The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, which is hosted in St. Petersburg, will officially move to a Friday night for the 2012 NCAA season. The game will now be played on Friday Dec. 21, 2012.

"The Friday primetime kickoff will enable more fans from our community to attend the game while also showcasing our market to a national viewing audience on ESPN,"Brett Dulaney, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director said in an official release. "The switch to Friday night should be beneficial for the St. Petersburg tourism industry as well. Teams will arrive earlier in the week with their fans, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants during a week that is typically one of the slower tourism weeks."

The game will be televised on ESPN and will feature a matchup between teams from the Big East and Conference USA at Tropicana Field. Last year's bowl game featured match ups between two recent NFL Draft picks in Marshall's Vinny Curry and FIU's T.Y. Hilton.