The 2021 Frisco Football Classic was a college football bowl game played on December 23, 2021, in Frisco, Texas, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT local time), televised on ESPN. It was one of the 2021âÂÂ22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season.
The NCAA approved the bowl game in order to accommodate all 83 bowl-eligible teams; otherwise, one bowl-eligible team would not have been selected for a bowl game. The added bowl game essentially served as a replacement for the canceled San Francisco Bowl.
The game features teams from the Group of Five conferences. This was the first time that North Texas and Miami University ever played each other.
North Texas, from Conference USA (CâÂÂUSA), finished the regular season 6âÂÂ6, 5âÂÂ3 in conference play. The Mean Green won their season opener against Northwestern State, 44âÂÂ14, but then lost the next six games, dropping to 1âÂÂ6. North Texas then went on to win its next five games, including upset victories over UTEP and a 45âÂÂ23 victory over then-undefeated #22 UTSA in the regular season finale, handing UTSA its first loss of the season.
Miami, from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), finished the regular season 6âÂÂ6, 5âÂÂ3 in conference play. In the team's regular season finale, the RedHawks had a chance to play in the MAC Championship Game by defeating Kent State. Miami trailed 31âÂÂ41 with 11:17 left in regulation, coming back to tie the game 41âÂÂ41 to send it to overtime. Kent State went on offense first, scoring a touchdown and making the point after attempt. The RedHawks would score a touchdown and attempted a two-point conversion pass, but the pass was incomplete. Miami lost 47âÂÂ48, sending Kent State to the conference championship game.