COLLEGE FOOTBALL MAC may tie-in to third bowl game for 2005

The game at Toronto's SkyDome still has be be approved by the NCAA.
TOLEDO BLADE
The first college football bowl game to be played outside the United States in 67 years is in the formative stages, and the new bowl may give the Mid-American Conference the chance for a third bowl bid as early as next season.
Don Loding, director of operations for the Motor City Bowl, is leading a group that hopes to bring the as-yet-unnamed game to life in 2005. The contest would be played on an undetermined date between Christmas and New Year's Day at SkyDome in Toronto.
First outside US since 1937
If the NCAA sanctions the contest, it will be the first Division I-A college bowl game played outside the United States since the Bacardi Bowl, which was played in Havana 1937 as Auburn and Villanova played to a 7-7 tie.
"We've explored several locations for a bowl game, but Toronto is the one that has emerged," Loding said earlier this week. "It has the best collection of ingredients for a bowl. Geographically, it is a terrific site; for bowl teams it presents a wonderful trip to an exciting city; and we have received wonderful feedback about having a game here.
"It just rose to the top of the list of candidate cities."
The bowl must be certified by the NCAA's Bowl Certification Committee, which meets next April. By that time, Toronto bowl organizers must meet five requirements to gain certification:
UA $2 million letter of credit from a financial institution.
UA national television contract.
UA contract with a stadium.
UA contract with at least one conference.
UA show of support from the host city.
"We're in the very early stages, but we've identified a number of elements we need [for a bowl game]," Loding said. "We've identified the MAC as one of the conferences in the game, and we've identified the Big East [Conference] as an opponent. We've worked with the city government in Toronto, and by the end of this week we hope to have an endorsement by the city. And we've had good discussions with the management of SkyDome."
Good for MAC
The potential of a third bowl game for the MAC is good news for the league, which last season had only two teams play in bowls despite having three squads win at least 10 games. Miami played in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and Bowling Green played in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. Both of those bowls have annual MAC tie-ins.
Northern Illinois did not receive a berth to one of the 28 bowl games played last year despite a 10-2 record and victories over Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State.
"Getting a third bowl game remains, if not the highest priority, certainly a top priority," MAC commissioner Rick Chryst said. "We are aware of, and supportive of, the initial organizing efforts in Toronto."
SkyDome seats 53,506 fans for football and serves as the home field of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.