Georgia Southern will meet Appalachian State in the JLab Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29 at Protective Stadium, bowl officials announced Sunday.

After several qualified teams opted out of the postseason this year, the Birmingham Bowl was forced to pair two Sun Belt teams in a rematch from the regular season. The Eagles (6-6) accepted the invitation earlier in the day, but several other 5-7 teams reportedly turned down a chance to play in the game before the Mountaineers finally accepted about two hours after all 81 of the other bowl slots were filled.

Georgia Southern won the regular-season meeting with App State 25-23 on Nov. 6 in Boone, N.C. Both teams are making their first trip to the Birmingham Bowl.

“Georgia Southern is proud to accept an invitation to the JLab Birmingham Bowl and we look forward to a matchup against App State,” Georgia Southern athletics director Chris Davis said. “Competing in the postseason is always a special opportunity, and it reflects the hard work and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Our team is excited for the chance to represent Eagle Nation, our institution and our alumni on ESPN, and we’re grateful to Executive Director Mark Meadows and the Birmingham Bowl committee for this opportunity.

“Our great fans have always traveled to each of our previous seven bowl games, and I have no doubt they will descend upon Birmingham for this game. Hail Southern!”

Notre Dame (10-2) turned down a bowl bid after being left out of the College Football Playoff, while Iowa State (8-4) and Kansas State (6-6) opted out of the postseason following coaching changes, resulting in a trickle-down effect involving several bowls.

Various bowl officials then made their way through the 5-7 teams by order of their Academic Progress Rate scores, but Mississippi State opted for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and Rice accepted an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl. Auburn, Florida State, Baylor, Kansas, Central Florida and Temple all turned down a trip to Birmingham, according to a report by On3’s Brett McMurphy.

Georgia Southern and App State are not only Sun Belt rivals, but longtime adversaries dating to their days as FCS powerhouses. In the rivalry known as “Deeper Than Hate,” the Mountaineers lead 22-18-1 all-time.

“We are honored and excited to accept the JLab Birmingham Bowl’s invitation to play Georgia Southern on December 29^th‚” App State AD Doug Gillin said. “Playing postseason football is special. It’s another opportunity to display the App State brand in front of a national audience.

“We are excited for our football program and for App Nation for this opportunity to watch our team compete for a bowl championship.”

Kickoff for the 2025 JLab Birmingham Bowl is set for 1 p.m. Central on Dec. 29, with television coverage on ESPN.