New bowl in Frisco, Texas, replaces Bahamas Bowl with Arkansas State-Missouri State matchup

Frisco, Texas, will host a bowl to replace the now defunct Bahamas Bowl and feature Arkansas State and Missouri State, sources told On3.

The new bowl in Frisco will be held at the Ford Center at The Star on Dec. 18, sources said. Kickoff is 9 p.m. ET. The addition of the bowl, which is still finalizing a title sponsor, will be the 41st bowl game this season, allowing for 82 bowl teams.

Since this summer, On3 had reported that another bowl would replace the Bahamas Bowl. The Bahamas Bowl, which started in 2014, will not be held again, sources said. It’s undetermined whether the new bowl in Frisco will continue beyond this season, a source said.

Arkansas State (6-6) won five of its last seven games to make its third consecutive bowl under coach Butch Jones. Missouri State (7-5) is in its first year in Conference USA, transitioning from the FCS to the FBS. The Bears received their first bowl bid in school history after there were only 80 bowl eligible teams for 82 spots. This allowed Missouri State and Delaware, another Conference USA member in its first year after moving from FCS, to get the final two bowl berths.

The Bahamas Bowl began in 2014, but was not played in the Bahamas in 2023 when the stadium was not available. In 2023, Charlotte hosted the Bahamas Bowl.

Besides the Arkansas State-Missouri State matchup, the Ford Center at The Star will also host the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23. The Frisco Bowl was moved to the Ford Center this year because Toyota Stadium, where the game had been held since 2017, is undergoing renovations.