By George B. Eichorn
It’s post-season pigskin time. Three of Michigan’s major universities accepted college football post-
season bowl games. Mark your calendars.
The Central Michigan University Chippewas (7-5) of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) will play the
Northwestern Wildcats (6-6) on Friday, December 26 in Ford Field for the annual GameAbove Sports
Bowl at 1 p.m., televised on ESPN.
The University of Michigan Wolverines (No. 18 national ranking) square off against the University of
Texas Longhorns (No. 14) in the 80 th Annual Cheese-It Citrus in Orlando, Florida on December 31 at 4:30
p.m. on ESPN and 94.7 WCSX-FM at Camping World Stadium.
The Western Michigan University Broncos, MAC Conference champs (9-4 record, 7-1 MAC), face the
Kennesaw State Owls (10-3) on Friday, December 19 at 11 a.m., Brooks Stadium, Conway, South
Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, on ESPN. WMU won the MAC title last Saturday at Ford Field, 23-13
over the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.
Ford Field finds itself with a potential large attendance as the Chippewas (5-3 in MAC) travel well and the
Wildcats are in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois. This is the sixth bowl appearance in Ford Field
for CMU. 42,732 is the average Detroit bowl game crowd when the Chips participate.
“The GameAbove Sports Bowl annually showcases the energy of Detroit and the passion of its football
fan base. GameAbove remains committed to giving back to the community and we are again honored to
work with the Lions to bring college football fans one of the most exciting bowl games on the schedule,”
said Matt Shepard, chief outreach officer at GameAbove.
For Wolverines fans it’s a bittersweet post-season, settling for a Citrus Bowl bid after U-M lost to arch-rival
Ohio State 27-9 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor to finish 9-3. The Buckeyes are headed to the
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic also on New Year’s Eve against the Miami (Florida)/Texas A&M winner.
That game is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“We are excited to take part in the 80th Citrus Bowl, a game that traditionally features some of the most
storied programs in college football,” said Sherrone Moore U-M’s head coach in his second season.
“Our team is eager for the challenge of competing against Texas, and it is a great honor to represent the
Big Ten on this stage. We look forward to the trip to Orlando and the opportunity to close out our season
against a talented Longhorn squad led by coach Steve Sarkisian.”
The Maize and Blue are in a Citrus Bowl a seventh time, holding a 4-2 record. They defeated Arkansas
(1999), Auburn (2001) and Florida (2008, 2016), and suffered setbacks to Tennessee (2002) and
Alabama (2020). Michigan and Texas have only met once during the bowl season, with the previous
matchup coming in the 2005 Rose Bowl losing 38-37 in 2005.
Ford Field tickets start at $29, visit www.gameabovesportsbowl.com or in person at the Ford Field Ticket
Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Citrus Bowl tickets start at $89 at cheezitcitrusbowl.com.
Myrtle Beach Bowl tickets start at $30 at goccusports.evenue.net/list/MBB
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com. Buy his book, Detroit Sports Broadcasters: On the Air at
amazon.com.
