PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that the Miami Beach Bowl, the college football bowl game owned and administered by the American Athletic Conference, has reached agreement with Brigham Young University to have the Cougars participate in the inaugural edition of the game, which will take place in December 2014 at Marlins Park in Miami.
“We are excited about this outstanding opportunity to have one of our teams play BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl,” said Aresco. “Our representative will have the opportunity to compete against a respected and accomplished BYU team with a storied history and national following, which will make the Miami Beach Bowl one of the most exciting postseason games in 2014. This matchup quickly establishes the game as one of the premier bowls in the coming years.”
“We are delighted to have Brigham Young University on board for the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl,” said Miami Beach Bowl executive director Carlos Padilla. “BYU is one of the most-respected programs, with one of the most passionate fan bases in the nation. With BYU and an American Athletic Conference team in our first game, we expect to have great interest and support from the Miami and Miami Beach communities and will deliver an exciting game for college football fans everywhere.”
“We are excited our football program has the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl against a team from the AAC,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “Marlins Park is a fantastic facility and we look forward to being in Miami in December.”
BYU went 8-5 last season, including wins against Texas and Boise State, and capped the season with an appearance in the Fight Hunger Bowl. The Cougars earned bowl eligibility for the ninth consecutive season and have won four of their last five bowl games.
Three American Athletic Conference teams will face BYU in the 2014 regular season. UConn hosts the Cougars Aug. 29. Houston visits Provo Sept. 11, while UCF will entertain BYU Oct. 9.
The American Athletic Conference enjoyed a highly successful debut season in 2013 as the conference placed two teams in the top 15 of the final national polls. UCF, which won the inaugural American Athletic Conference title, finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally after a win against Big 12 champion Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The American Athletic Conference will feature 11 teams in 2014, as East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa join, and will become a 12-team football conference in 2015 with the arrival of Navy.
The Miami Beach Bowl staff is based in Marlins Park. Marlins Park opened in 2012 and serves as the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. The state-of-the-art facility will seat 34,000 for football and has 50 luxury suites, a retractable roof, climate controlled temperatures and a pristine natural grass playing surface.