The EagleBank Bowl is an annual college football bowl game to be played on December 20, 2008 at RFK Stadium[1] in Washington, D.C., and is one of the two newest bowl games to be approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (the other being the St. Petersburg Bowl). The NCAA's Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee approved the bowl on April 30, 2008, allowing the committee that had proposed the game to host it after the 2008 college football season.[2] The game, which was originally dubbed "The Congressional Bowl" before sponsorship was received by EagleBank, is scheduled to be televised by ESPN, with kickoff scheduled for 11 AM US EST, making it officially the first bowl game of the 2008-09 postseason.
Prior to the game's approval by the NCAA, Navy[3] and the Atlantic Coast Conference[4] signed agreements to participate in the game if it was approved. Under the agreement, the ACC would provide its ninth-best team for the bowl if the league had nine bowl eligible (records of 6-6 or better) teams.[5]
However, if the primary options do not provide two bowl eligible teams to play, the committee can select a team from the Mid-American Conference, Conference USA, or the Big Ten Conference as a replacement.[6]
In 2009, if Army is bowl eligible, it will play as the home team instead of Navy.[6]
Origins
The idea for the EagleBank Bowl originated with the Washington, D.C. Bowl Committee, a group founded by Marie Rudolph and Sean Metcalf in December 2006 with the intended purpose of bringing a bowl game to the Washington, D.C. area as a boon to the region's economy.[7] Accessed April 30, 2008. The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation announced their support of the proposed event in 2007.[7]
Additional information
Gene Corrigan, former commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference and athletic director at Notre Dame, is listed as the game's "chief strategist."
References
- ^ EagleBank could be lead sponsor of Congressional Bowl Washington Business Journal. September 5, 2008.
- ^ NCAA committee approves 34 football bowl games The Associated Press, ESPN.com. April 30, 2008. Accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ Mids could play in new D.C. bowl game in 2008 The Navy Times, December 12, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ Johnson on DC Bowl: We'll play Navy Scout.com. March 31, 2008. Accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ Group awaits decision on bowl Tim Lemke, The Washington Times. April 18, 2008. Accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ a b Tenorio, Paul. "Bowl Game Brings Football Back to RFK". The Washington Post. September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ a b Proposed D.C. Bowl Would Feature Service Academies The Washington Post. November 29, 2007.
See also
List of college bowl games
External links
Official EagleBank Bowl website
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