NEW ORLEANS – James Madison earned the Sun Belt’s first-ever berth into the College Football Playoff to headline a 10-team contingent participating in Bowl Season. This is the fourth-straight season that the Sun Belt paces all non-autonomy conferences in Bowl Season representation. The Sun Belt produced seven Bowl Season qualifiers in 2022, a conference-record and national-best 12 in 2023 and eight in 2024. 
 
The Sun Belt owns a .571 bowl winning percentage during the College Football Playoff era, trailing only the SEC (.578). 
 
Sun Belt West Division champion Troy (8-5, 6-2 SBC) will kick off the Sun Belt’s Bowl Season in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., where it will make its third bowl appearance over the past four seasons. The Trojans—who will be playing in their 11th all-time bowl game—will square off against Conference USA runner-up and in-state foe Jacksonville State (8-5, 7-1 CUSA) at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 16, on ESPN. 
 
Old Dominion (9-3, 6-2 SBC) is headed to the StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., where it will make its third bowl appearance over the past five seasons. The Monarchs—who will be appearing in their fourth all-time bowl game–will face South Florida (9-3, 6-2 American) at 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 17, on ESPN. 
 
Louisiana (6-6, 5-3 SBC) will make its Sun Belt-leading eighth-straight bowl appearance in the 68 Ventures Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The Ragin’ Cajuns—who will be competing in their 13th all-time bowl game—will take on Delaware (6-6, 4-4 CUSA) at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 17, on ESPN. 

          
 
Arkansas State (6-6, 5-3 SBC) is bound for the Xbox Bowl at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, where it will make its third-straight bowl appearance. The Red Wolves—who will be competing in their 13th FBS bowl game—will face Missouri State (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 18, on ESPN2. 
 
Sun Belt champion and No. 12-seeded James Madison (12-1, 8-0 SBC) will appear in Bowl Season for the third time in four FBS seasons, as it hits the road for a College Football Playoff First Round matchup against No. 5-seeded Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday, Dec. 20. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised on TNT. 

Southern Miss (7-5, 5-3 SBC) will make its 28th all-time bowl appearance in the New Orleans Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. Returning to Bowl Season for the first time since 2022, the Golden Eagles will take on Western Kentucky (8-4, 6-2 CUSA) at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 23, on ESPN.

          
 
Georgia Southern (6-6, 4-4 SBC) will make a fourth-straight bowl appearance for the first time in program history in the JLab Birmingham Bowl. The Eagles, who will be competing in their eighth all-time bowl game and seventh over the past eight seasons, will face App State (5-7, 2-6 SBC) at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT on Monday, Dec. 29, on ESPN. After a one-year hiatus, the Mountaineers return to Bowl Season for the ninth time in 11 postseason-eligible seasons. 
 
Coastal Carolina (6-6, 5-3 SBC) will make its sixth-straight and sixth all-time bowl appearance in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. The Chanticleers will take on Louisiana Tech (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 30, on ESPN. 
 
Texas State (6-6, 3-5 SBC) is headed to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, where it will make its third-straight and third all-time bowl appearance. The Bobcats will square off against Rice (5-7, 2-6 American) at 1:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 2, on ESPN. 

          

SUN BELT FOOTBALL BOWL SEASON SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Dec. 16
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl – Troy vs. Jacksonville State (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT, ESPN) 
 
Wednesday, Dec. 17
StaffDNA Cure Bowl – Old Dominion vs. South Florida (5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT, ESPN)
68 Ventures Bowl – Louisiana vs. Delaware (8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
 
Thursday, Dec. 18   
Xbox Bowl – Arkansas State vs. Missouri State (9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT, ESPN2) 
 
Saturday, Dec. 20 
College Football Playoff First Round – No. 12-seeded James Madison vs. No. 5-seeded Oregon (7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT, TNT) 
 
Tuesday, Dec. 23
New Orleans Bowl – Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky (5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) 
 
Monday, Dec. 29 
JLab Birmingham Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. App State (2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT, ESPN) 
 
Tuesday, Dec. 30 
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech (2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT, ESPN) 
 
Friday, Jan. 2 
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl – Texas State vs. Rice (1:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. CT, ESPN)