Boston College Athletics
Football Headed To Meineke Car Care Bowl In Charlotte
December 03, 2006 | Football
Dec. 3, 2006
The 23rd-ranked Boston College football team has accepted a bid to play in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., it was announced Sunday. The Eagles (9-3) will face the United States Naval Academy (9-3) on December 30 at 1 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
"We are excited to invite a strong program such as Boston College to the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl," said executive director Will Webb. "With BC facing Navy on the field, we anticipate an extremely competitive game. And that enthusiasm should carry over to the streets of Charlotte during the Uptown Street Festival and Pep Rally. Once again, the Meineke Car Care Bowl will be an excellent opportunity for fans to experience an exciting and competitive college bowl game."
Boston College finished the season 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles defeated bowl-bound Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland and Florida State in the ACC. The Eagles, led by First-Team All-ACC Quarterback Matt Ryan, rank first in the ACC in passing offense and second in total offense. BC Head Coach Tom O'Brien is a 1971 Naval Academy graduate. The Eagles will be playing in a school-record eighth straight bowl game and will be looking for their seventh consecutive bowl game victory. BC's streak of six bowl game victories is the nation's longest active bowl game winning streak. BC will also be attempting to win 10 games for only the third time in program history.
Tickets for the game will be available via the BC Web site, www.bceagles.com, or by calling the BC Ticket Office at 617-552-GoBC.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged almost 64,000 fans each year and has sold out two of its four years. In addition, the game has reached over 6.5 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.
The inaugural game, played on December 28, 2002 before a sold-out stadium, saw Virginia defeat West Virginia, 48-22. On December 27, 2003, Virginia once again claimed victory, this time over Pittsburgh, 23-16. The third year again produced a sellout, as Boston College defeated North Carolina, 37-24, on December 30, 2004. And last year, NC State defeated South Florida, 14-0, on December 31, 2005.
