The skeptics, including me, vastly outnumbered the believers when Charlotte got the Tire Bowl.

The name alone was good for a few one-liners. You know, the trophy would be a hubcap, and the college football game's logo could be a bouncing check.

The late-December date in an open-air park, Ericsson Stadium, had a chilly feeling to it, and the city itself was the target of more than a few verbal jabs. Visiting teams and fans could tour the bank lobby of their choice.

"Lots of people thought we were crazy, that's for certain," said the Tire Bowl's director, Ken Haines. "It was understandable to a degree, I guess. There are a lot of bowl games being played. A lot of them aren't doing so well, either. And it was true that we don't have one of those picture-perfect Florida weather locations.

"But no one's laughing now."

Indeed, a crowd of about 50,000 is expected today when Virginia and Pittsburgh meet in the second Continental Tire Bowl.

Last year's inaugural game between Virginia and West Virginia was the bowl season's success story with a crowd of 73,535, the largest for a non-Bowl Championship Series game. Hotel rooms were scarce. Fast-food outlets reported booming business, as did fancier restaurants, sports bars, coffee shops, gas stations and nightclubs.

"It's been a godsend for business," said Rick Blackburn, regional sales and marketing director for the Marriott chain. "It's safe to say that the Charlotte business community was flabbergasted by the bowl experience.

"The weeks after and just before Christmas are usually the slowest of the year for hotels and many of the restaurants. Now, we're hiring additional people left and right for part-time work, and our regular staffers are thrilled to be getting overtime-pay hours. ... No one ever expected anything like this."

Actually, Haines did. The longtime executive with Charlotte-based Raycom Sports believed the city had a potential advantage over many bowl locations -- one that should have been obvious.

"Fans can drive to this game. It's that simple," Haines said. "Anywhere from Florida to northern Pennsylvania, driving to Charlotte isn't a back-breaking challenge. It's mostly interstate highways, and there are lots of places to stop, rest, eat and stretch along the way. That was the one thing everyone overlooked when they doubted our ability to bring in fans."

Tom Mickle, director of the Mazda Tangerine and Capital One Citrus bowls in Orlando, Fla., said he wasn't among the doubters. On Monday, N.C. State's 56-26 victory over Kansas in the Tangerine game drew fewer than 27,000 fans to a stadium that seats 65,438, even though Orlando hotels offered special rates and the weather was warm and sunny.

"But it's a tough drive for fans at State and Kansas," Mickle said, adding that the Tangerine has the disadvantage of being played just before Christmas.

"Having teams that are in driving distance of the game is very important," Mickle said. "A lot of people in the bowl business realized that the Charlotte game had a great chance to succeed because of that."

It also hasn't hurt that the Tire Bowl, which has the fourth pick among ACC bowl teams, has brought in Virginia both years. Enthusiasm for the football program among UVa fans has reached an all-time high.

Last season's team finished 9-5, including a 48-22 victory over West Virginia in the Tire Bowl. This season, the Cavaliers are only 7-5, but a win over rival Virginia Tech at the end of the regular season created a brisk demand for bowl seats. Haines said as many as 30,000 Virginia fans will go to the game. Most arrived by car Friday and won't depart until Sunday afternoon.

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