The Music City Bowl has been a constant part of the annual football calendar for the last sixteen years. It has produced some memorable moments and has given fans and analysts a lot to talk about. It now ranks among the most prestigious bowl games played annually. Thousands of fans buy Music City Bowl tickets every year and descent on Nashville to be a part of the festivities live. That is expected to happen this year as well as football fans around the country get ready to experience what makes this one off game so special.
The Start
The Music City Bowl began proceedings for the first time in the year 1998 but the groundwork for that had began a year earlier. That was when the Nashville Sports Council started to discuss the potential of a new bowl game within the Southeastern Conference. Nashville’s location, its reputation as a music city and the fact a new football stadium was being built there played a big part in making the dream of the Music City Bowl become a reality.
Play Begins
A lot of hard work was put in over the next few months and the Music City Bowl began festivities on 29th December 1998 for the first time at the Vanderbilt Stadium. That monumental occasion was headlined by Virginia Tech and Alabama which saw the former triumph by a 38-7 score. That was the start of a legacy that has gone on to turn the Music City Bowl into one of the most popular annual games on the football calendar. The bowl game moved to its current home, the LP Field in the year 2000 and has remained there ever since.
Most Wins and Appearances
Teams from a total of four conferences have played in the Music City Bowl. SEC leads that particular count with fourteen with Atlantic Coast in second spot with six appearances. Big East and Big Ten have four representations each against their name. Kentucky holds the record for playing four Music City Bowl games, the most by any school in history. Second on the list is Minnesota with three appearances to their name. A step behind them is a group of four schools consisting of Vanderbilt, Boston College, Alabama and Clemson with two Music City Bowl appearances to show for their efforts over the years.
As far as the most number of wins go, Kentucky, Minnesota and Vanderbilt all share the top spot with two wins each. Boston College, Clemson, Auburn, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia have all won it once. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, NC State, Mississippi, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Wisconsin have all yet to taste how it feels to win the Music City Bowl.
The Music City Bowl is all set to play host to its latest edition which is expected to be the biggest of them all. Fireworks are guaranteed this year when two strong football teams collide. It has always been like this and will continue to be like this for a long time to come.