This weekend, the eyes of the state were on the College Football Playoff selection and breaking news that the Crimson Tide qualified for the Rose Bowl. But the Yellowhammer State hosts three bowl games in three of its biggest cities as well, the participants of which were revealed shortly after.
Check out who is playing in each of Alabama’s three hosted bowl games:
Birmingham Bowl: Troy vs. Duke
Our matchup is set⚔️😈@TroyTrojansFB vs. @DukeFOOTBALL in the @76 Birmingham Bowl on Saturday, December 23 at 11 AM CST at @ProtectiveStdm.
Get your tickets now at https://t.co/7Z1OUDIGab. pic.twitter.com/7Nhlazv5Gb
— 76® Birmingham Bowl (@Birmingham_Bowl) December 4, 2023
It will be a short journey for the Sun Belt Champion Troy Trojans at just over two hours up I-65 to get to Birmingham for their second straight bowl appearance under head coach John Sumrall.
Troy is fresh off a beatdown against Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship, while Duke is replacing both head coach Mike Elko (departed for Texas A&M) and starting quarterback and Fairhope, Alabama native Riley Leonard (transfer portal) who had not played since late October due to injury.
The game will be played on December 23rd at 11 a.m. at Protective Stadium.
68 Ventures Bowl (Mobile): South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan
𝟲𝟴 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗪𝗟.@SouthAlabamaFB will face Eastern Michigan in the @68VenturesBowl at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Mobile, Ala. ☀️🏈 pic.twitter.com/hdmaKJJx8u
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) December 3, 2023
It will be a home game for the South Alabama Jaguars, who have had a fairly disappointing 6-6 season after returning a lot of talent from a historic 10-win 2022 season. But the Jags will have a rare opportunity of playing a bowl game in their own home stadium against Eastern Michigan from the MAC, who also went 6-6 this year.
Currently, the Jags are favored by around two touchdowns. The game will be played on December 23rd at 7 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Camellia Bowl (Montgomery): Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗪𝗟.@AStateFB will face Northern Illinois in the @CamelliaBowl at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 23, in Montgomery, Ala. ☀️🏈 pic.twitter.com/Gt2yNz2lVA
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) December 3, 2023
Montgomery’s bowl game will feature a second Sun Belt vs. MAC matchup between 6-6 Arkansas State led by former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and the Northern Illinois Huskies. While both teams are 6-6, the Huskies come off back to back wins while the Red Wolves have lost two of their last three. NIU opens up as a 2.5 point favorite.
The game will be played at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on December 23rd at 11 a.m. central time.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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