Independence Bowl/SEC Agreement Official

(The following story provided by The AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl)

The AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl and the Southeastern Conference have announced an agreement that will begin with a team from the conference participating in the 2012 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl set for Friday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. on ESPN.

“We are obviously thrilled to be back in the game with the SEC,” said 2012 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl chairman Jack Andres. “We enjoyed 15 years of success with them from 1995-2009, and we’ve hosted 10 of their teams in our game, including newcomers Texas A&M and most recently Missouri. Our local ticket buyers and sponsors are familiar with the teams in the SEC and we hope this will generate even more local support for our game. We sincerely appreciate the willingness of Commissioner Thompson and Bret Gilliland at the Mountain West to work with us on making this happen.”

This announcement is a reunion with the SEC for the Independence Bowl as it previously partnered with the SEC for 15 years from 1995-2009. The AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl will now match the SEC #9 selection after the BCS versus the ACC # 6 selection following the BCS, thus ending the game’s relationship with the Mountain West Conference, which began in 2010. The Mountain West has reached a two-year agreement with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl for a member institution to participate in its 2012 and 2013 games.

“We have enjoyed our relationship with the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl,” said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson.  “Although continued conference realignment has necessitated an adjustment in our bowl partnerships, we were able to identify an amicable solution for all parties and we wish the folks in Shreveport the best of luck going forward.”

The SEC owns a 13-3 all-time mark in the Independence Bowl, with Ole Miss (4-1) having the most wins and five other teams sporting perfect records. Most recently Georgia defeated Texas A&M, 44-20, in the 2009 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl and Missouri beat North Carolina, 41-24 in this past year’s game, as Missouri was still a member of the Big 12 Conference. Since the game’s inception in 1976 the Independence Bowl has hosted 10 of the SEC’s current member institutions. The Independence Bowl is the 11th oldest of the 35 bowl games.

"With the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M, we were looking to expand our bowl lineup and we are pleased to have the Independence Bowl back in our schedule,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.  “The Independence Bowl gives us a tie-in with the ACC, which will provide exciting competition in this high profile game."

AdvoCare V100 is currently in its fourth year as the game’s title partner. AdvoCare also sponsors the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series Race, as well as partnering with Richard Childress Racing as the title sponsor of the No. 3 car for 20 races this season.

“We at AdvoCare are very excited to "be back" with the SEC,” stated AdvoCare President and CEO Richard Wright. “The SEC is a conference of champions and we look forward to hosting SEC teams for many years to come.”

The Independence Bowl now joins the Chick-fil-A and Music City Bowls in matching up teams from the ACC and SEC. According to ACC Commissioner John Swofford, “Anytime you have an ACC-SEC bowl matchup in the south it is a formula for success. We look forward to another such competition opportunity going forward in Shreveport.”