Another primetime matchup between the ACC and SEC is set for the 18th edition of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.
Originally played in Vanderbilt Stadium, the Music City Bowl was moved to Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, in its second year of existence, where it has remained.
While the Big East and Big Ten previously had tie-ins to the Music City Bowl, the SEC has had a representative in all but one game, a 2005 matchup between Virginia and Minnesota. Now the game features a tie-in for an ACC team to face an SEC team, but the Music City Bowl hasn't been the most generous to SEC teams, historically.
In 15 appearances, the SEC is 7-8 and the LSU Tigers came out on the wrong side of a 31-28 score in last year's game against Notre Dame.
Here is everything you need to know to get ready for this year's Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:
Date and time: Wednesday, Dec. 30, 6 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Stadium: Nissan Stadium, 69,143
Last year's score: Notre Dame 31, LSU 28
Last year's attendance: 60,419
Last year's TV rating: 3.4
Last year's payout for each school: $2.75 million
Team with the most all-time appearances: Kentucky, 4
Team with the most all-time wins: Kentucky, Minnesota and Vanderbilt, 2
Louisville Cardinals (7-5, 5-3 in ACC)
Louisville's second season in the ACC got off to a rough start, with three close losses in the season's first three games. But the Cardinals rallied to win six of their next seven and ended the year with a sixth consecutive bowl berth.
Unbeknownst to them at the time, Louisville was facing one of the most difficult September schedules in recent history. The Cardinals played Auburn, Houston and Clemson in the season's first three weeks, losing all three by a combined 13 points. Once the schedule eased in ACC play, Bobby Petrino's team took care of business. Only 10-win Florida State and eight-win Pittsburgh were able to top Louisville after those first three weeks. In the end, the Cardinals beat the teams they should have beaten.
Freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the Cardinals in both passing and rushing, highlighted by his 396 yards of total offense against Samford. The Louisville offense certainly spread the ball around: Nine different receivers recorded 10 or more catches, and no receiver had more than 36 receptions.
Last bowl game: 2014 Belk Bowl (37-14 loss to Georgia)
All-time bowl record: 9-9-1
Head coach's bowl record: Bobby Petrino is 4-4 in bowl games, including a 2-2 record in his first stint at Louisville and last year's bowl loss in the first season of his second term with the team.
Texas A&M Aggies (8-4, 4-4 in the SEC)
Another hot start faded a bit for the Aggies, as Texas A&M jumped out to a 5-0 record and a top-10 ranking this season before dropping four games in their last seven and finishing outside of the top 25.
It was the offense that struggled a bit for Kevin Sumlin's team, bouncing back and forth between sophomore Kyle Allen and freshman Kyler Murray before settling back on Allen in November. Freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk has developed as one of the top young playmakers in the country, catching 70 passes for 925 yards and six touchdowns, and returning another two punts for scores as well.
On defense, first-year coordinator John Chavis helped the team develop into one of the more aggressive units in the country, led by sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett. The 6'5, 260-pound pass rusher led the SEC with 11.5 sacks, and his ability to get after opposing quarterbacks allowed the Aggies to rank second nationally in pass defense S&P+ this season.
Last Bowl Game: 2014 Liberty Bowl (Won 45-37 over West Viriginia)
All-Time Bowl Record: 17-19
Head Coach's Bowl Record: Kevin Sumlin is 4-1 in bowl games, 3-0 at Texas A&M.