'Dome home to bowl game?
By ROB GRANATSTEIN -- Toronto Sun
An NCAA football bowl game could be headed to the SkyDome in 2005.
An American group will be going to the NCAA meeting in April pitching the tentatively named International Bowl between schools from the Big East and the Mid-America Conferences.
"We think we can draw huge crowds," said Don Loding, president of SportsWorld Interactive and the organizer of the Motor City Bowl.
INTERNATIONAL CITY
"Toronto is an international city that college football fans would enjoy visiting.
"We think our chances of having the game approved are excellent," Loding said.
Geographically, Toronto is well positioned for the two conferences that include Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Toledo and Ohio University.
Loding said the bowl game only has to draw 10,000 fans from Toronto to be a success. He expects at least 20,000 people from the competing schools, including students, marching bands and alumni, to fill the stands and the city's hotels.
SportsWorld is not asking for any money from Toronto.
The Motor City Bowl pumps $15 million US into Detroit, and city of Toronto commissioner Joe Halstead believes the International Bowl could be worth that much to Hogtown.
The game would be played between Christmas and New Year's
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