The 40th annual San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl will be broadcast by FOX Sports after a 30-year run on ESPN, bowl officials announced Thursday.
The game is slated to air nationally on FS1 at 6 p.m. PST Dec. 28. Coverage will start 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
The postseason college football game, which will match top teams from the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences, will be played at Qualcomm Stadium.
When the Holiday Bowl first aired on ESPN, it was the network’s first ever bowl game. The same will be the case with FS1, which has never previously aired a bowl game.
“We are thrilled to add the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl to what already is our best-ever college football schedule,” said Larry Jones, executive vice president, business at FOX Sports. “The Holiday Bowl is annually one of the most entertaining games of the season, and we look forward to once again having the opportunity to showcase two of the top teams from two of the nation’s premier conferences.”
The mission of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, which puts on the annual event, is to benefit San Diego economically through an increase in tourism. Since its inception in 1978, the association estimates it has generated more than $750 million in economic benefit for the San Diego region.
“We are so proud and excited to announce this new partnership, and grateful to the team at FOX Sports for their enthusiasm and support of the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl,” said Mark Neville, the bowl game’s executive director. “FOX Sports is the ideal platform for our bowl game, and will most certainly be the broadcast home to many memorable games and down-to-the-wire finishes.”
Earlier this year bowl officials decided to discontinue the other postseason game the association had previously also hosted in San Diego, the Poinsettia Bowl. San Diego County Credit Union, which had sponsored the now-defunct game through its 12-year run, subsequently shifted its sponsorship to the Holiday Bowl.
Last year’s Holiday Bowl featured the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeating the Washington State Cougars, 17-12.
Tickets for the 2017 game will go on sale in August.
