BOWL SEASON CONFERENCE NOTES | BOWL SEASON TICKETS VIA TICKETSMARTER

NEW ORLEANS — A conference-record and national-best 12 Sun Belt teams will participate in Bowl Season in 2023, outpacing the totals from the ACC (11), Big Ten (9), Big 12 (9), SEC (9) and Pac-12 (8). No
other non-autonomy conference has more than seven Bowl Season representatives. 
 
The Sun Belt—which opened the season with four-straight weeks with a victory over an autonomy five foe—once again captured national attention during the 2023 campaign. In addition to bettering the conference record of seven Bowl Season participants and tying the conference record of four wins over autonomy five opponents set in 2022, the Sun Belt also hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for the second time in as many seasons—App State in 2022 and James Madison in 2023. 
 
For the sixth-straight season, the conference boasts multiple 10-win teams—and for the third-straight year had multiple teams reach the mark during the regular season. 
 
The Sun Belt paces the FBS with a .614 bowl winning percentage since the dawn of the College Football Playoff (CFP) era in 2014, a mark its 12 representatives will look to better during Bowl Season. 
 
Georgia Southern (6-6, 3-5 SBC) is bound for the Myrtle Beach Bowl for its sixth all-time bowl appearance and fifth over the past six seasons. The Eagles will take on Ohio (9-3, 6-2 MAC) at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Conway. S.C. 

     
 
Louisiana (6-6, 3-5 SBC) is headed to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl for its sixth-straight and 11th all-time bowl appearance. The Ragin’ Cajuns will take on Jacksonville State (8-4, 6-2 CUSA) at 2:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 16, in New Orleans, La. 
 
Sun Belt East Division champion App State (8-5, 6-2 SBC) returns to Bowl Season after a one-year hiatus for its eighth all-time bowl appearance in the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl. The Mountaineers will square off against MAC champion Miami (Ohio) (11-2, 7-1 MAC) at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Orlando, Fla. 

     
 
Old Dominion (6-6, 5-3 SBC) will make its third all-time bowl appearance in the Famous Toastery Bowl. The Monarchs will face Western Kentucky (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT on Monday, Dec. 18, in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Marshall (6-6, 3-5 SBC) will make its seventh-straight and 19th all-time bowl appearance in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl. The Thundering Herd will face UTSA (8-4, 7-1 AAC) at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Frisco, Texas. 
 
     

Back-to-back Sun Belt Conference champion Troy (11-2, 7-1 SBC) is headed to the 76 Birmingham Bowl for its second-straight and 10th all-time bowl appearance. The Trojans will square off against Duke (7-5, 4-4 ACC) at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Birmingham, Ala. The matchup will be the Sun Belt's first-ever against an autonomy five program in Bowl Season. 

Arkansas State (6-6, 4-4 SBC) will make its first bowl appearance since a string of nine-straight from 2011-19 in the Camellia Bowl. The Red Wolves will face Northern Illinois (6-6, 5-3 MAC) at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Montgomery, Ala. 

     
 
Georgia State (6-6, 3-5 SBC) is bound for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where it will make its fourth bowl appearance in five seasons and sixth all-time. The Panthers will take on Utah State (6-6, 4-4 MW) at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Boise, Idaho. 
 
James Madison (11-1, 7-1 SBC) will make its first-ever bowl appearance in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The Dukes will square off against Air Force (8-4, 5-3 MW) at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Fort Worth, Texas.  
 
     

South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SBC) is headed to the 68 Ventures Bowl where it will make back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in program history. The Jaguars—who will be competing in their fourth all-time bowl game—will face Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4 MAC) at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Mobile, Ala. 
 
Coastal Carolina (7-5, 5-3 SBC) is bound for the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl for its fourth-straight and fourth all-time bowl appearance. The Chanticleers will take on San Jose State (7-5, 6-2 MW) at 10:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

     
 
Texas State (7-5, 4-4 SBC) will round out the Sun Belt’s Bowl Season with its first-ever bowl appearance in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. The Bobcats will square off against Rice (6-6, 4-4 AAC) at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 26, in Dallas, Texas. 
 
Nine of the Sun Belt’s 12 bowl games will be televised nationally on ESPN, with the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl, the 76 Birmingham Bowl and the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl airing on ABC. 
 
SUN BELT FOOTBALL BOWL SEASON SCHEDULE 
Saturday, Dec. 16 
Myrtle Beach Bowl - Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT, ESPN) 
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State (2:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. CT, ESPN)
Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl - App State vs. Miami (Ohio) (3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT, ABC)
 
Monday, Dec. 18
Famous Toastery Bowl - Old Dominion vs. Western Kentucky (2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) 
 
Tuesday, Dec. 19 
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl - Marshall vs. UTSA (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT, ESPN)
 
Saturday. Dec. 23
76 Birmingham Bowl - Troy vs. Duke (12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT, ABC) 
Camellia Bowl - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois (12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT, ESPN) 
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Georgia State vs. Utah State (3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - James Madison vs. Air Force (3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT, ABC)
68 Ventures Bowl - South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan (7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, ESPN)
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl - Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (10:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
 
Tuesday, Dec. 26
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl - Texas State vs. Rice (5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)