While the Cure Bowl would have loved to have had USF, something that was expressed to the Tampa Free Press on multiple occasions this season, the Bulls playing in a bowl on UCF’s campus, where the game was relocated this year, was likely far from appealing among those off Fowler Avenue for obvious reasons.
There would have been plenty of energy surrounding a Gasparilla Bowl matchup between USF and UCF that would have filled seats at Raymond James Stadium. Alas, who could blame the Bulls for wanting to get away from home for their bowl experience?
That is exactly what they will do, but not travel far with Boca Raton serving as the destination where they will meet Syracuse on December 21 (8 p.m./ESPN) in the 10th playing of the Boca Raton Bowl.
Read: USF Clinches Bowl Eligibility For First Time Since 2018
The Bulls snapped a four-year postseason drought when they became bowl-eligible with a win over visiting Charlotte last Saturday evening to close the regular season at 6-6, including 4-4 in the American.
Syracuse (6-6/2-6 ACC) fired coach Dino Babers following a November 18 loss to Georgia Tech that left the Orange 5-6. Under interim coach Nunzio Campanille last week, SU defeated Wake Forest to achieve bowl eligibility.
The Orange and Bulls are former members of the Big East and have played each other 10 times with USF winning eight.
The Boca Raton Bowl will be the Bulls’ 11th bowl in their 24 seasons as an FBS member. They are 6-4. The game will be their fourth in-state bowl joining the 2008 MagicJack Bowl (now Gasparilla) at Tropicana Field against Memphis, the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl against Western Kentucky and the 2018 Gasparilla Bowl at RJS versus Marshall.
Three other teams in the Sunshine State are bowling. UCF will make the drive west on I-4 to play Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Florida State, deprived of a spot in the College Football Playoff, will travel down to Miami to meet Georgia in the Orange Bowl. In another matchup between former Big East members, Miami will meet Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
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