Source: CBS Sports
The 2023 college football season is coming down to its final weeks. Many teams are still in the hunt for a college football playoff spot. Many of our local teams are looking to get their sixth win to become bowl eligible. Duke and UNC have qualified with six wins while NC State, Wake Forest and App State are on the brink of qualifying. Our friends at ECU and Charlotte are not having the seasons they imagined.
As we head into December you will hear talks of bowl projections on what bowl games teams could potentially play in. What bowl game a team plays in is determined by their overall record, standings in their conference along with how you rank nationally. Other factors could include what bowl game has an agreement with a particular conference, does a school accept an offer to play in a game or does that bowl committee send an invite to that team.
Given that it’s fall and many places across the country are already feeling like winter, there aren’t many places to play outdoor football in warm tropical weather outside of South Florida. One bowl game out of the country meets these conditions and has been a December treat for teams. Essentially this bowl game is more like a vacation for players, fans and family.
The Bahamas Bowl that’s traditionally played in mid December in the tropical environment of the Bahamas is moving to Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2023 bowl season. The bowl is changing venues due to ongoing renovations to Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The bowl game will return to The Bahamas in 2024. This bowl game is the largest sporting event held annually in The Bahamas.
The game will be moved to an on-campus location at UNC Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson Stadium. The game date has changed to December 18th and The Myrtle Beach Bowl game was moved to December 16th. The game will feature teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. This will be the second bowl games played in Charlotte. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is played every year at Bank of America Stadium. Yep, two teams fighting 60 minutes over a tub of mayonnaise as their trophy.
This will be a little different to fans that would normally be packing bathing suits and planning excursions. I will say this year visiting fans can really see everything that Charlotte has to offer. Another good bonus is the opportunity to tailgate North Carolina style with some Bojangles on deck. Overall it will be a blast but bring your bathing suit and a coat because it’s North Carolina and today can be 80 and tomorrow it will probably snow.
Click here to read more on the Bahamas Bowl moving.
