By George B. Eichorn
It’s College Bowl season. And while the University of Michigan Wolverines head south, Ford Field is readying itself for a game of its own.
The Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) play the Pittsburgh Panthers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in Detroit’s traditional December 26 contest downtown. Both teams finished the regular season at 7-5.
The new sponsor this year is GameAbove Sports and kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Ford Field. Tickets start at $29 and are available at www.gameabovesportsbowl.com or in person at the Ford Field Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN and ESPN+.
The Detroit “red carpet” welcome includes a dinner and private tour at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and a friendly face-off at the Fowling Warehouse in Hamtramck. Both teams will also take a trip to Gleaners Community Food Bank to help pack potatoes for families in Southeastern Michigan. Since 2014, participating schools have packaged more than 290,000 pounds of food and provided over 200,000 meals for the local community.
The 7-5 Michigan Wolverine of the Big Ten Conference square off with the 9-3 Alabama Crimson Tide on December 31 at 12 noon in Tampa, Florida in Raymond James Stadium. ESPN and WWJ-AM 950 carry the contest.
U-M is led by quarterback David Warren. In 8 games Warren was 125-of-197 for a 63.5% completion rate with 1126 yards and 6 touchdown passes. A Big Ten school is playing in this bowl for the 36th time. U-M is making their Big-Ten leading seventh appearance. Previously named the Hall of Fame Bowl and Outback (Steakhouse) Bowl.
Twelve Big Ten schools received postseason invitations with Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State participating in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions host home games the weekend of December 20-21.
One other Michigan university received a bowl invite as the Western Michigan football team secured bowl eligibility and the Michigan MAC Trophy after wrapping up the regular season with a 26-18 win over Eastern Michigan. The Broncos traveled to Montgomery Alabama and lost to South Alabama, 30-23 on December 14 in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl. A crowd 12,021 was announced which is well below what most bowl games draw.
George Eichorn at [email protected] or @Sandgsports99 on X (formerly Twitter). Order his book:
