WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Independence Bowl, one of Army’s primary bowl tie-ins for the upcoming six-year bowl cycle, has announced its conference affiliations. If Army becomes bowl eligible, the Black Knights can face an opponent from the Pac-12 Conference in 2020 and 2024, and an opponent from the American Athletic Conference in 2022.

This past fall, Army announced future primary bowl agreements with the Independence Bowl and ESPN Events for the upcoming six-year bowl cycle. With those announcements, Army owns primary tie-ins with the Independence Bowl (even years) and an ESPN owned and operated bowl game (odd years) each of the next six years.

A month after the Independence Bowl agreement, Army announced an agreement with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, owner and operator of the Belk Bowl, that could lead to Army participating in the Charlotte-based postseason game twice over the next six years, beginning in 2020.

As part of the deal, Army will serve as a primary backup for the Belk Bowl, and will have the opportunity to accept an invitation to the game twice during the next six-year bowl cycle that runs from 2020 through 2025.

As part of those deals, Army will have the opportunity to exercise an "Acceptance Option" for a different bowl game, one time during each of the separate three-year terms -- once during the even years with the Independence Bowl and once during the odd years with ESPN Events. Army could exercise the "Acceptance Option" for the Belk Bowl or another game that extends an invitation to the Black Knights.

The Belk Bowl will feature an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team against an opponent from either the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the Big Ten Conference from 2020 through 2025. Beginning next year, a team from the ACC will face a team from the Big Ten in the Belk Bowl in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and a team from the SEC in 2021, 2023 and 2025. Should either conference fail to provide the Belk Bowl with an eligible team at any point during the new six-year cycle, Army would be extended an invitation to fill the vacancy.

ARMY'S FUTURE BOWL SCHEDULE

2020: Independence Bowl vs. Pac-12

2021: ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl Game

2022: Independence Bowl vs. AAC

2023: ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl Game

2024: Independence Bowl vs.Pac-12

2025: ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl Game*

The Belk Bowl can extend an invitation to Army once during the even years (2020, 2022, 2024) and once during the odd years (2021, 2023, 2025) to fulfill a vacancy.