The Meineke Car Care Bowl

Aggies take on Northwestern

The 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl will pit A&M against Northwestern. The game will be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. One of the unknown points of the game is the firing of A&M coach Mike Sherman. The coach finished his fourth year with a 25-25 record. His win/loss record was cause for his firing. A bowl game offers a lot of stress and difficult moments; however, with an interim coach filling in this might cause even more tense moments for A&M. However, the Northwestern Wildcats did not have an overwhelming season. Early season predictions had it that Coach Pat Fitzgerald would have his best team ever with quarterback Dan Persa. This did not happen and Northwestern offered inconsistent play throughout the season.

A&M might not know, until the last minute, if running back Cyrus Gray will be playing in the bowl. In a game against Kansas senior Gray suffered a stress fracture. This will be his last opportunity to play for the Aggies and his play depends on if his left shoulder has healed enough to allow him in the game. Tim DeRuyter will head the Aggies as the interim head coach for the bowl game. The coach is hoping for a big win. He insists that the Aggies are going to play the best they have during the season.

Northwestern coach Fitzgerald is excited about the bowl game. He points out that this is the teams fourth consecutive bowl game. He is hoping his Wildcats will win their first bowl game. If they do it will be their first bowl win since their victory in the 1948 Rose Bowl.

A&M had great expectation this season for Jeff Fuller. In 2010 he had 1,000 yards along with 10 touchdown receptions. This, compared to 2011 where he had 709 yards along with five touchdowns. The 2011 season proved to be somewhat of a disappointment for what some thought would be a stellar season for Fuller. The one bright spot is that he surpassed 100 yards, in his last game of the season, which was the first time in all of the season. Fuller just might be the player to watch for the A&M squad.

Northwestern is looking at Jeremy Ebert to take the win home for Northwestern. Although Dan Persa is probably the best known of the players Ebert is the top receiver and he has been one of the consistent players for his team. Ebert, a senior, accumulated 1,000 yards for the season. He also scored 11 touchdowns. The Wildcats are hoping that Ebert continues his positive play and assists in making the bowl win a reality.

A&M's quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw an average of 49 passes for the team's six losing games. If A&M is to win this bowl then Tannehill must be at his best. The team is also looking at Christine Michael who finished with a good season. Gray is also expected to assist the team after coming off the injury list. Although the Wildcats gave up 184.8 rushing yards, in each game, they will need to do better if they want to take the bowl trophy home with them. They must also watch out if A&M has a good running game as this might prove to be too much for the Wildcats.

Guide To The Meineke Car Care Bowl

The Meineke Car Care Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game is currently held at Bank of America Stadium. The game is held annually between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Bids for the game are awarded to teams from the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The only exception was in 2006, when Navy played against Boston College.

This was due to a one year agreement with the Naval Academy. Currently they have the fourth or fifth pick among ACC teams and the second or third among Big East teams. The current sponsor of the game is Meineke Car Care Center. They will end that sponsorship after the 2010 game, which means the bowl will receive a new name for the 2011 game. The game was originally known as the Continental Tire Bowl from 2002 through 2004 before adopting the current name. The game airs on ESPN as part of their Bowl Week lineup. It aired on ESPN2 before moving to ESPN in 2006.

There are many events that are tied in with the Meineke Car Care Bowl. One highlight is Race Day at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. The players are treated to a BBQ luncheon as well as the Richard Petty Driving Experience. The coaches also compete in a tire changing challenge. It is one of the more unique bowl game events. A tailgate and pep rally is also held. The event features games, food, and live entertainment. In addition, each team will have their band and cheerleaders fire up the crowd.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl strives to give each player a memorable bowl experience by showcasing the Charlotte area. The event also helps raise money for various charitable causes. The bowl game is owned by Raycom Sports, a leading sports syndication company.

North Carolina has appeared in the game three times but has lost all three. Virginia and Boston College have two wins each in two appearances. West Virginia and Pittsburgh have each won one time in two appearances. North Carolina State and Wake Forest have each won the game in their only appearance, while Navy, South Florida, and Connecticut lost in their only appearance.

Matt Schaub, Pat White, and Dion Lewis are among the MVP winners at the game. The inaugural game saw Virginia score 48 points, a record that still stands. The 2009 game saw Pittsburgh tailback Dion Lewis cap off his stellar freshman season by running for 159 yards and a touchdown to secure the MVP award. The 2008 game between West Virginia and North Carolina saw attendance of over 73,000. We'll have many college football betting lines in the sportsbook including props for bowl game MVPs and individual player performances. It's also an interesting time to place your bets for NFL MVP as well in our other football betting lines.

It was the largest of any Meineke Car Care Bowl and the largest college football crowd in the state of North Carolina. It was also the fourth largest attendance of any bowl game that season, and was second among non-BCS bowls. With the strong ties between the Charlotte area and the ACC, the bowl game figures to continue to grow in popularity.

Enjoying are college bowl previews? Take a gander at our NFL game previews as well. We have every matchup for the NFL each week if it's the Bears vs Packers, the Colts vs Titans, the Browns vs Bengals or any of your favorite matchups. The Meineke Car Care Bowl game preview odds & betting lines will be published when the teams are selected to the bowl game at the end of the regular NCAA football season.