A new bowl game has arrived to the scene.
In 2025, we wave farewell to the Bahamas Bowl and welcome the new Xbox Bowl, which occupies the vacancy. The Xbox Bowl debuts in Frisco, TX on Thursday, Dec. 18 and pits together the Missouri State Bears and Arkansas State Red Wolves in a Conference USA vs. Sun Belt matchup.
The Xbox Bowl was one of the first two 2025 bowl matchups set, along with the Hawaii Bowl (which pairs California and Hawaii on Christmas Eve). The inaugural Xbox Bowl will be played at the Ford
Center, a 12,000-seat venue inside The Star — mainly used as the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility. The Ford Center also hosts high school football games, college all-star games, and was the home to Big 12 Media Days in July.
The Dec. 18 Xbox Bowl does not replace the already-existing Frisco Bowl. Rather, it is a completely different event as the Frisco Bowl kicks off Dec. 23. Frisco, TX also hosted two bowl games in 2021, showcasing the Frisco Bowl between UTSA and San Diego State in addition to the Frisco Football Classic, a makeshift game created to provide a postseason opportunity for Miami (OH) and North Texas. Both the Frisco Bowl and Xbox Bowl are slated to played at the Ford Center this year, but when Toyota Stadium renovations are complete, they will move back to the 22,500-seat outdoor soccer stadium.
It’s extremely fitting a new bowl game features a new team. Missouri State joined the FBS this year, and like most transitioning teams from the FCS level, it was initially deemed ineligible to qualify for the postseason. However, only 80 out of 82 teams reached the 6-win threshold, allowing Missouri State (and fellow FBS newcomer Delaware) to occupy the final two bowl spots. The Bears posted a 7-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in Conference USA, rattling off a 5-game win streak over conference opponents in the middle of the season. Led by head coach Ryan Beard, this will be the team’s first-ever bowl game. Missouri State is already 1-0 vs. the Sun Belt since joining the FBS, earning its first victory of this new era at Marshall in Week 2.
Arkansas State is bowling for the third-straight year under Butch Jones, and the Red Wolves eye a second-straight postseason victory after defeating Bowling Green in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl. The Red Wolves dropped their first four games vs. FBS competition this year but responded with a triumphant 4-game win streak. Arkansas State nearly contended for the Sun Belt West Division, however, last-second losses to Southern Miss and Louisiana set the team to 5-6 heading into the final week. With bowl eligibility on the line, Arkansas State prevailed, downing Appalachian State 30-29 on Kenyon Clay’s late rushing touchdown last Saturday. The Red Wolves stroll into bowl season at 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt.
The matchup between Missouri State and Arkansas State will be the fifth bowl game of 2025. It will kick off at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT from the Ford Center in Frisco, available for viewing on ESPN2.
