Detroit’s bowl game axed after 29 years
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College football is a sport of neverending change, and there’s plenty of change fans have been forced to adapt to over the years. One of the more reliable constants the sport offered usually fell the day after Christmas at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. In most years dating back to 1997, Dec. 26 served as the date of Detroit’s annual bowl game — one college football fans could set their watch to.
However, that bowl game is no more.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Ford Field confirmed the GameAbove Sports Bowl — with former names including the Quick Lane Bowl (2014-23), Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (2009-13), and Motor City Bowl (1997-08) — will no longer be in the bowl rotation as of 2026. This concludes a 29-year run for Detroit’s bowl game, which debuted at the old Pontiac Silverdome in 1997 and moved to Ford Field in 2002.
The GameAbove Sports Bowl (and its previous naming iterations) was renowned for its affiliation with the Mid-American Conference. In 28 editions of the game, the MAC participated 25 times and produced a 9-16 record, typically drawing an opponent from the Big Ten or ACC in recent years. As one of the rare bowl games with a footprint in the Northern United States, it typically received strong attendance, and oftentimes paired two regional teams — as evidenced in the 2025 matchup between Central Michigan and Northwestern.
In the 2000s, Detroit’s bowl game regularly saw over 40,000 spectators, peaking with 60,624 for Purdue’s 51-48 shootout victory over MAC champion Central Michigan in 2007. Over 20,000 flocked in for every single installment of the bowl (except the 2016 matchup between Boston College and Maryland), with 27,857 as the official attendance metric for 2025. That being said, with its unique Midwest/Northern location in a Southern-dominated Bowl Season, the GameAbove Sports Bowl was an important fixture in the December of many Rust Belt area college football fans.
There were dozens of iconic matchups over the years, but none stood out more than the record-breaking showdown in 2024 between Toledo and Pittsburgh. The Rockets outlasted the Panthers in the first-ever 6-overtime bowl game, 48-46, in a game forever stored in the annals of college football history.
Northwestern holds the bragging rights as the final champion of an iconic bowl game, which originated in the 1997 campaign — a year limited to a 20-bowl lineup. There is no replacement for the GameAbove Sports Bowl, and this marks the continuation of the growing and concerning trend of canceled bowl games. The Bahamas Bowl (also a bowl with frequent MAC tie-ins) was axed prior to the 2025 postseason, while the LA Bowl confirmed earlier this month it will cease operations after a 5-year run.
College football will continue as usual, but the afternoon on Dec. 26 will never be the same.
| MAC Team | Detroit bowl record | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 0-1 | 2005 (Memphis) | |
| Bowling Green | 1-3 | 2003 (Northwestern) | 2013 (Pitt), 2022 (New Mexico State), 2023 (Minnesota) |
| Central Michigan | 2-4 | 2006 (Middle Tennessee), 2012 (WKU) | 2007 (Purdue), 2008 (Florida Atlantic), 2015 Minnesota, 2025 (Northwestern) |
| Eastern Michigan | 0-1 | 2019 (Pitt) | |
| Marshall | 3-1 | 1998 (Louisville), 1999 (BYU), 2000 (Cincinnati) | 1997 (Ole Miss) |
| Northern Illinois | 0-1 | 2017 (Duke) | |
| Ohio | 0-1 | 2009 (Marshall) | |
| Toledo | 2-3 | 2001 (Cincinnati), 2024 (Pitt) | 2002 (Boston College), 2004 (UConn), 2010 (FIU) |
| Western Michigan | 1-1 | 2021 (Nevada) | 2011 (Purdue) |
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