By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
The Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA on Thursday announced new bowl tie-ins through the 2025 season, agreements that guarantee seven postseason games for C-USA and five for the Sun Belt.
C-USA will annually send teams to the Bahamas Bowl against the Mid-American Conference and the R+L Carries New Orleans Bowl against the Sun Belt. The league will also maintain semi-annual agreements with the Independence Bowl (2021, 2025) and Hawaii Bowl (2020, 2022, 2024).
C-USA’s other bowl tie-ins will come from a group that includes the LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, as well as the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas), TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl, Camellia Bowl (Montgomery), Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.), Fenway Bowl (Boston), SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas), Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco (Texas) Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.), Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Bowl and New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque).
“We are very pleased with our future bowl lineup,” said C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod. “Our teams will continue to have postseason opportunities in outstanding destinations that are very accessible to our schools and their fans. We are also excited to have additional flexibility to create great matchups.”
The Sun Belt’s bowl tie-ins will include the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the LendingTree Bowl on a regular basis, though the New Orleans Bowl is now second in the pecking order (it had been first) and the LendingTree Bowl is now fifth (it had been second). The conference’s other bowl tie-ins will come from a list including Boca Raton, Camellia, Cure, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise), First Responder, Frisco, Myrtle Beach and New Mexico.
"We are coming off of our most successful season in Sun Belt history," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "We're excited to provide a flex model that allows for our fans and schools to go to desirable locations with exciting opponents that are easily accessible and provides more revenue than the previous bowl cycle."
The LendingTree Bowl had previously matched up the Sun Belt and MAC. Though the Sun Belt remains a partner, the MAC will rotate with C-USA and another qualifying team from a different conference to supply the bowl’s second participant.
“The Sun Belt has been a great partner since 2010 and we are very happy the relationship will continue,” said LendingTree Bowl President Jerry Silverstein. “We are excited about the new opportunity the new rotation agreement brings to the city of Mobile and the game while continuing with the brand of football fans have come to expect.”
The full 2020-21 bowl schedule, including broadcast information, will be released at a later date
The Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA on Thursday announced new bowl tie-ins through the 2025 season, agreements that guarantee seven postseason games for C-USA and five for the Sun Belt.
C-USA will annually send teams to the Bahamas Bowl against the Mid-American Conference and the R+L Carries New Orleans Bowl against the Sun Belt. The league will also maintain semi-annual agreements with the Independence Bowl (2021, 2025) and Hawaii Bowl (2020, 2022, 2024).
C-USA’s other bowl tie-ins will come from a group that includes the LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, as well as the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas), TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl, Camellia Bowl (Montgomery), Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.), Fenway Bowl (Boston), SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas), Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco (Texas) Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.), Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Bowl and New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque).
“We are very pleased with our future bowl lineup,” said C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod. “Our teams will continue to have postseason opportunities in outstanding destinations that are very accessible to our schools and their fans. We are also excited to have additional flexibility to create great matchups.”
The Sun Belt’s bowl tie-ins will include the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the LendingTree Bowl on a regular basis, though the New Orleans Bowl is now second in the pecking order (it had been first) and the LendingTree Bowl is now fifth (it had been second). The conference’s other bowl tie-ins will come from a list including Boca Raton, Camellia, Cure, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise), First Responder, Frisco, Myrtle Beach and New Mexico.
"We are coming off of our most successful season in Sun Belt history," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "We're excited to provide a flex model that allows for our fans and schools to go to desirable locations with exciting opponents that are easily accessible and provides more revenue than the previous bowl cycle."
The LendingTree Bowl had previously matched up the Sun Belt and MAC. Though the Sun Belt remains a partner, the MAC will rotate with C-USA and another qualifying team from a different conference to supply the bowl’s second participant.
“The Sun Belt has been a great partner since 2010 and we are very happy the relationship will continue,” said LendingTree Bowl President Jerry Silverstein. “We are excited about the new opportunity the new rotation agreement brings to the city of Mobile and the game while continuing with the brand of football fans have come to expect.”
The full 2020-21 bowl schedule, including broadcast information, will be released at a later date
