NASHVILLE – Representatives of the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl announced today that ESPN has set the kick-off for this year’s annual post-season Bowl game for Monday, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. CST at LP Field in Nashville.

“We are excited about the game date and time that ESPN has assigned to us. We believe this date will maximize fan travel and deliver high visibility on ESPN for the Franklin American Mortgage Company and the city of Nashville,” said Brad Lampley, Bowl Chair.

“Plus, combined with the other New Year’s Eve festivities in downtown Nashville, we have a chance to have a record number of out-of-town visitors in the city over a three-to-four day period. It should be one of the biggest New Year’s Eves in Nashville’s history, and the Bowl is thrilled to be part of it.”

This will be the fifth time the Bowl has been played on New Year’s Eve. That date has produced some of the Bowl’s best results, including:

• The Bowl’s highest economic impact number, recorded in 2007 (Kentucky vs. Florida State, $27M).
• Average attendance has been 61,027 (11 percent higher than historical average).
• Average television rating on ESPN has been 3.2 (10 percent higher than historical average).
• The longest per visitor average stay (2.20, 2003 Bowl: Auburn vs. Wisconsin).

The 2012 game will mark the seventh Bowl match-up between the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Nashville. The Bowl’s partnership with the ACC and SEC runs through the 2013 college football season. This year, the SEC adds the University of Missouri and Texas A&M University to its roster of member institutions.

Last year’s bowl game featured the Mississippi State University Bulldogs defeating Wake Forest University 23-17, in front of a crowd of 55,208.

Since its inception in 1998, the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, celebrating its 15th year, has produced more than $207 million in direct economic impact for Nashville, transforming the week between Christmas and New Year’s into one of the city’s busiest for tourism. Over the last six years of the SEC and ACC match-up, the Bowl has averaged nearly $19 million in economic impact for Nashville and the surrounding area, along with an average attendance of more than 62,000, ESPN viewership of 4.5 million viewers, and approximately 40,000 out-of-town visitors.