Arkansas State vs. Missouri State: Time, Date, TV Channel, 2025 Xbox Bowl Preview

It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.

NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest featuring the debut of a bowl game:

2025 Xbox Bowl

Matchup: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Missouri State Bears
Date: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Stadium: Ford Center — Frisco, Texas
TV: ESPN 2

Game Overview

The Xbox Bowl was announced as the replacement for the Bahamas Bowl, which was played for the final time on Jan. 4, 2025 between the Buffalo Bulls and Liberty Flames and ultimately was cancelled due to ongoing issues at Thomas Robinson Stadium.

Missouri State, the most recent addition to the FBS, will make their bowl game debut and have an opportunity to become one of only three teams to win a bowl game in their first year after making the transition from the FCS.

Team Overviews

Arkansas State Red Wolves
Conference: Sun Belt
Head Coach: Butch Jones
Record: 6–6

Arkansas State was long known as a proving ground for head coaches, with Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Bryan Harsin (Boise State) and Bryan Anderson (Utah State) all parlaying success with the school into new gigs.

Butch Jones has brought some stability to the program, however, and now leads his club into a third consecutive bowl appearance.

The Red Wolves didn’t exactly have the most prolific offense in the Sun Belt, but quarterback Jaylen Raynor did lead the conference in passing yards (3,073) and wide receiver Corey Rucker became the conference’s all-time receiving yards leader (3,903) with an outstanding season total (866). Jones has never been known for having great defenses, but does have two absolute stud pass-rushers in Demarcus Hendricks and Eathan Hassler, who have combined for 22.0 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks.

Missouri State Bears
Conference: Conference USA
Head Coach: Nick Petrino (Interim)
Record: 7-5

Missouri State had a good debut season in the FBS, as they stayed competitive in all but one conference game — winning five of them.

The Bears will be led by offensive coordinator Nick Petrino, who replaces head coach Ryan Beard after he took the head job at Coastal Carolina. Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark, who led his conference in touchdown passes (24), and do-it-all running back Shomari Lawrence, who combined for 1,065 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns, can vouch for his abilities. 

Players to Watch

Arkansas State
QB Jaylen Raynor
RB Devin Spencer
RB Kenyon Clay
WR Corey Rucker
WR Chauncey Cobb
DL Demarcus Hendricks
DL Eathan Hassler
LB Aaron Alexander

Missouri State
QB Jacob Clark
RB Shomari Lawrence
WR Jmariyae Robinson
DL DJ Wesolak
LB Kanye Young

Key Notes

The Red Wolves and Bears just announced a home-and-home series for 2027 and 2028.

Arkansas State is 5-7 in bowl games, last adding a victory when knocking off Bowling Green in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl.

Betting Lines

DraftKings Sportsbook: Arkansas State -1.5 | O/U 54.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Arkansas State -1.5 | O/U 54.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Arkansas State -1.5 | O/U 54.5

The Pick: Arkansas State -1.5