STARKVILLE — The Southeastern Conference has a new bowl slate.
The conference announced six-year agreements with 10 postseason bowls Tuesday. Now included on the docket are the Las Vegas and Gasparilla Bowls.
The Las Vegas Bowl will be sure to turn some heads as it will pit a SEC team outside of the College Football Playoff and the Citrus Bowl versus a Pacific 12 Conference opponent in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
The game previously included Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference schools.
The SEC also will continue its partnership with the Belk Bowl in 2021, 2023, and 2025 — the years not affiliated with the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Gasparilla Bowl, played in Tampa, Florida, will have the last selection of SEC schools in conjunction with the Birmingham Bowl.
Other bowl tie-ins for the conference include the Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, Texas Bowl, and Liberty Bowl.
“We are pleased to have an SEC bowl lineup that provides exciting destinations for our student-athletes and traveling fans,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “We enjoy great relationships with some of the best bowl games in college football and this lineup will continue to provide a wide array of rewarding bowl game experiences for our student-athletes and fans in celebration of a successful season.”
Mississippi State lost to Iowa 27-22 in the Outback Bowl last season. It will open the 2020 season against Louisiana on Aug. 31 in New Orleans.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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