The game between the Mid-American Conference ( MAC ) team Toledo and Big East Conference Boston College was played at neutral-site Ford Field . This was the first Motor City Bowl played at Ford Field ; all previous games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome . As then organized the Motor City Bowl matched a MAC team and a team from either the Big Ten , the Big East Conference , or an at-large team . Toledo accepted a bid for the Motor City Bowl after losing to Marshall in the MAC Championship Game . Toledo entered the bowl game as the defending champion , having defeated Cincinnati in the 2001 Motor City Bowl . Boston College was the first Big East team to play in the Motor City Bowl and was playing in its fourth straight bowl game
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2002 Motor City Bowl