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August 11, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Emerald Bowl and the Pacific-10 Conference have reached a new four-year agreement that will bring the Pac-10's No. 4 or 5 team to the bowl game from 2006 through 2009.

Gary Cavalli, Executive Director of the Emerald Bowl, and Tom Hansen, Commissioner of the Pacific-10, made the joint announcement.

The Emerald Bowl currently matches the Pac-10's No. 6 selection vs. the Mountain West's No. 2 or 3. Last week, the bowl announced a new affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning in 2006.

"We're thrilled to partner with the Pac-10 for another four years and move up in the selection order," Cavalli said. "Beginning next year, we'll have the only bowl match-up between the Pac-10 and the ACC, two of the best conferences in the country.

"With these two new agreements, we've upgraded our teams, created a marquee match-up and raised the Emerald Bowl to a new level. We're very excited about the future of our game."

Each year from 2006-2009, the Emerald Bowl will share the Pac-10's No. 4 and 5 selections with the Las Vegas Bowl, giving the two bowls the flexibility to obtain the best possible match-ups. The Las Vegas Bowl will have the fourth choice in 2006 and '08, while the Emerald Bowl will have No. 4 in '07 and '09.

"The Pac-10 is pleased to extend its relationship with the Emerald Bowl for four years," said Pacific-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen. "San Francisco is a quality destination for our teams and their fans, and competing against an Atlantic Coast Conference team should provide an exciting match-up. The excellence of the Emerald Bowl staff and volunteers and its location have established the game as a rising star on the bowl scene."

Title sponsored by Diamond of California, this year's Emerald Bowl will be played Thursday, December 29, 2005, with kickoff at 1:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN.

Virginia Tech defeated Air Force, 20-13, in the inaugural Emerald Bowl (known its first two years as the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl) in 2002. Boston College beat Colorado State, 35-21, in 2003. Last December's pairing between New Mexico and Navy was one of ESPN's highest-rated games. The Midshipmen cemented a 10-win season with a 34-19 victory.