| GMAC Bowl News: |
| After lengthy debates, polls and surveys, bowl officials decided there was no better way to let the world know the game's location than by putting the city's name on the bowl. Therefore, what several media outlets called the "Bowl Without A Comma" was officially born.
The Western Athletic Conference was eager to participate during the inaugural bowl as well. After several teams left the conference before the 1999 season, the WAC rebounded remarkably by securing a tie-in with the GMAC Bowl. In 2000 the Mid-American Conference, whose teams are located primarily in the Midwest, replaced the WAC as Conference USA's primary opponent in the GMAC Bowl. To say the Mid-American Conference has been dominant would be an understatement. The MAC is 5-0 in five appearances at the GMAC Bowl With another successful bowl game already in town, the new bowl had an immediate measuring stick. The Senior Bowl, a mainstay in Mobile since 1949, had long been a popular event each January for football fans of the Gulf Coast. City officials viewed hosting two annual bowl games as an honor. With the addition of the GMAC Bowl, Mobile joined Miami as the only city in the country to host two major college bowl games every year. Miami, with the Micron PC and Orange Bowls, enjoy a busy and successful bowl season each year. Area hotels reap the benefits of successful December and January months that are notoriously slow for the hotel business. |
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