International Bowl bites the dust

In a (not-so) shocking development today, the International Bowl folded today, according to multiple news sources such as ESPN and the New York Times.

The bowl game folded for many reasons

1. The Big East chose not to renew its contract with the bowl. Instead, the Big East will send that middle-of-the-conference team to New York City for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which will be played at the new Yankee Stadium.
2. Who really wants to go to Canada in early January? It’s cold up there, it’s a long drive, and you have to have a passport. Not all of us want a passport (at least right now anyway.)
3. Canada’s bacon is awful! Have you actually tried it?
4. The locals up there are used to 12-on-12 football with the field goal post being smack-dab in the middle of the endzone as opposed to outside of it.
5. It wasn’t played on ice.

What does this have to do with WVU Football? Simply put: it pertains to the Big East, the conference WVU is in. There was one point last season I was praying we could escape going to Canada. I would have much rather went to the Birmingham Butt Bowl (the nickname I gave the PapaJohns.com Bowl) than Canada if we were going to be mediocre.

So, this is a happy goodbye to a bowl that was a terrible idea from Day 1. There were a few positives taken from this 4 year run:

• Cincinnati won it twice. They can look at those 07 and 09 International Bowl trophies with American pride!
• Ray Rice was the MVP of the 2008 game.
• The Big East went a cool 4-0 in the bowl game.

If WVU was going to actually compete in the Canada Bowl, a lot of us would be calling for Bill Stewart’s head.