Bet on the Champs Sports Bowl 2007

by Bodog Sportsbook | Dec 17 2007

Location: Orlando, Florida
Date: 28 December 2007, 5:00 PM EST
Teams: Boston College vs. Michigan State
Televised on: ESPN

Champs Sports Bowl Betting Matchup

History of the Champs Sports Bowl

The Champs Sports Bowl matches up teams from the NCAA's Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12 Conference. From 1990 to 2000 the game was played in Miami's Pro Player Stadium, and is now played at the Citrus Bowl in Miami.

The inaugural game, played on 28 December 1990 as the Blockbuster Bowl pitted Florida State against the Penn State Nittany Lions. In the first-ever matchup between these teams, the Seminoles walked away with a 25-17 victory.

1991 saw the coach Mike Dubose lead Alabama to a 40-25 win over Colorado. The last game played as the Blockbuster Bowl, which took place on New Year's Day 1991, pitted Stanford against Penn State in a lopsided 24-3 victory for the Cardinal.

On 1 January 1994 Boston College prevailed over Virginia 31-13, with the big game now called the Carquest Bow. January 1995 saw the West Virginia Mountaineers narrowly defeated by South Carolina by a score of 24-21. The game was not so close in next year's matchup, which saw North Carolina triumph over Arkansas 20-10.

The 1996 Carquest Bowl saw Virginia return to Florida, this time against hometown favorites Miami. Miami scored first and maintained their lead throughout the game, as the Hurricanes' Ryan Clement threw for a career-high 274 yards and led his team to a 31-21 victory.

In December of 1997 Georgia Tech and West Virginia matched wits in the last Carquest Bowl. Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score as he carried his team to a 34-30 victory. This matched the highest scoring game of the Carquest Bowl in 1991.

1998 saw the name of the game changed to the Micronpc Bowl and Miami return to the field, this time against NC State. While the Wolfpack did manage 498 yards of offense, it wasn't enough to counter the Hurricanes' school bowl record of 268 yards rushing and 325 yards passing. With everything falling into place, Miami sailed to a comfortable 46-23 victory.

Illinois took to the field with a vengeance at the 1999 Micronpc Bowl against opponents Virginia. The Fighting Illini put on a spectacular offensive performance, with quarterback Kurt Kittner accounting for four touchdowns in a record-setting first half. Illinois ended up routing Virginia 63-21.

NC State made a return appearance in 2000 to meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers, with the game renamed the Micronpc.com Bowl in recognition of Internet's influence. In a memorable game, North Carolina's Philip Rivers threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns to bring his team from an early 24-point deficit to an eventual 38-30 victory.

2001 saw the game renamed the Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl and the venue changed to Orlando. North Carolina failed to repeat their previous performance as Pittsburgh's wide receiver Antonio Bryant caught seven passes in the first half, helping secure the 34-19 victory for the Panthers.

The 2002 Tangerine Bowl saw Texas Tech rout Clemson 55-15, with quarterback Kliff Kingsbury passing for 375 yards and three touchdowns in his last appearance for the Red Raiders.

2003, the final Tangerine Bowl, saw Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Philip Rivers throw for 475 yards and five touchdowns, as his North Carolina State Wolfpack routed Kansas by a score of 56-26.

In 2004 the game was renamed the "Champs Sports Bowl", with Georgia Tech representing the ACC and Syracuse subbing for Big 12, which did not have enough bowl-eligible teams that year. In yet another lopsided game, Georgia Tech set the pace with 21 points in the first quarter, and eventually went on to win handily 51-14 over the Orangemen.

The second Champs Sports Bowl was a battle of Clemson from the ACC and Colorado from the Big 12. James Davis ran for 150 yards for the Tigers in winning the MVP trophy against a Colorado team that bounced back well after two crushing season-ending losses (70-3 and 30-3 to Texas and Nebraska).

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