Tim Buckley | The Daily Advertiser

Tim Buckley

BOONE, North Carolina – The matchup is set.

UL will face Tulane at the Dec. 15 Cure Bowl in Orlando, it was confirmed by a source Sunday morning.

The announcement will be made official later today.

Tulane was deemed to be a likely opponent Saturday night, but nothing had been etched in stone at that point.

The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.

UL (7-6) goes to the bowl as runner-up in the Sun Belt Conference, having lost 30-19 to Appalachian State on Saturday here.

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Cure Bowl executive director Alan Gooch welcomed the Ragin’ Cajuns with an invite following their loss to App State, which would have gone to Orlando had UL won the SBC championship game.

“Everybody knows and understands the rich tradition that the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have in college football,” Gooch said, “so we’re very excited to see Cajun Nation show up in Orlando.

“All of that came into play when we agreed with the Sun Belt Conference to take the runner-up. … It was important that we have an opportunity to get a team and a fan base that understands how to travel.”

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UL is headed to a bowl for the sixth time in eight years, having won the New Orleans Bowl on the field each year from 2011-14 and losing to Southern Mississippi there in 2016.

On Saturday night, Gooch embraced the idea of an all-Louisiana matchup in the now 4-year-old Cure Bowl.

He got it.

Tulane, 6-6 and coming off a 29-28 win over Navy on Nov. 24 that got the Green Wave bowl-eligible, goes as a representative of the American Athletic Conference.

The two opponents know each other well.

Tulane leads the all-time series, which dates to 1911, 22-4, including a 41-39 four-overtime win in 2016 at New Orleans.

UL beat Tulane 24-21 on the field of the Superdome at the 2013 New Orleans Bowl, but the Ragin’ Cajuns’ victory was vacated due to sanctions stemming from NCAA recruiting violations.

The two teams recently announced a renewal of their series, scheduling a UL home game against the Green Wave on Sept. 21, 2024, followed by a game at Tulane on Sept. 4, 2027.

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PHOTOS: UL vs. App State, Sun Belt Championship