Will Muschamp has now coached 3 different schools into Birmingham Bowls in 3 years

We used to joke about the Birmingham Bowl being the Pitt Bowl. It now has a new master.

Will Muschamp, first-year head coach of South Carolina, will lead his Gamecocks into Legion Field against 10-2 USF (Dec. 29, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN) after a promising 6-6 debut season.

Last year, Auburn beat Memphis in the seat of Jefferson County despite defensive coordinator Muschamp having already left for Carolina.

In 2014, Florida beat East Carolina in the hometown of Courteney Cox after Muschamp had already been fired as head coach.

So this will be Muschamp’s first chance to actually reap the Birmingham fruits of his labors, unless he somehow lands a different job between now and kickoff.

“We’ve got the best fans and supporters,” Muschamp said at a December presser. “They’re excited to be back. I enjoy being back in the state of Alabama, being in the Birmingham Bowl, and playing at Legion Field.”

Our South Carolina blog speaks with a Birmingham expert who defends the fair city:

Almost immediately after South Carolina accepted their surprising bowl bid (surprising based upon preseason expectations), you could hear the collective groans and complaints coming from points east of the Savannah River. Back in September, South Carolina fans would have crawled over the broken shards of glass that were the remains of the 2015 season to be guaranteed a bowl bid. In a vacuum? this additional post-season practice time as well as a chance to play another game during a rebuilding season on national television would have been deemed invaluable. In reality? upon learning our fate, we apparently only appreciated that opportunity if it means a bowl bid in literally any other city except for Birmingham.

I know, I know. Your hesitation is understandable, trust me. But, this isn’t 1963.

After growing up in South Carolina, and logging time post-graduation in Virginia Beach, Washington DC, I have, for the past 6 years, called Birmingham, AL ‘home’. I’ve seen the best and worst of many areas across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. While it is absolutely true that this city has a very long road to travel before it’s considered a destination, I assure you that there is much more to offer than meets the eye.

This column is not an attempt to explain the nuances of Birmingham as a city or its current state of affairs. This also isn’t going to be a rah-rah post outlining why you should support our Gamecocks after besting the Vegas odds and making it to a bowl game in Will Muschamp’s first year. Both of these statements could be answered by reading any Garden & Gun/Southern Living/Fodor’s/New York Times write-up or a visit to your favorite local Gamecock message board. The point simply is this: making a quick trip over to Birmingham on I-20, even if it’s just for a night, will be more than worth your time and money.