It is not often thatb a bowl game can give the fans a heated rivalry game but with both the University of South and the University of Central Florida are both 6-6 and ready for some post season action. Fans from both want Florida schools want to be in Tampa on December 22nd at 6:30 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ESPN the 2023 renewing The War On I-4 in The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
The game is owned and promoted by ESPN and when both teams were in the American Athletic Conference the rivalry game was one of the highest rated games each year in the AAC and had a very respectable national rating. As a matter of fact The War on I-4 likely to be one of the highest rated pre New Year’s six games in 2023.
USF leads the football series 7-6 but it is the Knights from Central Florida that has won the past six in a row. Both teams won their final game of the regular season to make the 6 win mark for bowl eligibility
First year head coach Alex Golesh led the Bulls to a 6-6 record and that is more wins than USF has had in the last three years combined. Over in Orlando in their first year in the Big 12 the Knights had a tough season going 3-6 in the conference and finisged 6-6 overall.
We will know on December 3rd when bowl invitations will go out.