The inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl, featuring teams from the Big East and Conference USA, has been scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Dec. 20, on ESPN2 at Tropicana Field.

“We are not only thrilled to create a Florida bowl game experience for teams from C-USA and the BIG EAST, “ said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager for ESPN Regional. "We’re also proud to showcase the St. Petersburg area and all it has to offer. The early evening kickoff will allow those attending the game to enjoy a full day of Florida’s renowned December weather before their bowl experience.”

For the moment, the St. Petersburg Bowl would kick off bowl season as the first game played, with the Las Vegas Bowl scheduled for the same night at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Another first-year bowl, the Congressional Bowl in Washington, D.C., has been tentatively set for Dec. 20 and is likely to have an earlier afternoon kickoff. The New Mexico Bowl is also a possibility for Dec. 20, though no date and time has been set.

Baseball update: There is no curfew for the Big East -- woohoo! -- so no matter how late it takes, USF is playing Notre Dame tonight. So check back for live blogging, but the Bulls won't start until at least 8:30 ...