College bowl games change dates
DALLAS (AP) – The Heart of Dallas Bowl will be played Dec. 26, marking the first time the game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas is held before New Year’s Day.
Bowl officials also said Thursday that the fifth annual game would be broadcast on ESPN. The previous four games, three of them on Jan. 1 and the other Jan. 2, were on ESPNU.
This year’s game, scheduled for a 1 p.m. Eastern kickoff, is set to match teams from Conference USA and the Big Ten.
Heart of Dallas Bowl executive director Brant Ringler says the opportunity to play on a Friday during a traditional holiday period is fantastic for the game and fans.
North Texas beat UNLV 36-14 in last season’s game.
The Armed Forces Bowl announced that it will be played in January for the first time.
Bowl officials said the 12th annual game on the TCU campus in Fort Worth, Texas, will be played Jan. 2.
If Army becomes bowl eligible during the upcoming season, the Black Knights will have a spot in the game that is scheduled for an 11 a.m. Central kickoff. The opposing team is set to come from the American Athletic Conference.
Middle Tennessee State defeated Navy 24-6 in the Armed Forces Bowl last Dec. 30.
After the first four games (2003-06) were played on Dec. 23 each year, the bowl has since been held on Dec. 30 or 31, with the exception of 2012 when it was played Dec. 29.