TicketsOct. 14, 2009
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Conference has extended its relationship with the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Commissioner John Marinatto announced.
The BIG EAST's new agreement with the Meineke Car Care Bowl will run from the 2010 season through 2013. The bowl will have the BIG EAST's third selection. The BIG EAST champion receives an automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series. Starting in 2010, after the league's BCS representative has been determined, the Champs Sports Bowl will have the opportunity to select a BIG EAST team.
The BIG EAST has been aligned with the Meineke Car Care Bowl, which is operated by Raycom Sports, since the inception of the game in 2002. Last year, West Virginia defeated North Carolina 31-30 before a capacity crowd of 73,712. The game ranked fourth in attendance for all bowl games last year, behind only the BCS Championship Game, Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.
"We are very pleased to continue our relationship with the Meineke Car Care Bowl," said Marinatto. "The people at Raycom Sports have always put on a first-class event and the BIG EAST is proud to be a partner. Our schools and their fans have had great experiences in Charlotte."
The Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged over 62,000 fans with three sellouts in its seven years. In 2003, it was named one of the five best startups in sports over the previous five years by the Sports Business Journal.
In 2009, the game will be played Saturday, Dec. 26 at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN. The Meineke Car Care Bowl is played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. and is televised on ESPN. A BIG EAST team will play a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The BIG EAST Conference was created in 1979, is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series and represents eight Division I-A member institutions for football including the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Louisville, University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers University, University of South Florida, Syracuse University and West Virginia University. For more information on the Conference and its membership, please visit www.bigeast.org.