TCU Accepts Fort Worth Bowl Invitation
12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 1, 2003
Conference USA has completed its process for determining bowl participation for its five bowl-eligible football teams. Regular season champion Southern Miss will represent the league in the AXA Liberty Bowl on December 31 in Memphis and will face Mountain West Conference champion Utah. Louisville has accepted a bid to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on December 18, where it will face Mid-American Conference regular season champion Miami (Ohio). TCU will participate in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl on December 23 against an opponent to be determined. Houston will play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on December 25, taking on Hawaii of the Western Athletic Conference. Memphis has accepted a bid to the New Orleans Bowl, where it will play Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas on December 16.
On Saturday afternoon, following its 20-13 win over SMU, TCU was extended an invitation to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The GMAC Bowl has the next selection among C-USA teams following the AXA Liberty Bowl. Late Sunday evening, TCU declined the GMAC Bowl's invitation due to the conflict that the Dec. 18 game presents with TCU's final exam schedules.
"The Conference understands that TCU's decision was based solely on its academic conflict and we support TCU's right to make a decision that they believe is in the best interest of its student-athletes' academic welfare," said Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky.
On Monday afternoon, Louisville accepted a bid to participate in the GMAC Bowl for the second consecutive season.
"We appreciate very much the highly cooperative manner in which the GMAC Bowl worked with the conference office on this matter and we have the greatest respect for the bowl's leadership and the people of Mobile," added Banowsky. "They continue to be a great bowl partner with which we value our association."
Southern Miss will be making its third appearance in the AXA Liberty Bowl. USM defeated Pittsburgh, 41-7, in the 1997 game and downed Colorado State, 23-17, in the 1999 game. The Golden Eagles will face Mountain West Conference champion Utah in the contest. USM has played in a bowl game six times in the last seven years and has an all-time record of 6-7 in bowls.
Louisville and TCU are among 16 Division I-A programs that will be making their sixth consecutive bowl appearance this season. After finishing with its highest win total since 1973, 8-4 Memphis will be playing in its first bowl game since 1971 when it kicks off the 2003-04 bowl season in New Orleans. Houston will be a part of its first bowl game since winning C-USA's inaugural championship in 1996 when it faced Syracuse in the Liberty Bowl.
