Advertisement Nebraska to take on USC in the Holiday Bowl Huskers are 25-25 all-time in bowl games and 6-6 since 2000 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

After a tumultuous week that involved the Nebraska Cornhuskers firing seven-year head coach Bo Pelini and hiring Mike Riley, the former head coach of the Oregon State Beavers, to replace him, the team now knows where they’ll be spending the holidays and ending their season: The National University Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif. The game will start at 7 p.m. CT on Dec. 27.The game will be televised on the ESPN network.Video: Fans react to Holiday Bowl announcementFor the first time since 2011, the Nebraska football team will end its season someplace other than the state of Florida, and will be looking to do what they have never done: Beat USC.Shortly after Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst announced Sunday that Pelini would dismissed, effective immediately, Barney Cotton, who has held numerous roles on the coaching staff, was appointed interim head coach for the team’s bowl game.“We look forward to the opportunity to take on USC in the Holiday Bowl, and the opportunity to finish our season with a trip to San Diego,” Cotton said. “Our goal as a coaching staff is to provide a great bowl experience and put this team in position for success in the Holiday Bowl. This team has outstanding character and leadership, and we would like nothing more than to send our seniors out with a second straight bowl victory and a 10-win season.”Riley will just observe the bowl game and focus on recruitment, as his contract likely doesn’t begin until after the game is played.The team enters their bowl game with a 9-3 record, having finished in second place in the Big Ten West. USC enters the game with an 8-4 record, having finished in fourth place in the Pac-12 South Division.Nebraska played last year in the Gator Bowl and the Capital One Bowl two years ago. The team is 25-25 all-time in bowl games and 6-6 since 2000.The trip to the Holiday Bowl is Nebraska’s 51st all-time bowl appearance, the third-most bowl appearances of any school in the country. The 2014 season marks the seventh straight season with a bowl trip for Nebraska.Tickets for the Holiday Bowl are on sale to the public now at Huskers.com. Beginning Monday morning tickets can also be purchased by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG RED. Fans can purchase tickets by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.