The 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be played at SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas because of renovations to TCU's football stadium after this season, it was announced Tuesday.
The decision to vacate Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth for the 2010 game was mutually agreed upon by TCU representatives and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The bowl then reached an agreement with SMU to hold the 2010 postseason bowl game at Ford Stadium.
"We are very excited to serve as the host of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl this December and help our friends at TCU and in Fort Worth," SMU athletic director Steve Orsini said in a statement. "The patriotism that this game represents is something with which we are proud to be associated."
TCU on Monday announced a $105 million renovation project, the first major upgrade to Amon G. Carter Stadium since 1956, to begin immediately following its final home game on Nov. 13.
The Armed Forces Bowl announced that teams competing in the 2010 game will still be housed in Fort Worth and all activities surrounding the game will continue to be centered in Fort Worth. The bowl game plans to return to Amon G. Carter Stadium in 2011.
"Fort Worth certainly remains the home of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and we are excited about the enhancements in store for Amon G. Carter Stadium," Armed Forces Bowl executive director Brant B. Ringler said in a statement. "In the meantime, we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our bowl in Dallas to those fans who may not have had a chance to experience our game before, and we truly appreciate SMU and its athletic department for providing a quality venue for our bowl game."
The game is scheduled for noon ET on Dec. 30, and it will be televised live on ESPN. Army is already signed to play in the game as long as it has six wins by its annual game against Navy on Dec. 11. It will play a qualifying team from the Mountain West Conference. Air Force has played in the last three games.
Amon G. Carter Stadium has hosted the bowl game since its inception in 2003 when it was called the Fort Worth Bowl. It changed to the Armed Forces Bowl in 2006.
Jeff Caplan covers colleges for ESPNDallas.com. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.