ESPN college football insiders Mark Schlabach and Brett McMurphy project the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl participants to be Air Force and South Alabama.
The game played at Arizona Stadium on Dec. 30 pits bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West Conference and Sun Belt Conference. The bowl pairings are scheduled to be announced Sunday during the College Football Bowl Selection Show from 2 to 4 p.m. (Tucson time) on ESPNU.
South Alabama went 6-6 in the regular season with a 2-6 record in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars had two impressive wins against bowl-bound Mississippi State of the SEC and Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State, both games on the road.
Air Force went an impressive 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain West in the regular season.
The Falcons, who will play in front of supporters from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. They beat No. 19 Boise State 27-20 last week. They also defeated an impressive 9-3 Navy team 28-14 on Oct. 1 at home.
The Arizona Bowl is in its second year. They game featured two teams from the Mountain West last year, drawing criticism, because the Sun Belt did not have enough bowl-eligible teams.
Nevada defeated Colorado State 28-23 in the game played in front of 20,425 fans on Dec. 29.
The Arizona Bowl will be televised on the American Sports Network via Campus Insiders again this year. The telecast will be syndicated to local broadcast television stations and regional sports networks.
The bowl schedule (Tucson times)
Dec. 17
Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
10 a.m., ABC
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
MEAC vs. SWAC
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Noon, ESPN
University Stadium, Albuquerque, N.M.
Mountain West vs. Conference USA
Las Vegas Bowl Presented by Geico
1:30 p.m., ABC
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Pac-12 vs. Mountain West
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
1:30 p.m., ESPN
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.
Sun Belt vs. MAC
AutoNation Cure Bowl
3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
Sun Belt vs. American
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
7 p.m., ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.
Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Dec. 19
Miami Beach Bowl
12:30 p.m., ESPN
Marlins Park, Miami, Fla.
American vs. MAC
Dec. 20
Boca Raton Bowl
5 p.m., ESPN
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla.
Conference USA vs. American
Dec. 21
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
7 p.m., ESPN
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
BYU vs. Mountain West
Dec. 22
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
5 p.m., ESPN
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
Mountain West vs. MAC
Dec. 23
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
11 a.m., ESPN
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
American vs. Big 12
Dollar General Bowl
6 p.m., ESPN
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Dec. 24
Hawai’i Bowl
6 p.m., ESPN
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Dec. 26
St. Petersburg Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
American vs. ACC/Notre Dame
Quick Lane Bowl
12:30 p.m., ESPN
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
ACC/Notre Dame vs. Big Ten
Camping World Independence Bowl
3 p.m., ESPN2
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
ACC/Notre Dame vs. SEC
Dec. 27
Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl
10 a.m., ESPN
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Big Ten vs. Conference USA
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
1:30 p.m., ESPN
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
ACC/Notre Dame vs. American
National Funding Holiday Bowl
5 p.m., ESPN
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
8:15 p.m., ESPN
Chase Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
Pac-12 vs. Big 12
Dec. 28
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Noon, ESPN
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
ACC/Notre Dame vs. Big Ten
Russell Athletic Bowl
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
ACC/Notre Dame vs. Big 12
Foster Farms Bowl
6:30 p.m., Fox
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Pac-12 vs. Big Ten
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
7 p.m., ESPN
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Big 12 vs. SEC
Dec. 29
Birmingham Bowl
Noon, ESPN
Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala.
American vs. SEC
Belk Bowl
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
SEC vs. ACC
Valero Alamo Bowl
7 p.m., ESPN
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Dec. 30
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
10 a.m., ESPN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
SEC vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Noon, CBS
Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
Pac-12 vs. ACC/Notre Dame
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
1:30 p.m., ESPN
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
Big Ten/ACC/Notre Dame vs. SEC
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
3:30 p.m., Campus Insiders
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.
Mountain West vs. Sun Belt
Capital One Orange Bowl
6 p.m., ESPN
ACC vs. Notre Dame/SEC/Big Ten
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Dec. 31
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
9 a.m., ABC
Camping Ground Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
SEC vs. Big Ten
TaxSlayer Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
Big Ten/ACC/Notre Dame vs. SEC
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
1 p.m. or 5 p.m., ESPN
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
1 p.m. or 5 p.m., ESPN
Jan. 2
Outback Bowl
11 a.m., ABC
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
SEC vs. Big Ten
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
11 a.m., ESPN
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual
3 p.m., ESPN
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Allstate Sugar Bowl
6:30 p.m., ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.
SEC vs. Big 12
Jan. 9
College Football Playoff National Championship
6:30 p.m., ESPN
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