PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  Seven American Athletic Conference teams will see their seasons continue in bowl games as the parings for the 2016 postseason were announced Sunday.
 
“I would like to congratulate all of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators on a remarkable 2016 season,” said commissioner Mike Aresco. “Our conference has established itself as a Power 6 conference in a relatively short time. Our teams’ outstanding performance in the regular season gives them great momentum as they enter an exciting bowl season.”
 
The seven bowl matchups feature three championship teams from the other nine FBS leagues as the conference faces opponents from the ACC, SEC, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Conference USA.
 
Temple (10-3), which won the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Saturday, will bring a seven-game winning streak into the Military Bowl, presented by Northrop Grumman. The Owls, ranked No. 24 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, will return to the site of their conference championship victory when they face Wake Forest Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Temple will play in a bowl for the sixth time in program history and will make bowl appearances in consecutive years for the first time.
 
USF (10-2) will head to the Birmingham Bowl, where the Bulls will face South Carolina Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. ET. USF will make its second straight bowl appearance and its second trip to the Birmingham Bowl as the Bulls return to the site of their first postseason victory. USF was a 24-7 winner against East Carolina in the 2006 Birmingham Bowl. It will be the eight bowl appearance in program history for USF.
 
Navy (9-3), which won the American Athletic Conference West Division title, will make its 13th bowl appearance in the last 14 years as the Midshipmen face Louisiana Tech in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be played Dec. 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be Navy’s 21st bowl appearance in program history. Navy was No. 25 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
 
Tulsa (9-3), which finished in second place in The American’s West Division, will continue its season in the Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park in Miami. The Golden Hurricane will take on Central Michigan Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Tulsa will make its 21st bowl appearance in program history as the Golden Hurricane makes its ninth bowl appearance in 12 seasons.
 
Houston (9-3) will play in the Las Vegas Bowl for the first time as the Cougars take on Mountain West champion San Diego State Dec. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. Houston has won its last two bowl games, including a 38-24 win against Florida State in last year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and will make its 24th postseason appearance in program history. Houston was the only team in the nation to defeat two teams that were ranked No. 3 nationally at the time (Oklahoma and Louisville).
 
Memphis (8-4) is making its third straight appearance in a bowl game, matching its run from 2003-05 as the best in program history, as the Tigers face Conference USA champion Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Tigers and Hilltoppers will meet Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. ET from FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.
 
UCF (6-6) made a remarkable turnaround in 2016, improving by six wins to gain bowl eligibility in Scott Frost’s first year. The Knights will make the short trip to play in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando. UCF will take on Arkansas State Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium. UCF has made seven previous bowl appearances and has won three of its last four bowl games.
 

2016 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BOWL SCHEDULE


AutoNation Cure Bowl - Dec. 17
Camping World Stadium - Orlando, Fla.
UCF (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-5), 5:30 p.m.
            Television: CBS Sports Network
            Series: UCF leads, 1-0
            Last Meeting: Oct. 5, 1991 – UCF, 31-20
 
Las Vegas Bowl - Dec. 17
Sam Boyd Stadium – Las Vegas, Nev.
Houston (9-3) vs. San Diego State (10-3), 3:30 p.m.
            Television: ABC
            Series: Houston leads, 2-0
            Last Meeting: Oct. 6, 1973 –  Houston, 14-9
 
Miami Beach Bowl - Dec. 19
Marlins Park – Miami, Fla.
Tulsa (9-3) vs. Central Michigan (6-6), 2:30 p.m.
            Television: ESPN
            Series: Tied, 1-1
            Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 1987 – Central Michigan, 41-18
 
Boca Raton Bowl - Dec. 20
FAU Stadium – Boca Raton, Fla.
Memphis (8-4) vs. Western Kentucky (10-3), 7 p.m.
            Television: ESPN
            Series: First meeting
 
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl – Dec. 23
Amon G. Carter Stadium – Fort Worth, Texas
Navy (9-3) vs. Louisiana Tech, 4:30 p.m.
            Television: ESPN
            Series: Navy leads, 2-0
            Last Meeting: Sept. 18, 2010 – Navy, 37-23
 
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman – Dec. 27
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.
Temple (10-3) vs. Wake Forest (6-6) , 3:30 p.m.
            Television: ESPN
            Series: Temple leads, 1-0
            Last Meeting: Nov. 1, 1930 - Temple, 36-0
 
Birmingham Bowl – Dec. 29
Legion Field – Birmingham, Ala.
USF (10-2) vs. South Carolina, 2 p.m.
            Television: ESPN
            Series: South Carolina leads, 1-0
            Last Meeting: Sept. 18, 2004 – South Carolina, 34-3