2007 MCCB Reaches Largest TV Audience Yet

Charlotte, N.C. – The 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl scored a 3.74 rating on ESPN as Wake Forest University defeated the University of Connecticut, 24-10. That translated into 3,607,429 households tuned in to watch the game. The Meineke Car Care Bowl’s previous record for television households was set last year at 3.56 million.

“We are delighted to reach a new milestone for the Meineke Car Care Bowl,” said Bowl Executive Director Will Webb. “This bowl game has grown exponentially over the past six years and we have exceeded expectations time and again. Our continuing goal is to make the Meineke Car Care Bowl one of the most enjoyable experiences for the teams, sponsors, fans in the stadium and at home, and everyone involved in the Charlotte community.”

The first college bowl game to call the Carolinas home, the Meineke Car Care Bowl drew 53,126 fans this year. It is averaging over 62,000 fans each year with two sellouts in its six years while reaching over 13.5 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.

The inaugural game, played on December 28, 2002 before a sold-out stadium, saw Virginia defeat West Virginia, 48-22. On December 27, 2003, Virginia once again claimed victory, this time over Pittsburgh, 23-16. The third year again produced a sellout, as Boston College defeated North Carolina, 37-24, on December 30, 2004. Year four saw NC State defeat South Florida, 14-0, on December 31, 2005. Last year’s game saw a field goal as time expired give Boston College a 25-24 victory over Navy on December 30, 2006.