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Fort Worth, Texas • BYU has formally accepted its invitation to play in the Armed Forces Bowl.

The Cougars, playing an independent schedule this year, had been granted a provisional invitation in April. BYU was 7-3 and already bowl eligible going into its home game Saturday night against New Mexico State.

BYU will play a Conference USA team in the Dec. 30 Armed Forces Bowl that will be played on the SMU campus.

It will be the Cougars' seventh consecutive bowl appearance under coach Bronco Mendenhall.

The Cougars had two regular season games in Texas. They lost both, at Texas in September and against former Mountain West Conference rival TCU at Cowboys Stadium last month.