The bowl originally had a four-year agreement with Conference USA to match a representative of that conference against an opponent from the Big East Conference , but the bowl 's officials later appealed to the NCAA for a recertification which was granted in late April 2008 . In 2008 and 2009 , the bowl featured the Southeastern Conference 's ninth bowl-eligible team and a team from the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Birmingham Bowl