ESPN and Conference USA’s 2017 bowl partners have announced the dates and sites for their games this season. The league has six guaranteed bowl spots in 2017, as well as one secondary selection.
The 2017 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will kick off on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 12 p.m. CT, marking the debut of the FBS bowl season. The game will be televised on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio. Celebrating its 17th anniversary, the New Orleans Bowl will host teams from Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Gildan New Mexico Bowl will play its 12th edition on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m. MT (3:30 p.m. CT). The game will be played in Dreamstyle Stadium at the University of New Mexico and will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio. C-USA is scheduled to face an opponent from the Mountain West Conference in the game for the fourth time in the last eight years.
The 2017 Boca Raton Bowl will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The game will be televised on ESPN and broadcasted on ESPN Radio at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) from FAU Stadium, located on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. The Boca Raton Bowl will have primary tie-ins for teams from Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference for the second year in a row.
Conference USA returns to the St. Petersburg Bowl this season as that bowl returns to prime time with an 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) kickoff on Thursday, Dec. 21. The game will air nationally on ESPN. This will be the fifth time the St. Petersburg Bowl is being played at night and the first time since 2014. This season’s bowl rotation is scheduled to match up teams from Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference.
The fourth annual Bahamas Bowl has been set for Friday, Dec. 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT). The game, held in Nassau’s 15,000-seat Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, will be broadcast in the United States for the fourth consecutive year by ESPN. For the second straight season, the game date falls at the start of a long holiday weekend in the Bahamas, allowing for an early Friday afternoon game. As with the first three editions, the 2017 Bahamas Bowl will feature teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.
The eighth annual Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 26, at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium. The Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl is the first bowl game in the country to honor First Responders. Representatives to be honored during the game include firefighters, police and EMS personnel. The 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl is part of the 88th year of games being played at Cotton Bowl Stadium on the grounds of Fair Park. Conference USA is scheduled to face an opponent from the Big 12 Conference in this year’s game with the kick time to be determined.
The league maintains its secondary agreement with the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Conference USA can fill a spot in the game if it has seven bowl-eligible schools and either the ACC or SEC do not have enough teams to send to the bowl. The 42nd annual Independence Bowl will be televised on ESPN, marking the 27th consecutive year an ESPN network will televise the event, with kickoff scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT.
C-USA’s 22nd football season is scheduled to begin on Friday, Sept. 1. The league’s 13th annual football championship game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 2.
Bowl Date Time Matchup Network
R+L Carriers New Orleans Sat., Dec. 16 12 pm CT C-USA vs. Sun Belt ESPN
Gildan New Mexico Sat., Dec. 16 3:30 pm CT C-USA vs. Mountain West ESPN
Boca Raton Tue., Dec. 19 6 pm CT C-USA vs. American ESPN
St. Petersburg Thu., Dec. 21 7 pm CT C-USA vs. American ESPN
Bahamas Fri., Dec. 22 11:30 am CT C-USA vs. MAC ESPN
Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Tue., Dec. 26 TBA C-USA vs. Big 12 ESPN
*Independence Wed., Dec. 27 12:30 p.m. CT C-USA vs. ACC or SEC ESPN
*secondary agreement if ACC or SEC cannot fill