Three other regional teams are making bowl appearances this year, and a longtime West Tennessee bowl game features former Southwest Conference rivals.
Vanderbilt to Birmingham Bowl
The 6-6 Commodores, making their first bowl appearance of the Clark Lea era, are headed to the Dec. 27 Birmingham Bowl to face Georgia Tech (7-5) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) in what should be an entertaining matchup.
Vanderbilt, which stunned then-No. 1 Alabama 40-35 Oct. 11 in the Commodores’ biggest victory in five decades, also posted huge wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech to secure their first bowl bid since 2018. Vandy finished 3-5 in the SEC and tied for 11th in the 16-team league. The Commodores will enter the bowl game on a three-game losing streak and looking for their first winning record under fourth-year coach Lea.
“This is a historic city, a great venue and a great matchup. And we’re really excited,” Lea says. “Our team is excited to play in this game. … I think this is a matchup of similar teams. ... This is a great step for us.
Graduate transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, who threw for 2,133 yards with 17 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, helped the Commodores crack the Associated Press Top 25 twice this season.
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King threw for 1,910 yards and 11 TDs.
Memphis to Frisco Bowl
The 10-2 Tigers, ranked No. 25 in AP’s final regular-season poll, will meet 6-6 West Virginia in the Dec. 17 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl at 8 p.m. CT in Frisco, Texas. The game will be carried on both ESPN and the ESPN+ streamer.
Bowl-eligible for the 11th consecutive year, Memphis finished in a tie for third place in the American Athletic Conference with a 6-2 league mark. The Tigers are led by senior quarterback Seth Henigan, the AAC’s all-time leading passer with 13,972 yards. The Tigers have won three straight going into the bowl game.
West Virginia, which finished in a tie for eighth place in the Big 12 with a 5-4 mark, will be led by interim coach Chad Scott in the bowl game. The school fired Neal Brown following his sixth season.
WKU headed to Boca Raton
After losing to Jacksonville State in the Conference USA championship game, the Hilltoppers (8-5) will play in the Boca Raton Bowl Dec. 18 (4:30 p.m., ESPN) against James Madison (8-4). Western Kentucky is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who threw for 2,806 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas
The Dec. 27 AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis (6 p.m., ESPN) matches Texas Tech (8-4) and Arkansas (6-6) in the first meeting between the schools.
Texas Tech is led by Tajh Brooks, who ran for more than 1,500 yards this season while Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green threw for 2,813 yards and 13 touchdowns.