Report: Miami RedHawks to play in St. Petersburg Bowl

According to reports from ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach, the Miami Redhawks (6-6) will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7) in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

The bowl is not a primary bowl for either squad, as the St. Petersburg Bowl is tied to the American Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference and has a secondary agreement with Conference USA. Tritary agreements include the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.

Last season, UConn and Marshall met in St. Pete, with Marshall winning 16-10.

The RedHawks are one of the darling teams in college football this year, managing to pull off a 6-6 record after starting the year 0-6, only the second time in modern FBS history that has happened.

The Bulldogs had an up-and-down year in the SEC, losing at home to South Alabama to open the season and managing three SEC wins, one of those over then-ranked Texas A&M. They ended the season with a 55-20 thrashing of rival Ole Miss.

The move was necessitated after it appears that not enough teams eligible for the bowl qualified from the primary three conferences.

The announcement is expected on Sunday afternoon. The game will be played Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. in Tropicana Field.