Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman announces partnership with American Athletic Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman, benefiting the USO, today announced it has entered into a long-term partnership with the American Athletic Conference.

The American will supply teams for the Military Bowl from 2014 through 2019, Military Bowl President & Executive Director Steve Beck announced.

“We are excited to partner with the American Athletic Conference as it reestablishes its brand,” Beck said. “We expect The American to field a highly competitive league. With so many schools and their alumni within driving distance, we believe fans will come out and support their teams in our game.”

The Military Bowl will share a pool of the third through sixth picks of bowl-eligible teams in The American. The game will be played against a to-be-determined opponent at its new home, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

“We are proud to announce this partnership with the Military Bowl,” American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco said. “Our objectives when choosing bowl partners are to find quality matchups in desirable destinations attractive to our teams, coaches and fans. The Military Bowl not only meets these objectives, it embodies the core values and identity of our reinvented Conference. We admire the work of the DC Bowl Committee in supporting the USO and our men and women in uniform. We look forward to creating memorable experiences in the National Capital Region for our student-athletes and fans.”

The first five editions of the Washington-area’s bowl game were played at RFK Stadium. The 2013 game, matching teams from the ACC and Conference USA on Friday, Dec. 27, will be the first bowl game ever played in Annapolis. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Last year’s game, in which San Jose State defeated Bowling Green, 29-20, saw the Military Bowl host a ranked team for the first time in its history. San Jose State finished the season ranked No. 21 in both major polls.

Fans are encouraged to visit www.militarybowl.org to keep up to date with the latest information regarding this year’s game.