The game originally was scheduled to debut in 2020
The stage is set for the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 29 at 11 a.m. ET at Fenway Park.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the University of Virginia will play in the first Division I bowl game ever held in New England. SMU was ranked as high as No. 16 in the regular season and finished 8-4 while Virginia went 6-6. The two teams never have played each other.
The matchup pits two of the nation’s top passing quarterbacks against each other. Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong finished the year with 4,444 passing yards (the third-most nationwide) while SMU’s Tanner Mordecai — who transferred from Oklahoma — also was up there, ranking 10th with 3,628 passing yards.
Both should get a chance to flex those muscles at Fenway Park, considering the Cavaliers’ defense allowed 466 yards per game — ranking ninth. SMU wasn’t that far off with 415.3 total yards per game allowed.
The Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be broadcast on ESPN.