BYU commits to Armed Forces Bowl | The Salt Lake Tribune

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Brigham Young University is scheduled to play in the Armed Forces Bowl following the 2011 football season. The Cougars must be bowl eligible and not selected for a BCS game.

The ninth annual bowl, which returns to Dallas for the second straight year, is scheduled for Dec. 30, at SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, and will feature an opponent from Conference USA. The kickoff is set for noon (MST), and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

"We are pleased to announce the relationship with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl," BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe said. "When we announced our football program was going independent, we recognized it would be a challenge given the timing to secure a bowl affiliation for 2011. As an institution, we have a lot respect for the service academies and the individuals who protect our country. We are privileged to participate in a game that honors the men and women of our armed forces."

BYU has never played in the Armed Forces Bowl.

The announcement gives BYU a bowl affiliation for each of the next three football seasons. The Cougars are scheduled to play in the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego and San Francisco's Hunger Bowl in 2013.