PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Houston Cougars, who won the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Saturday, learned their reward Sunday as the College Football Playoff Selection Committee paired the Cougars against Florida State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
Houston’s selection to a New Year’s Bowl highlights a group of eight American Athletic Conference schools who learned of their bowl destinations Sunday.
“I would like to congratulate the student-athletes, coaches and administrators at Houston for achieving yet another milestone this season,” said commissioner Mike Aresco. “The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will be a terrific opportunity for Houston to compete in a prestigious New Year’s Six Bowl against a Florida State team that is just two years removed from a national championship. I know that Coach Herman and his team will represent our conference well in Atlanta.”
Houston’s Peach Bowl appearance will mark the second time in the three-year history of The American that the conference has a team in either a CFP New Year’s Bowl or a Bowl Championship Series game. UCF was a 52-42 winner against Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl to cap the 2013 season.
Houston will take a 12-1 record into the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta as the Cougars play in a New Year’s Bowl for the first time since the 1985 Cotton Bowl. The Cougars were No. 18 in the final CFP standings, leading a group of three teams from The American in the top-25. Houston will face No. 9 Florida State (10-2) Dec. 31 at noon ET on ESPN.
Houston has won 12 of its 16 previous meetings against the Seminoles, though the schools have not played since the 1978 season.
The American’s eight bowl matchups feature three opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference and one from the Southeastern Conference, as well as two of the other nine FBS conference champions.
“Our goal with our bowl lineup is to provide compelling matchups for our teams in locations that are desirable and accessible to our fans, and I am proud to say that we have done that,” said Aresco.
Navy (9-2), which is No. 21 in the final CFP rankings, will find itself in familiar surroundings as the Midshipmen face Pittsburgh (8-4) in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. The game will be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, and will take place Dec. 28 at 2:30 p.m. Navy will make its 12th postseason appearance in the last 13 years.
Temple (10-3) was ranked No. 24 by the CFP Selection Committee after the Owls won The American’s East Division title before falling to Houston in the conference championship game. Temple will face Toledo (9-2), which five weeks in the national polls this season, in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will be played at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, as the Owls make their fifth bowl appearance in school history.
Memphis (9-3) will look for back-to-back 10-win season as the Tigers face Auburn (6-6) in the Birmingham Bowl Dec. 30, in Birmingham, Alabama. Memphis has played eight games previously at Legion Field, but will participate in the Birmingham Bowl for the first time. It will be the first meeting between Memphis and Auburn since 1976.
USF (8-4) will stay in the Sunshine State to play its bowl game as the Bulls face Western Kentucky (11-2), the Conference USA champion, in the second Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park in Miami. USF won seven of its last nine games heading into the postseason. The schools last met in the 2010 season, when USF was a 24-12 winner against the Hilltoppers, who were then led by current USF coach (and WKU alum) Willie Taggart.
Cincinnati (7-5) will play in the Hawai’i Bowl, where the Bearcats will meet Mountain West champion San Diego State (10-3) Dec. 24 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The Bearcats will make their ninth bowl appearance in 10 years, while the Aztecs, who went unbeaten in the Mountain West, make their sixth straight postseason appearance.
Tulsa (6-6) returns to postseason play following a two-year absence as the Golden Hurricane faces Virginia Tech (6-6) in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. While Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery makes his postseason debut as a head coach, after improving the Golden Hurricane by four wins from last year, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will have his swan song with his NCAA-record 23rd consecutive bowl game. The game will be played Dec. 26 at Independence Stadium.
UConn (6-6) will make its first bowl appearance since the 2010 season as the Huskies will face Marshall (9-3) Dec. 26 at Tropicana Stadium in the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Huskies won three of their last four regular-season games, including a victory against Houston, to secure bowl eligibility, and will face a Thundering Herd squad that was the runner-up in Conference USA’s East Division and is looking for its third straight 10-win season.
2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BOWL SCHEDULE
Miami Beach Bowl - Dec. 21
Marlins Park - Miami, Fla.
USF vs. Western Kentucky, 2:30 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: USF leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 25, 2010 – USF, 24-12
Marmot Boca Raton Bowl - Dec. 22
FAU Stadium – Boca Raton, Fla.
Temple vs. Toledo, 7 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: Toledo leads, 7-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2011 – Toledo, 36-13
Hawai’i Bowl – Dec. 24
Aloha Stadium – Honolulu, Hawaii
Cincinnati vs. San Diego State, 8 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: Cincinnati leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2007 – Cincinnati, 52-23
St. Petersburg Bowl – Dec. 26
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, Fla.
UConn vs. Marshall, 11 a.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: First meeting
Camping World Independence Bowl – Dec. 26
Independence Stadium – Shreveport, La.
Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech, 5:45 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: Tulsa leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 9, 1978 – Tulsa, 35-33
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman – Dec. 28
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.
Navy vs. Pittsburgh, 2:30 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Series: Pittsburgh leads, 22-14-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 26, 2013 – Navy, 24-21
Birmingham Bowl – Dec. 30
Legion Field – Birmingham, Ala.
Memphis vs. Auburn, Noon
Television: ESPN
Series: Memphis leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 9, 1976 – Memphis, 28-27
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – Dec. 31
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Ga.
Houston vs. Florida State, Noon
Television: ESPN
Series: Houston, 12-2-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 30, 1978 – Houston, 27-21