Georgia
Birmingham Bowl will be Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt after several teams opt out
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 29th‚” 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.
Gulfstream recently announced a $5 million investment in Georgia education, welcoming students and leaders to its Savannah headquarters.
ATHENS, Ga. – Designated hitter Daniel Jackson and centerfielder Rylan Lujo combined for nine RBI Sunday, leading fifth-ranked Georgia to a 12-1 win over LSU at Foley Field.
Georgia improved to 41-11 overall, 21-6 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 29-24 overall and 9-18 in conference play.
The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Florida in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.
“Georgia won the moments in this series,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “They’re going to score, so you’ve got to capitalize against them when you have scoring opportunities on offense.”
Georgia starting pitcher Caden Aoki (8-0) was the winner, limiting LSU to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
LSU right-hander Casan Evans (2-3), making his first appearance since April 17 versus Texas A&M, started the game Sunday and was charged with the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“I thought Casan’s stuff looked great, and that’s good for him from a health standpoint,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that the more he pitches, the better he is, so there might have been a little bit of rust, but I thought he competed fine.”
Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning in an outburst highlighted by Jackson’s two-out, two-run single and an RBI single by second baseman Ryan Black.
The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. delivered an RBI single.
Georgia extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Jackson launched a two-run homer and centerfielder Lujo lined a run-scoring single.
Lujo unloaded a grand slam in the fifth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-1 advantage.
-
Alaska9 minutes ago10 Reasons the 2026 Princess Cruises Season Is the Ultimate Alaska Power Move – AOL
-
Arizona15 minutes agoArizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #40: 5/11 @ Rangers
-
Arkansas21 minutes agoSax star Merlon Devine joins Lupus Foundation of Arkansas to jazz up awareness month
-
California27 minutes agoGOP California governor candidates to face off at Clovis forum ahead of primary
-
Colorado33 minutes agoCoworking firm Industrious takes former WeWork space in Denver
-
Connecticut39 minutes agoNew Haven man found with ‘Super Mario’ meth pills to serve federal prison time
-
Delaware45 minutes agoWho governs matters: Why school board elections deserve your attention
-
Florida51 minutes agoSouth Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real