CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Old Dominion and Western Kentucky have been picked to play in the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte, ESPN Events announced on Sunday.
The game, which will take place on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. at the Charlotte 49ers' Jerry Richardson Stadium, will be televised nationally on ESPN.
This is Old Dominion's (6-6) second bowl game in three years under head coach Richy Rahne. The team became eligible to compete in a bowl game after beating Georgia State 25-24 by scoring 18 points in the final 1:37.
Western Kentucky (7-5) will be playing its fifth straight bowl game under head coach Tyson Helton. This is the Hilltoppers 10th bowl in the last 12 years.
Western Kentucky and Old Dominion were both Conference USA members from 2014-2021 and both teams are former Bahama Bowl winners.
The Famous Toastery Bowl will temporarily replace the Bahamas Bowl, which was relocated to Charlotte due to renovations at Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau. The game features teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA. The game is expected to return to the Bahamas in 2024.
The game is one of 17 bowls that are owned and operated by ESPN Events. This year's bowl game marks the first-ever sports sponsorship for Famous Toastery, according to an ESPN news release.