TaxSlayer Bowl to be played Jan. 2

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 71st Annual TaxSlayer Bowl will be played on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. The game will be played at noon and will be televised nationally on ESPN. The TaxSlayer Bowl will be in the first time slot to kickoff ESPN's Saturday college football bowl lineup.

The TaxSlayer Bowl will feature a team from the Southeastern Conference that will serve as the anchor team and will face an opponent from the Big Ten Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference, which also includes the University of Notre Dame.

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"This game marks our 70th anniversary and we are very excited to be celebrating this milestone with these outstanding conferences and the leader in TV sports, ESPN. Starting Saturday at noon with the TaxSlayer Bowl is a great way to begin the day of college football," said Rick Catlett, president and CEO of the TaxSlayer Bowl.

"The TaxSlayer Bowl's great tradition and annual matchup between strong teams is an ideal way to kick off our Jan. 2 bowl lineup," said Kurt Dargis, ESPN director of programming and acquisitions.

Last year's TaxSlayer Bowl featured the University of Tennessee from the Southeastern Conference and the University of Iowa from the Big Ten Conference. The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28.8.