Conference Champions Set to Square Off in 2010 GMAC Bowl

MOBILE, AL.- GMAC Bowl officials announced today that Central Michigan University (8-0, 11-2) and Troy University (8-0, 9-3) have accepted invitations to play in the 11th Annual GMAC BOWL on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, in Mobile, Alabama.

In the Chippewa’s third conference title game in four years, Dan LeFevour completed 28-of-39 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns to break the NCAA record for career touchdowns making him the leading touch down passer in college football history and earning him Co-Most Valuable Player honors. He lead the Central Michigan football team to a 20-10 victory over the Ohio Bobcats in the 2009 Mid-American Conference Championship game at Ford Field on Friday and earned them an invitation to the 2009 GMAC Bowl. This year is CMU’s first unbeaten and untied MAC regular season and the Chippawas are ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll.

LeFevour is one of 10 national finalists for the only national quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates’ bowl performances, the Manning Award, and one of five finalists for the Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented to the nation’s top senior quarterback. According to ESPN, LeFevour has better career stats than Tim Tebow of Florida and Colt McCoy of Texas.

Butch Jones is in his third year as CMU’s head football coach with a 20-3 record in MAC play. He was the first coach to lead CMU to back-to-back bowl appearances and their third straight.

This year’s GMAC Bowl will be the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Champions fourth bowl appearance since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2004. Quarterback Levi Brown, a senior, was Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year last season. This year alone, Brown has been named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the week six times. He has twice broken the Troy record for passing yards in a game and recently claimed the Sun Belt record for passing yards in a season (currently at 3,868 yards).

Head coach Larry Blakeney is Troy University’s all-time winning coach taking the program from NCAA Division II to Division IAA and making Troy the first Sun Belt school to win all eight conference games in a season.

“The GMAC Bowl has built a reputation of bringing exciting high scoring football to Mobile every year and this year is no different. We are looking forward to the match up of two Conference Champions, Central Michigan and Troy University playing in Mobile on January 6th” said GMAC Bowl President, Jerry Silverstein.

The 11th Annual GMAC Bowl will kickoff at 6:00 P.M (CST) January 6th 2010, at Ladd Peebles Stadium. ESPN will nationally broadcast the game.

For ticket information, please call the GMAC Bowl office at 251-635-0011 or visit gmacbowl.com.