The University of South Florida football team will be celebrating Christmas across the Pacific Ocean.
The Bulls announced Tuesday that they will be playing in the Hawai'i Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
USF (6-6) will be making its second consecutive bowl appearance under Coach Alex Golesh when they take on San Jose State (7-5), according to a news release.
At more than 4,200 miles, it will be the Bulls' farthest road trip.
“We are excited for the opportunity to compete in the Hawai‘i Bowl against a very good San Jose State team,” Golesh said in the release. “Hawai‘i is a unique and beautiful destination that our players are excited to experience, and we look forward to productive bowl practices and a great game as we continue to build our program.”
The Bulls, of the American Athletic Conference, closed out the season with four wins in its last six games.
This is USF's 12th bowl appearance. It has won seven of its last 11 bowls, including three of its last four, and defeated Syracuse 45-0 last year in the Boca Raton Bowl.
San Jose State, of the Mountain West Conference, closed out its regular season with a 34-31 win over Stanford.
The Spartans are led by first-year coach Ken Niumatalolo, who joined San Jose State after 16 years at Navy.
They're 7-6 in previous bowl games, and this is their second consecutive Hawai'i Bowl appearance, losing 24-14 to Coastal Carolina last year.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. The Bulls won at San Jose State 42-22 to open the 2017 season.
The game will kick off at 8 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa campus and will be televised by ESPN.
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