BYU and SMU selected to face-off in 17th Annual New Mexico Bowl

Cougars and Mustangs will meet Dec. 17 on ESPN and ESPN Radio for 17^th annual Bowl in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Brigham Young University and SMU have been selected to participate in the 17^th annual New Mexico Bowl. The game is currently scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17 at 12:15 p.m. MT at University Stadium in Albuquerque and will be televised nationally on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio.

The Cougars (7-5, Independent) enter the game having won three straight, including a win at Pac-12 foe Stanford to end the season. BYU is playing in the New Mexico Bowl for the second time and appearing in a bowl game for the 17^th time in the last 18 seasons.

“It is wonderful to welcome BYU back to the New Mexico Bowl”, said New Mexico Bowl Executive Director Jeff Siembieda. “One of the premier programs in college football, the Cougars have a long history of big moments in our state and are very familiar to the locals. We look forward to hosting the team, players, families, and the tremendous BYU fan base in Albuquerque.”

SMU (7-5, 5-3 American Athletic Conference) has won four of their last five and boast the nation’s 11^th best scoring offense, putting up 38.4 points and averaging 479.8 yards per game. Appearing in the New Mexico Bowl for the first time, the Mustangs have been selected to play in a bowl game four years in a row for just the second time in program history.

“The opportunity to have SMU to the New Mexico Bowl for the first time is a wonderful one, and I am very excited”, Siembieda said.  “The Mustangs bring one of the nation’s most explosive offenses into our game and are on a roll, winning four of their last five games.  With a passionate fan base and a fantastic team, we can’t wait to have SMU showcased in the New Mexico Bowl.”

Note: ESPN Events is prepared to flex the times/networks of the New Mexico Bowl and SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 17 if the NFL flexes the Las Vegas Raiders/New England Patriots game time to an earlier window on Sunday, Dec. 18.  If that happens, the New Mexico Bowl will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT/7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

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