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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team will take on San Jose State University in the 26th Annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Tuesday, Dec. 20, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The announcement was made Sunday, Dec. 4, by officials of EMU, the bowl, and the Mid-American Conference. Kickoff for the game will be at 3:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. MT) on ESPN.
 
Tickets can be ordered online using the promo code "MAC" or by calling 734.487.3669. All EMU fans are encouraged to buy their tickets to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl through the EMU Athletics Ticket Office since bowl ticket sales directly benefit EMU student-athletes and aid in future bowl considerations.

"We couldn't be more excited to bring San José State and Eastern Michigan to Boise," said Danielle Brazil, executive director of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. "We know our community will embrace these student-athletes and provide unmatched hospitality – like we have for the last 25 years. This will be a great matchup for our fans and a true celebration of college football in Boise."

The Eagles will face off against San Jose State for the second time in the postseason, as the matchup is a rematch of the 1987 California Bowl. The then-Hurons were a 17-point underdog, but EMU prevailed with a 30-27 win over the Spartans in Fresno, Calif., Dec. 12, 1987

San Jose State finished the regular season with a 7-4 record, going 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference. The Spartans are bowling for the first time since 2020. It will be Head Coach Brent Brennan's second bowl game as head coach of SJSU. Furthermore, he is the first head coach to lead the Spartans to two bowl games since Claude Gilbert in 1986 and 1987.

"We are excited for the opportunity to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl," said EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. "This game will offer our student-athletes a top-flight bowl experience, which everyone is looking forward to. I hope we have some Eastern fans who can get to a great destination and support our team as they look to continue making history."

EMU put together another impressive season in 2022, adding to the success that has come to define the last nine years under Head Coach Chris Creighton. With its eight regular-season wins, Eastern claimed a share of the MAC's West Division title for the first time in school history as well as bringing home the Michigan MAC trophy for the first time since 2012.
 
"Our team is excited to represent our conference once again on a national level, and to play on the field together as a team one more time this season," added Creighton. "I am so proud of everything these guys have done to represent this university; this opportunity is well deserved. We know we will face a great opponent that presents a tough challenge, but we're looking forward to the opportunity."
The Eagles will play in their fifth bowl game in the previous seven seasons. Prior to 2016, Eastern had reached bowl eligibility just twice in its history and had earned the opportunity to play in a postseason bowl just once (1987 California Bowl). Additionally, Eastern earned bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season in 2022 (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season), the first such occurrence in program history.

Three of EMU's last four postseason appearances have come down to the wire, with plenty of high drama playing out on national television. The Eagles came up short against Old Dominion, 24-20, in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, while Georgia Southern provided heartbreak with a game-winning field goal, 23-21, at the 2018 Camellia Bowl. In front of a record-breaking crowd at the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, Pittsburgh overtook EMU with 47 seconds remaining for a 34-30 victory at Ford Field.  

Eastern Michigan is 8-4 overall this year and finished as Mid-American Conference West Division co-champions with a 5-3 record. EMU has been outstanding when playing on the road this season. The Green and White finished the 2022 regular-season campaign 5-1 away from Rynearson Stadium, including a five-game win streak in road contests.

Furthermore, the Eagles also have a "Power 5" win over Arizona State University of the Pacific-12 Conference. It was the first regular season triumph for any Mid-American Conference institution over a member of the PAC-12.

Paced by nine all-conference selections, Eastern's offense ranks third nationally in redzone percentage at 96 percent. Furthermore, senior defensive end Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale-Arizona-Riverside City) was one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football. He finished the regular season ranked first in the nation with 1.09 sacks per game, tied for first in total sacks (12.0), and finished second nationally with 1.8 tackles for loss per contest. He also owns the nation's second-best single-game performance (in terms of sacks) this season. Ramirez collected a program-record 4.0 in Eastern's game at Western Michigan University, Oct. 8.  That game was one of three multiple-sack performances he issued for EMU this season.

One of 13 bowl games played in an active college football stadium, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is also one of nine bowl games played in an on-campus stadium, joining Arizona, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Navy, New Mexico, SMU, South Alabama, and TCU. Four other bowl games are played in college stadiums, but at off-campus sites. UAB (Protective Stadium), USF (Raymond James Stadium), Memphis (Liberty Bowl), and UCLA (Rose Bowl) also host bowl games.

The nation's northern-most bowl game, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is one of 17 owned and operated bowl games by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. Game proceeds provide tickets and/or contributions to Idaho Charities that include the United Way, Optimist Youth Football, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boise School District, Treasure Valley YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girls Scouts and Armed Forces personnel.

Of note, EMU will become the only school in the FBS to have played on all three non-green playing surfaces. EMU's Rynearson Stadium features a gray artificial surface, while the team opened the 2019 season on the teal "surf turf" of Coastal Carolina's Brooks Stadium. Boise State is the only other FBS school to feature a non-traditional playing surface, as Albertsons Stadium features a blue rug. Neither EMU nor CCU have previously played BSU on the gridiron.

Eastern Michigan is one of six bowl-eligible teams from the Mid-American Conference. EMU also becomes the 11th different MAC team to play in Boise.

The Dec. 20 meeting in Boise will not be the final time the two sides meet on the gridiron, as the schools previously agreed to a home-and-home series. The Spartans will play in Ypsilanti, Sept. 5, 2026, while the Eagles will travel to San Jose, Sept. 1, 2029.

2022 MAC Bowl Schedule:
Miami vs. UAB (C-USA), HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, Dec. 16, 11:30 a.m. ET (ESPN)
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State (Mountain West), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Toledo vs. Liberty (Independent), Boca Raton Bowl, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Bowling Green vs. New Mexico State (Independent), Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern (Sun Belt), Camellia Bowl, Dec. 27, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Ohio vs. Wyoming (Mountain West), Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. ET (Barstool Sports)

About Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University has been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1971 and has been among the league's most successful members. The Division I program boasts 155 MAC team championships, the most of any team in the league during that span. Eastern Michigan, which has had a representative at every summer Olympics since 1960, has won 15 team national championships and 55 individual national titles since 1932.

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit emich.edu.

About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. 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.