseason invitation.</p><p>Center Andy Tidwell-Neal, a Minnesota native, said he wouldn't mind returning to Boise.</p><p>"We had a great time up there, and I'm a cold-weather guy, " he said. "It really doesn't matter to me. I just want to be in the best possible bowl playing the best possible team. That's all you can ask."</p>
