2016 Liberty Bowl, Georgia vs. TCU: Date, time, location, and everything to know

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Bowl season’s ramp up to New Years continues on Friday with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl kicking off the schedule heading into the weekend.

Last year’s game took place on Jan. 2, so technically there will be two 2016 Liberty Bowls with this year’s edition taking place on Dec. 30. This isn’t the first time this has happened either, as there were two Liberty Bowls within the 365 days of 2010.

The Liberty Bowl started in 1959 in Philadelphia, but moved to Memphis in 1965 after a one year interlude in Atlantic City. The game was played indoors at the city’s Convention Hall on a grass field laid over burlap, so it’s no surprise there wasn’t an encore.

Last year’s game saw Arkansas cruise to a 45-23 win over Kansas State, in which the Razorbacks rushed for five touchdowns in a convincing win.

Here is everything you need to know in preparation for this year’s Liberty Bowl:

Date and time: Friday, Dec. 30, Noon

TV channel: ESPN

Location: Memphis, Tenn.

Stadium: Liberty Bowl

Last year’s score: Arkansas 45, Kansas State 23

Last year’s attendance: 61,136

Teams with the most all-time appearances: Arkansas, 5

Teams with the most all-time wins: Ole Miss, 4

Georgia (7-5, 4-4 in SEC)

Georgia began 2016 with a new head coach for the first time in 15 years -- former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart had the tough task of following up Mark Richt in Athens in 2016. Smart’s first season as head coach began pretty well, as the Dawgs got off to a 3-0 start, highlighted by a win over UNC in Week 1 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff. But following that start, Georgia proceeded to lose the next four out of five games -- the worst coming at home to Vanderbilt, which marked Commodores head coach Derek Mason’s first SEC road win in three seasons. Wins over Kentucky and an upset win over No. 9 Auburn made the Dawgs bowl-eligible, which is a far cry from what Georgia wants but still an important thing.

The good news offensively for Georgia is that the Dawgs have found a quarterback in true freshman Jacob Eason. The No. 2 overall quarterback prospect in 2016 according to 247Sports has performed solidly during his first collegiate season under center, going over 2,000 yards. Georgia’s rushing offense has been a tad bit more limited than expected this season. Running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel have been good but not world-beaters.

Defensively, the Dawgs are relatively young, especially within the linebacking corps. The unit finished 2015 ranked inside the top 30 according to S&P+ on the regular season, and that will likely only get better under Smart. Aside from not beating Florida and Tennessee to compete for an SEC East title, there are some positives that Georgia fans can take away from Smart’s first season in Athens.

TCU (6-6, 4-5 in Big 12)

TCU didn’t have a particularly good season. The Horned Frogs’ vaunted offense averaged eight points per game worse during the regular season than it was the year before, and the defense stayed just about the same. The result was a sharp fall from 11- and 12-win seasons the last two years, as TCU transitioned from a Playoff contender to a middle-of-the-pack outfit in the Big 12. But Gary Patterson again has the Frogs in a bowl game, just like he did in 13 of the previous 15 years. TCU’s been a model of consistency, even when it hasn’t been elite.

Kenny Hill is TCU’s quarterback and key offensive player. The Texas A&M transfer had an interesting but generally disappointing year, throwing more than an interception per game and struggling to succeed as a passer. He was a pretty good runner, though, and he helped TCU when he kept the ball on the ground.

TCU’s defense is not great, but the line is pretty solid. Defensive ends Josh Carraway and Matt Boesen get lots of sacks, and the run defense does a decent job.

What you get with TCU is a team that isn’t as good as it’s been but could still win any given week against all but a handful of teams. That’s not so terrible for a down year.