Held annually in Mobile, Alabama, since 1999, the Dollar General Bowl was originally conceived as a vehicle for the Mid-American Conference (MAC)
In a clever bit of marketing work, the game was sponsored by General Motors Acceptance Corporation as the GMAC Bowl between 2000 and 2010. From there, sponsorship was transferred to GoDaddy.com (2011-2015), before shifting to discount store Dollar General.
Interestingly, despite being held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile – home of the South Alabama Jaguars – the Dollar General Bowl involved representatives from the MAC and Conference USA through 2009. The only in-state team to play in either conference is the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which never managed to reach the game.
In fact, it took a scheduling snafu in 2010 to bring the Sun Belt Conference into the mix, as champion Troy lost a 44-41 overtime heartbreaker to Central Michigan. That game was a push with CMU favored by 3, but Troy also represented Alabama in 2016, finally getting the home state on the board with a 28-23 win over Ohio as 3.5-point favorites.
Owing to the parity across the MAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference over the years, bettors have only seen a single double-digit spread – when Miami of Ohio upset Louisville 49-28 as 13-point underdogs in 2003.
Underdogs were outright Sportsbooks three times between 2009 and 2016, including Georgia Southern’s 58-27 romp over Bowling Green in 2015 against a 4.5-point number, and Arkansas State downing Ball State 23-20 while laying 6.5 points a year earlier.
This year’s Dollar General Bowl will see the Buffalo Bulls take on the Troy Trojans. For the latest odds, a free pick and handicapping information, visit our Dollar General Bowl Game Center.
Year | Bowl | Team | Score | Team | Score | Spread | ATS Sportsbook | SU Sportsbook |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Mobile Alabama Bowl | TCU | 28 | East Carolina | 14 | -5.5 | TCU | TCU |
2000 | Mobile Alabama Bowl | TCU | 21 | Southern Miss | 28 | +7 | S.MISS | S.MISS |
2001 | GMAC Bowl | Marshall | 64 | East Carolina | 61 | -2 | MARSHL | MARSHL |
2002 | GMAC Bowl | Marshall | 38 | Louisville | 15 | +2.5 | MARSHL | MARSHL |
2003 | GMAC Bowl | Miami (Ohio) | 49 | Louisville | 28 | +13 | MIA.OH | MIA.OH |
2004 | GMAC Bowl | Memphis | 35 | Bowling Green | 52 | -6 | BGREEN | BGREEN |
2005 | GMAC Bowl | Texas El Paso | 13 | Toledo | 45 | -3 | TOLEDO | TOLEDO |
2006 | GMAC Bowl | Ohio | 7 | Southern Miss | 28 | -6.5 | S.MISS | S.MISS |
2007 | GMAC Bowl | Bowling Green | 7 | Tulsa | 63 | -5.5 | TULSA | TULSA |
2008 | GMAC Bowl | Ball State | 13 | Tulsa | 45 | -2.5 | TULSA | TULSA |
2009 | GMAC Bowl | Troy | 41 | Central Michigan | 44 | -3 | Push | CMICH |
2010 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | Middle Tennessee | 21 | Miami (Ohio) | 35 | +2 | MIA.OH | MIA.OH |
2011 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | Arkansas State | 20 | Northern Illinois | 38 | Ev | N.ILL | N.ILL |
2012 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | Arkansas State | 17 | Kent State | 13 | +2 | ARKST | ARKST |
2013 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | Ball State | 20 | Arkansas State | 23 | +6.5 | ARKST | ARKST |
2014 | GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo | 63 | Arkansas State | 44 | +3 | TOLEDO | TOLEDO |
2015 | GoDaddy Bowl | Georgia Southern | 58 | Bowling Green | 27 | -4.5 | Ga.Southern | Ga.Southern |
2016 | Dollar General Bowl | Ohio | 23 | Troy | 28 | -6 | Ohio | Troy |
2017 | Dollar General Bowl | Appalachian State | 34 | Toledo | 0 | -6.5 | Appalachian State | Appalachian State |
2018 | Dollar General Bowl | Buffalo | 32 | Troy | 42 | +2.5 | Troy | Troy |