Independence Bowl

Independence Bowl
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl logo (since May 2009)
Stadium	Independence Stadium
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
Operated	1976-present
Conference Tie-ins	Big 12, SEC Sun Belt (alternate); 2010-2013: Mountain West, ACC
Previous Conference Tie-ins	Southland (1976-1981)
Payout	US$1,100,000
Sponsors
AB Electrolux Home Products Poulan and Weed Eater (1990-1996) Sanford (1998-2000) MainStay Investments (2001-2003) PetroSun (2006-2007) Advocare (2009-Present)
2008 Matchup
Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois (LT 17-10)
2009 Matchup
Texas A&M vs. Georgia[1] (December 28)

The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976.

Conference Tie-ins / Matchups

For its first five years, the game pitted the champion of the Southland Conference against an at-large opponent. It then moved to inviting two at-large teams, until 1995 when it began featuring a Southeastern Conference school against an at-large opponent.

Since 1998 the game has normally featured a matchup between teams representing the Big 12 Conference and the SEC. Teams from other conferences are included only if one of those leagues does not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill its spot, such as in 2004 when Miami (Ohio) played instead of an SEC squad. In 2008 neither the SEC nor the Big XII had enough bowl-eligible teams to fill their respective spots resulting in a matchup of Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois.

Beginning in 2010, the Independence Bowl will feature the third highest ranked team from the Mountain West Conference and the seventh highest ranked team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.[2] Whether or not this will enhance the quality of the Independence Bowl is a subject of some debate. While some regional fans may be disappointed with the loss of an SEC and Big XII team, others argue that having a higher ranked Mountain West team play an ACC team will create a better matchup and increase ticket sales and television ratings. If the conference tie-ins with the MWC and ACC had started in 2009, for example, it would have featured Utah and Florida State, rather than Texas A&M and Georgia.

One of the most memorable games in Independence Bowl History was the 2000 "snow bowl" game between Texas A&M and Mississippi State. The game was originally publicized as a reunion game, since Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill had served as A&M's coach for six seasons in the 1980s (and led them to 3 conference titles). However, the weather quickly dominated the storyline as a rare and significant snowstorm hit Shreveport. In the midst of the snow, Mississippi State rallied to an overtime win over A&M.

Title Sponsor

In 1990, the contest became one of the earliest college bowl games to use a title sponsor, becoming the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl. (The name gave rise to the term Weedwhacker Bowl, which is sometimes used to refer to a second-rank bowl game, especially by fans of top-ranked teams who expect their squads to compete in BCS contests.) Although it has been many years since Poulan Weed-Eater has been a sponsor, many still use their name when referring to this bowl.

Poulan (then a division of AB Electrolux Home Products, now Husqvarna AB) sponsored the game until 1996. Newell Rubbermaid's Sanford brand of writing products took over sponsorship from 1998 until 2000, while MainStay Investments sponsored from 2001 to 2003. In January 2005, in what was widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the Deja Vu chain of "gentlemen's clubs" offered to become the title sponsor. The offer was rejected.

The Independence Bowl's three-year search for a title sponsor ended on August 21, 2006 when PetroSun Inc., a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides services and products to suppliers of oil and gas, agreed to become the bowl's sponsor. The deal, changing the game's full name to the PetroSun Independence Bowl, was to have ran through 2008 with an option for 2009; however the deal was discontinued prior to the 2008 game.

On May 21, 2009, Advocare became the fifth title sponsor since the bowl's inception. The bowl was then renamed the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl[3]. The new title sponsor makes energy drinks and nutritional supplements sold through multilevel marketing.

Game results

MVP(s)

Most appearances

* Will play in the 2009 Independence Bowl

See also

• List of college bowl games
• Independence Bowl broadcasters

External links

• www.independencebowl.org -- Official web site

Notes