The Sun Belt Conference unveiled its five bowl matchups Sunday afternoon on the heels of Appalachian State defeating Louisiana in the league's second Football Championship Game and earning its fourth-straight conference title.
No. 20 Appalachian State (12-1, 7-1 Sun Belt) faces UAB (9-4, 6-2 Conference USA) in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 21 (8 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Sun Belt champion Mountaineers bring an unblemished 4-0 bowl record into this postseason with wins in the Camellia (2015, 2016), Dollar General (2017) and New Orleans (2018) bowls. Appalachian State rolls into its bowl matchup as the first Sun Belt team ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 (20th in the Dec. 8 release) and both national polls (20th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches powered by USA Today Sports Top 25 polls in the Dec. 8 release).
Louisiana (10-3, 7-1) squares off against Miami (Ohio) (8-5, 6-2 Mid-American) in the LendingTree Bowl on Monday, Jan. 6 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). Bowl eligible for the second-straight season, the Ragin' Cajuns sport their first 10-win season in school history. The two-time defending West Division champions hold a 3-3 bowl record with postseason appearances in four of the last six seasons (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019).
Arkansas State (7-5, 5-3) meets FIU (6-6, 3-5 Conference USA) in the Camellia Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 21 (4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Red Wolves continue their bowl appearance streak, making their school-record ninth-straight bowl appearance in their 10th-straight season to be bowl eligible. Arkansas State is making its 17th bowl appearance, the most of any Sun Belt team.
Georgia Southern (7-5, 5-3) goes up against Liberty (7-5) in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 21 (1:30 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network). The Eagles are making their first postseason appearance in the Cure Bowl in their fourth meeting against the Flames. Georgia Southern is undefeated in its two previous bowl appearances (GoDaddy in 2015, Camellia in 2018).
Georgia State (7-5, 4-4) takes on Wyoming (7-5, 4-4 Mountain West) in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31 (3:30 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network). The Panthers achieved bowl eligibility for the third time in five seasons. Georgia State is making its first Arizona Bowl appearance as its two previous bowl trips (2015, 2017) were to Orlando for the Cure Bowl.
The Sun Belt enters this bowl season coming off a season that featured an all-time high four wins against Autonomy Five conference opponents. The conference boasts the best bowl winning percentage among all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences over the last three seasons (2016-18):
1. Sun Belt - 11-5 (.688)
2. Big 12 - 14-10 (.583)
3. Atlantic Coast - 18-14 (.563)
4. Big Ten - 15-12 (.556)
5. Mountain West - 10-8 (.556)
6. Conference USA - 12-10 (.545)
7. Southeastern - 17-17 (.500)
8. American Athletic - 8- 13 (.381)
9. Pac-12 - 7-15 (.318)
10. Mid-American - 2-15 (.118)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 21
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)
Georgia Southern vs. Liberty (CBS Sports Network), 1:30 p.m.
Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)
Arkansas State vs. FIU (ESPN), 4:30 p.m.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, La.)
Appalachian State vs. UAB (ESPN), 8 p.m.
Tuesday, December 31
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Ariz.)
Georgia State vs. Wyoming (CBS Sports Network), 3:30 p.m.
Monday, January 6
LendingTree Bowl (Mobile, Ala.)
Louisiana vs. Miami (Ohio) (ESPN), 6:30 p.m.