Arkansas State will play Middle Tennessee State in the Camellia Bowl on Dec. 16, the bowl announced Sunday afternoon.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after the Arkansas State University football team (7-4, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) lost its share of a third consecutive Sun Belt Conference title in a final-minute 32-25 loss to Troy.
The Red Wolves will make its seventh consecutive bowl appearance in a bowl game in which it has never played.
The Camellia Bowl, which is played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., had the third of five picks in the selection of bowl-eligible Sun Belt members. The bowl game began its affiliation with the Sun Belt and the MAC in 2014, and Appalachian State won the game in each of the last two seasons.
Bowl games also negotiate deals with other conferences, which led Middle Tennessee State (6-6, 4-4 Conference USA) to be chosen in place of a MAC opponent. Camellia Bowl officials have not yet responded for comment.
The New Orleans Bowl owns the first pick of Sun Belt Members, and the Dollar General Bowl owns the second pick. Fourth is the Cure Bowl, and the fifth pick belongs to the Arizona Bowl.
The Sun Belt also announced that Troy will play North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, Appalachian State will play Toledo in the Dollar General Bowl and Georgia State will play Western Kentucky in the Cure Bowl.
New Mexico State's opponent in the Arizona Bowl has yet to be announced.
The MAC, which is also tied to the Dollar General Bowl, does not send its members to bowl games based on picks.
ASU has played in a different bowl game in each of the last four seasons, and the Red Wolves have a 1-2 bowl record under fourth-year Coach Blake Anderson.
Last season, ASU beat Central Florida 31-13 in the Cure Bowl.
Middle Tennessee State holds a 9-5 lead in the all-time record over ASU, and the two programs used to be Sun Belt Conference opponents. They last played in 2012, when the Red Wolves beat the Blue Raiders 45-0 to win the conference title.