PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Memphis Tigers, who enter the postseason on the heels of their first outright American Athletic Conference Championship, were chosen by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee to face Penn State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Memphis’ selection to a New Year’s Six bowl highlights a group of seven American Athletic Conference schools that will play in bowl games.
The Tigers’ appearance in the Cotton Bowl marks The American’s fifth New Year’s bowl bid since the formation of the conference in 2013. Teams from The American are 3-1 in previous New Year’s Bowls. Memphis will be playing in a New Year’s Six bowl for the first time in program history as the Tigers make their 12th bowl appearance, including in each of the last six seasons.
Memphis was ranked No. 17 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, highlighting a group of three American Athletic Conference schools in the final top 25. The Tigers set a program record with 12 wins in 2019, capped by a 29-24 decision against Cincinnati yesterday in the American Athletic Conference Championship. The Cotton Bowl matchup between Memphis and No. 10 Penn State (10-2) will be the first meeting between those teams.
Cincinnati (10-3), which won The American’s East Division title, will make its 19th bowl appearance as the Bearcats face Boston College (6-6) in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. Cincinnati will be making its second appearance in the Birmingham Bowl; the Bearcats defeated Southern Miss in 2007.
Navy (9-2), which wraps up its regular season this Saturday against Army, will head to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, where the Midshipmen will face Kansas State (8-4) for the first time. Navy makes its 24th bowl appearance and will play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for the first time since 1981, when Ohio State took a 31-28 win.
Temple (8-4) will take on a first-time opponent as the Owls meet North Carolina (6-6) in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. Temple is making its fifth consecutive bowl appearance and its ninth postseason appearance overall. The Owls will make their second Military Bowl appearance after first playing in the game in 2016, when Wake Forest took a 34-26 win.
SMU (10-2) returns to a bowl game after a one-year hiatus as the Mustangs take on Conference USA champion Florida Atlantic (10-3) in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium. It will be the first meeting between those schools as well as SMU’s first trip to the Boca Raton Bowl.
UCF (9-3) will make the short road trip to Tampa to play in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, where the Knights will face Marshall (8-4). UCF will make its 11th bowl appearance overall and will play in the Gasparilla Bowl for the third time. UCF competed in the bowl (then known as the St. Petersburg Bowl) in 2009 and 2014 and will look for their first Gasparilla Bowl win.
Tulane (6-6) is in a bowl game for the second consecutive year, marking the first time since 1979-80 that the Green Wave will have played in back-to-back bowls. The Green Wave will face Southern Miss (7-5) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, renewing a rivalry that dates to 1979. It will be Tulane’s first appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl.
2019 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BOWL SCHEDULE
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl - Dec. 21
FAU Stadium - Boca Raton, Florida
SMU (10-2) vs. Florida Atlantic (10-3), 3:30 p.m. ET
Television: ABC
Series: First meeting
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl - Dec. 23
Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, Florida
UCF (9-3) vs. Marshall (8-4), 2:30 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Series: UCF leads, 8-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 27, 2012 (UCF, 54-17)
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman – Dec. 27
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.
Temple (8-4) vs. North Carolina (6-6) , Noon ET
Television: ESPN
Series: First meeting
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic – Dec. 28
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas, Noon ET
Memphis (12-1) vs. Penn State (10-2)
Television: ESPN
Series: First meeting
AutoZone Liberty Bowl – Dec. 31
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium – Memphis, Tenn, 3:45 p.m. ET
Navy (9-2) vs. Kansas State (8-4)
Television: ESPN
Series: First meeting
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl - Jan. 2
Legion Field – Birmingham, Ala.
Cincinnati (10-3) vs. Boston College (6-6), 3 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Series: Boston College leads, 4-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 1997 (Cincinnati, 24-6)
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl – Jan. 4
Amon G. Carter Stadium – Fort Worth, Texas
Tulane (6-6) vs. Southern Miss (7-5), 11:30 a.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Series: Southern Miss leads, 23-7
Last Meeting: Nov. 6, 2010 (Southern Miss, 46-30)