2010 Liberty Bowl to Ring in New Year

Memphis, Tn - The 52nd AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be played Friday, December 31, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) and will be televised by ESPN. This is a very appealing game date for the national television audience. The three-day holiday weekend will also be attractive for Mid-Southerners and fans who will travel from out of town to attend the game.

The December 31 date is one of the most sought-after on the bowl schedule this year. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl was selected for this prime time slot due to its impressive ESPN television ratings and its longtime strong national brand name recognition.

The telecast of the 51st AutoZone Liberty Bowl on ESPN drew one of the largest audiences in ESPN college football history. The peak viewing audience surpassed every ESPN bowl game in the last four years.

Of all 85 ESPN televised college football games during the 2009-10 regular season and bowl season, only one other game (USC vs. Ohio State, a match-up of top ranked teams) recorded a higher peak viewership than the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

We are very excited about this great date and we especially appreciate the great partnership with our home town title sponsor, AutoZone, and our thousands of community supporters and volunteers, said AutoZone Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart. The December 31 holiday date will enable more fans to attend the game and will provide a great opportunity for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl to continue to showcase its participating teams, the Memphis community and St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital to a huge national television audience.

Tickets to the 52nd AutoZone Liberty Bowl can be purchased by calling 901-795-7700 or by contacting aburk@libertybowl.org.