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Brett McMurphy, College football reporter 10y

Sources: AAC sets up bowl in Miami

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The American Athletic Conference will announce on Thursday the creation of the Miami Beach Bowl, to be played at Marlins Park starting in 2014, sources said.

In the newly created bowl, the American is expected to play teams from Conference USA, the Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences from 2014-19, sources said. A news conference is scheduled for Thursday at Marlins Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, a source said.

It will be the AAC's second bowl game played in a Major League Baseball stadium, joining the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Unlike other conferences, it appears the American champion -- if it doesn't qualify for a College Football Playoff bowl -- will not be assigned to a specific bowl.

The American had previously announced bowl deals from 2014-19 with the Military in Washington D.C.; Beef 'O'Brady's in St. Petersburg; and BBVA Compass in Birmingham, Ala. The league also will alternate sending a team to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Sheraton Hawaii during the six-year period.

The American also is expected to send a team periodically to the Bahamas Bowl.

The addition of the Miami Beach Bowl will mean there will be at least 38 bowls, not including the College Football Playoff championship, in 2014 meaning there will be bowl spots for 76 teams. This season, the final year of the current four-year bowl cycle, has 35 bowls for 70 teams.

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