Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl is a college football bowl game held each year in Nashville, Tenn. The bowl has been operating since 1998 and usually pits an ACC team against an SEC opponent. It is sponsored by Franklin American Mortgage and aired each year on ESPN.

Mississippi State won the 2011 Music City Bowl, defeating Wake Forest.

The process for bringing a bowl to Nashville, Tenn., began in 1996, when officials from the city came up with the idea for the game. It took another year before they could come up with the necessary funds and gain NCAA approval, but then the Music City Bowl was born. The bowl planned to pair a Southeastern Conference team with a Mid-American representative, but the organizers only signed a contract with the SEC before the inaugural game in 1998. They eventually paired with the Big East to fill the other spot in 1999.

The inaugural game in 1998 featured Virginia Tech and Alabama, as the Hokies earned a 38-7 rout, still the most lopsided win in the bowl's history. The SEC did not fare well against the bowl's at-large or Big East opponents in the early years, losing the first five games before Auburn earned the conference's first win in 2003.

In 2002, the bowl had switched its allegiance from the Big East to the Big Ten Conference, which was then replaced itself in 2006 by the ACC. Those tie-ins are in effect today, with the seventh selection from the SEC taking on the sixth pick from the ACC. The 2007 bowl, buoyed by the presence of nearby Kentucky against Florida State, drew the bowl's highest attendance, with 57,280 watching.

The current title sponsor of the bowl is Franklin American Mortgage, which joined in 2010. Previous sponsors include Gaylord Hotels (2002-09), Bridgestone (2003-07), homepoint.com (1999) and American General Life (1998).

In the 2010 Music City Bowl, North Carolina defeated Tennessee in double overtime. The Tar Heels appeared to have lost at the end of regulation, but an official review of what had been the final play put one second back on the clock. UNC kicked a game-tying field goal, then went on to win the game in the second overtime. Mississippi State won the game the following year, returning the trophy to the SEC for the first time since 2008.