R.I.P International Bowl

by Tim Riordan on Mar 14, 2010 10:38 AM EDT

No more Bowl games played in the shadow of the CN Tower?

It is the height of 6 American football fields, or 5 Canadian football fields. As if Canadian football really counts. -- Canadian Bacon (film)

Maybe it was the Canadian Blue laws, maybe it was fear of a repeated pass port scare, or maybe it was just because fans of most teams did not want to trek up to the great white north but whatever the reason it seems the international Bowl may be on its way out.

Ken Hoffman on 'The Game 1560' has stated that the Bowl Game is going to fold due in no small part to the Big East's plan to drop it in favor of the new Pin Stripe Bowl (should have been called the Empire Bowl but nobody asked me). On top of losing a team to the Pin Stripe bowl there is also pressure from the Dallas Football Classic which opens its doors in January 2011.

While a bowl game in the Rodgers center was a nice idea the only fan bases who are within a reasonable distance, and likely to have passports handy, would be in New York (Buffalo, Syracuse) and Michigan (Michigan, Michigan State, EMU, WMU, CMU). Really aside from these fan bases nobody will miss the bowl.

Season	Attendance	MAC Team	Big East Team
2006	26,717	Western Michigan	Cincinnatti
2007	31,455	Ball State	Rutgers
2008	40,184	Buffalo	Conneticut
2009	22,185	Northen Illinois	South Florida

What does this mean for the MAC? Well looks like the move to the Smurf Turf Bowl (Humanitarian) won't expand the MAC's bowl presence but it will maintain it. While many MAC fans may not like the fact that the Bowl Game is in Boise, it is a pretty well known game with great TV ratings and will usually field a good opponent.

Besides, until the MAC develops some consistency in winning in Bowl Games (or even the regular season against BCS opponents) they are really not going to have their choice about what Bowl games take them. Realignment may shake up the bowl tie ins but it's not going to make a conference who went several years without a Bowl win look any more attractive.

4/26 Well it's almost official ;)

According to sources of the Toronto Sun the International Bowl has folded:

Though it has not been announced officially, sources have indicated that the International Bowl, played the past four years at the Rogers Centre, is no more. -- Toronto Sun

This leaves the MAC slightly worse off in 2010 than they were in 2009. The Smurf turf bowl is physically a down grade (not against a BCS conference, not anywhere near a MAC school (or anywhere else). But location and opponent aside the game has tended to do rather well on TV and it matches the International Bowl's payout.

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Comments

here goes my dream of a UB-Syracuse I-bowl. That would have been epic!

by Harry K on Mar 14, 2010 1:46 PM EDT reply actions

I know, I was hope that if this is true (I am now seeing it in the Lansing Journal) that the 2011 will still be on and that somehow Syracuse and Buffalo make it.

Doubtful because even if the Bowl Survives the Big East is ditching it for the Pinstripe Bowl

by Bull-Run on Mar 14, 2010 1:49 PM EDT reply actions

Well it's still possible. SU could be an at-large selection for the I-bowl. Especially if they don't finish very strong, say 7-5. You have to believe the I-bowl organizers would love to go out with a bang. SU/UB would mean a full house and the dome would be rockin'.

by Harry K on Mar 14, 2010 10:10 PM EDT reply actions