National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Apr 16, 2010 8:27:45 AM

The Big Ten Conference has extended its affiliation with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl through the 2013 season.

The bowl hosts the eighth selection of Big Ten bowl-eligible teams and the first or second selection from the Mid-American Conference.

Big Ten teams are 1-1 in the bowl since it began its affiliation in 2002.

"The presence of Big Ten teams in our bowl has created considerable fan interest, as well as some of the most exciting and competitive games in our history," said Little Caesars Pizza Bowl chair Ken Hoffman.

Both the 2003 Bowling Green-Northwestern matchup (won by Bowling Green, 28-24) and the 2007 Purdue-Central Michigan matchup (won by Purdue, 51-48), were decided by last-minute drives.

The bowl announced a backup agreement with the Sun Belt Conference in the event that the Big Ten does not have an eighth available bowl-eligible team.

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl will be played at Ford Field in Detroit in December.