The Charlotte, North Carolina-based Belk Bowl began existence in 2002 as the Continental Tire Bowl. It was later played as the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and since 2011 the Belk Bowl. It’s the only bowl game played in North Carolina, and currently matches teams from the ACC and SEC. The game is played each December between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
This bowl hosted some very entertaining games over the years. Four Meineke Car Care/Belk Bowls in a row from 2008 to 2011 were decided by seven points or less, and the game that broke that streak was Cincinnati’s crazy 48-34 victory over Duke in 2012. Also, the seven Belk Bowls from 2010 to 2016 averaged 63 points.
The Virginia Cavaliers won the first two Charlotte-based bowl games, defeating West Virginia 48-22 in 2002 and Pittsburgh 23-16 in 2003. In 2004 North Carolina made its first appearance in its home-state bowl but lost to Boston College 37-24. The following season North Carolina State made its first appearance and shut out South Florida 14-0.
In 2007 Wake Forest made its first appearance in its home-state bowl and beat Connecticut 24-10. And in 2012 Duke played in the Belk Bowl, losing that memorable battle with the Bearcats 48-34. In all, North Carolina-based teams were 4-5 SU but 5-4 ATS in the Charlotte-based bowl game through 2016.
Other notable Belk Bowls include Boston College’s last-second 25-24 victory over Navy in 2006 and Mississippi State’s 51-28 victory over North Carolina State in 2015 in which Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott, now of the Dallas Cowboys, accounted for over 400 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.
This year’s Belk Bowl features a matchup between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Virginia Cavaliers. For the latest odds, a free pick and handicapping information, visit our Belk Bowl Game Center.
| Year | Bowl | Team | Score | Team | Score | Spread | ATS Sportsbook | SU Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Continental Bowl | West Virginia | 22 | Virginia | 48 | +5.5 | VIRGNA | VIRGNA |
| 2003 | Continental Bowl | Pittsburgh | 16 | Virginia | 23 | -3 | VIRGNA | VIRGNA |
| 2004 | Continental Bowl | Boston College | 37 | North Carolina | 24 | -4 | BOST.C | BOST.C |
| 2005 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | South Florida | 0 | NC State | 14 | -3.5 | N.C.ST | N.C.ST |
| 2006 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | Navy | 24 | Boston College | 25 | -7.5 | NAVY | BOST.C |
| 2007 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | Connecticut | 10 | Wake Forest | 24 | -2 | WAKE | WAKE |
| 2008 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | West Virginia | 31 | North Carolina | 30 | +2.5 | UNC | WESTV |
| 2009 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | North Carolina | 17 | Pittsburgh | 19 | Ev | PITT | PITT |
| 2010 | Meineke Car Care Bowl | South Florida | 31 | Clemson | 26 | -5.5 | S.FLA | S.FLA |
| 2011 | Belk Bowl | Louisville | 24 | NC State | 31 | -1.5 | N.C.ST | N.C.ST |
| 2012 | Belk Bowl | Cincinnati | 48 | Duke | 34 | +10 | CINC | CINC |
| 2013 | Belk Bowl | North Carolina | 39 | Cincinnati | 17 | +2.5 | UNC | UNC |
| 2014 | Belk Bowl | Louisville | 14 | Georgia | 37 | -7 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 2015 | Belk Bowl | NC State | 28 | MISS.ST | 51 | -6 | MISS.ST | MISS.ST |
| 2016 | Belk Bowl | Arkansas | 24 | Virginia Tech | 35 | -7.5 | VA.TECH | VA.TECH |
| 2017 | Belk Bowl | Wake Forest | 55 | Texas A&M | 52 | +3.5 | Texas A&M | Wake Forest |
| 2018 | Belk Bowl | South Carolina | 0 | Virginia | 28 | +3.5 | Virginia | Virginia |
