It’s been a while -- a long while -- in the making, but the Russell Athletic Bowl officially announced on Thursday that it had agreed to a six-year partnership with the Big 12.
The new agreement starts next season and continues through 2019. Per the new contract, the bowl will select the first ACC team available after College Football Playoff and the second Big 12 team (likely after the Alamo Bowl).
“The addition of the Big 12 conference, with a high post-playoff selection from the ACC or Notre Dame, will cement the Russell Athletic Bowl as one of the country’s premier bowl games,” said FCSports President Tony Massey in a statement. “With a reconstructed stadium starting next year to help host top schools from the Big 12, ACC -- and potentially Notre Dame -- Big Ten, SEC, Orlando Bowl Week will be one of the most exciting destinations of the postseason.”
The Big 12 has been working to get a bigger presence in Florida, and this announcement is the latest in what has been a busy summer for conferences as they shuffle their postseason tie-ins.
