STATESBORO – Old rivals reunite for the second time this season as Georgia Southern and App State have been selected for the 2025 JLab Birmingham Bowl, which will be held at Protective Stadium on Monday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. (ET). “Georgia Southern is proud to accept an invitation to the JLab Birmingham Bowl and we look forward to a matchup against App State,” said Director of Athletics Chris Davis. “Competing in the postseason is always a special opportunity, and it reflects the hard work and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Our team is excited for the chance to represent Eagle Nation, our institution and our alumni on ESPN, and we’re grateful to Executive Director Mark Meadows and the Birmingham Bowl committee for this opportunity. Our great fans have always traveled to each of our previous seven bowl games, and I have no doubt they will descend upon Birmingham for this game. Hail Southern!”
Georgia Southern and App State have met 41 previous times, with the Mountaineers holding a 22-18-1 lead in a series that dates back to 1932 after the Eagles won 25-23 in Boone earlier this season. The two schools battled as members of the Southern Conference from 1993-2013. The teams have played every year since 1993, including twice in 2001, but this will be the first time the two will meet at a neutral site. The 41 games played make App Georgia Southern’s most-played opponent in program history.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play in the JLab Birmingham Bowl on December 29th,” said Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton. “This will be an exciting matchup against App State and should make for a great college football game. Playing in the postseason is special for our players and staff, and this opportunity is something we don’t take for granted. It gives us the chance to be on a national stage at a great bowl venue, and we can’t wait to get started with our preparation. We thank the city of Birmingham and the Birmingham Bowl for this invitation.”
Through the bowl selection process, App State (5-7) was chosen after several 6-6 teams declined bowl invitations and 5-7 teams with higher multi-year APR scores above them also turned down the opportunity to play in the game.
Information on tickets will be forthcoming in the near future.
