HONOLULU – San José State University of the Mountain West and the University of South Florida of the American Athletic Conference will meet in the 2024 HAWAI‘I BOWL. The 21st edition of the bowl game will return to its traditional Christmas Eve time slot, Tuesday, Dec. 24 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus. The game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. HT) and will be televised on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio. Tickets are currently on sale both online at etickethawaii.com and at the UH Ticket Office (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. HST, closed holidays). Prices range from $30-75. A portion of ticket sales will support teachers, classrooms, teacher training and retention in Hawaiʻi through the Extra Yard For Teachers program in partnership with Teach For America – Hawaiʻi, DonorsChoose and the College Football Playoff Foundation. The Spartans will make their second straight HAWAI‘I BOWL appearance while South Florida will make its first trip. SJSU fell to Coastal Carolina, 24-14, in last year’s game which was played outside of Christmas Eve for just the fifth time in the bowl’s history. “On behalf of ESPN Events and our Executive Committee, we’re thrilled to welcome South Florida and San José State to the Hawai’i Bowl,” Executive Director Daryl Garvin said. “Players, coaches and fans from both coasts will enjoy bowl week in paradise, while we showcase the natural beauty of Hawai‘i to television viewers around the world.” Under first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, the Spartans (7-5) capped a seven-win regular season with a 34-31 victory over Bay Area rival Stanford last Friday. Blikenikoff Award finalist Nick Nash leads the nation with 104 receptions for 1,382 yards and has recorded a school single-season record 16 touchdowns. The bowl invite marks the third straight for the Spartans and 12th time that Niumatalolo has coached a team to a bowl game. “We are ecstatic to be invited to the Hawai‘i Bowl. So happy for our entire program,” Niumatalolo said. “Everyone, especially our players, worked extremely hard for this amazing reward. We have coaches and players from Hawai‘i and it will be a cherished experience to play in the Hawai‘i Bowl against a great team in South Florida.” The Bulls (6-6) are one of eight bowl eligible teams from the AAC and will be making their second straight bowl appearance under second-year head coach Alex Golesh. Winners of four of its last six games, USF will appear in its 12th all-time bowl – all since 2005 – in its 24th season of FBS play. “We are excited for the opportunity to compete in the Hawai‘i Bowl against a very good San Josè State team,” Golesh said. “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 two teams rank among the nation’s leaders in turnovers gained – SJSU is tied for second with 27 while USF is tied for 11th with 23. The Spartans lead the Mountain West and rank No. 5 nationally in passing offense (325.3) while Bulls rank No. 5 in tackles-for-loss (8.0/gm). Mountain West teams have appeared in every Hawai‘i Bowl since 2012 with a 4-6 mark. The AAC will be making its third appearance and is 0-2. The Hawai‘i Bowl is known for its high-scoring, thrilling offenses, and close games with two overtime contests and seven games decided by one touchdown or less. In addition to promoting the island way of life by sponsoring events intrinsic to Hawai‘i, the bowl supports many non-profit organizations through the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. More than $1.8 million has been awarded to local charities since the inception of the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. Additionally, through the Extra Yard for Teachers program, the Hawai‘i Bowl has partnered with Teach for America Hawai’i to support teachers, schools and students. The bowl game was created in 2002 after the hometown Rainbow Warriors finished the 2001 season with a 9-3 record and were not invited to a bowl game. The University of Hawai‘i has participated in the bowl a record nine times. About ESPN Events ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter/X or YouTube pages. About the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is the state agency responsible for representing The Hawaiian Islands around the world, and for holistically managing tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with community desires, economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, and visitor industry needs. HTA works with the community and industry to Mālama Hawaiʻi – care for our beloved home. For more information about HTA, visit hawaiitourismauthority.org or follow @HawaiiHTA on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X. Support provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Signature Events Program.