The University of Cincinnati got its wish — the Bearcats are headed to the Motor City Bowl to play the Mid-American Conference champion.

        The invitation was officially extended to UC football coach Rick Minter by Motor City Bowl executive director Ken Hoffman at halftime of the UC-Marshall basketball game Tuesday night at Shoemaker Center.

        “This is the place for us,” Minter said.

        “We think we have the hottest team in Conference USA,” Hoffman said. “We're excited.”

        Marshall or Western Michigan will be UC's foe in the bowl game.

        The Motor City Bowl was UC's first choice if it couldn't win the conference championship and go to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

        Now UC must sell 8,000 tickets to the Motor City Bowl. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the ticket office at The Shoe, or by call ing 556-2287.

        “I would be thrilled if we sold all 8,000 tickets and if we have 5,000 (fans) in attendance at the game,” said UC athletic director Bob Goin. “That would be tremendous for our program.”

        Those 8,000 tickets — at $38 apiece — represent $304,000.

        Asked if it might be a problem selling that many tickets, Goin said it “could be.” But he is hopeful UC supporters, including the corporate community, will meet the challenge.

        The Bearcats were a success this season at 7-4, but not a box-office smash.

        Despite being 6-0 at 35,000-seat Nippert Stadium, with victories over nationally ranked Syracuse and Southern Miss, the Bearcats averaged only 22,235 fans per game. The only time they drew more than 30,000 fans was for archrival Miami; the 32,924 set a Nippert Stadium record.

        The Bearcats are hoping their Motor City Bowl bid can give the program a boost.

        Unlike in 1998, when UC followed up its Humanitarian Bowl victory with a 2-9 season, this year's Bearcats have a talented crop of sophomores and juniors. These players are the recruiting class generated by the Humanitarian Bowl season.

        If these same players can bridge the gap until the Motor City Bowl recruiting class begins playing at UC, the Bearcats may be on to something big.

        “Hopefully, we sent a message to our younger players and the rest of the league that the Bearcats are going to move into the upper echelon of the conference and not be dragging up the rear,” Minter said.

        “You hope that (being in the Motor City Bowl) sets the stage, lays down the stones for the brid ges for the groups to follow,” said Minter, noting he can tell recruits to tune in for the game.

        “You get that marquee bonanza of three hours' worth of advertising for your program.”

        Anybody who saw UC's run of four straight victories to end the season “would be hard-pressed to say it wasn't entertaining, good, solid football,” Goin said.

        Now, the goal is to sustain that success.

        “That's the key, a good product and some consistency,” Goin said. “We'd like to pick up another 500 to 600 season tickets for next year. If we had started that 10 years ago, we'd have another 5,000 to go with the 10,000 we have now. Add 5,000 students and the walk-up (sales), and that would be (a significantly improved attendance).”

        Goin said Minter “knows what I want, and he wants the same thing.”

        “We have a tremendous relationship,” Goin said. “We are not two guys going in different directions. He likes the support he receives (from the AD's office) and I want him to be successful ... This (the invitation to the Motor City Bowl) has worked out as well as it possibly could.”

        The bowl game and the publicity that goes with it should help UC's recruiting, not just of football players, but of all student-athletes in the critical 100-mile radius of Cincinnati, Goin said.

        “What makes me happy is to see the players' joy,” Goin said. “We have 23 seniors with great leadership. They were down-and-out at Indiana (a 42-6 that loss put UC's record at 2-2), but they dusted themselves off and got back into (the bowl hunt).”

        Enquirer reporter Michael Perry contributed to this story.

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