JOURNAL SPORTS
Many of the best moments in the 49 years of Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl history have been televised nationally in prime time, so it’s fitting the 50th anniversary edition this winter will be a night game.
The 2026 contest is set for Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN, bowl officials announced Wednesday. I-Bowl Foundation chairman Keith Burton was bullish about the prime time kickoff on a weeknight, which generally provides a much bigger TV audience.
“A 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN gives us a tremendous opportunity to showcase our region on a national stage and celebrate what makes this game so special,” he said.
The bowl slate was released by ESPN with 35 bowls and 11 College Football Playoff games. One bowl has yet to be scheduled, the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl. No games will be carried on ESPN2, with six airing on ABC.
The only non-Football Bowl Subdivision contest included, the Cricket Celebration Bowl pairing champions of the two major HBCU leagues, Grambling’s Southwestern Athletic Conference and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, kicks off the schedule on Saturday, Dec. 12. The first round of playoff games begins Friday-Saturday Dec. 18-19 on campus sites.
This will be the third prime time kickoff for the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in the past four years, following 2023 and 2024. It is the first pre-Christmas Independence Bowl since 2023, when Texas Tech defeated California in front of a crowd of 33,071.
Getting the night slot provides the local bowl with an opportunity to showcase its history to a more broad TV audience, while giving fans a full day of festivities, officials said. Playing before Christmas also allows the bowl to stage events without the year’s major holiday creating logistical hurdles for bowl week.
“This year’s game carries special significance as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Independence Bowl, a proud milestone for one of our community’s most enduring traditions,” Burton said. “For five decades, this event has brought people together through college football, hospitality, and the distinct spirit of a Louisiana bowl game.”
The Independence Bowl annually drives revenue and overall economic impact to the area. In last three editions, the bowl has accounted for an average of direct and indirect spending of $7.3 million in the local community and an average total economic impact of approximately $23.4 million.
The bowl has topped 30,000 in paid attendance over the same span – averaging a paid attendance of 32,551 the last three years. It is the first time since 2015 that the bowl has seen three consecutive years of paid attendance over 30,000 fans.
Louisiana Tech has played in each of the last two I-Bowls, losing to Army in 2024 as a five-win pinch-hitter after Marshall withdrew due to a coaching change and transfer portal losses, then topping Coastal Carolina last December for the Bulldogs’ eighth win of 2025.