Bill Moos accepted an invitation Sunday morning for the football team to play in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.

The Cougars (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12) will face the Miami Hurricanes (8-4, 5-3) of the Atlantic Coast Conference at 11 a.m., Dec. 26 in Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.

“Washington State is excited to be participating in the 2015 Sun Bowl,” the WSU director of athletics said. “I can say from experience that both our team and our fans will enjoy the first class hospitality that will be extended by the El Paso community and the bowl itself. This will be a fabulous and deserving reward for our players and a wonderful way to cap off an outstanding season.”

This will be the team’s second bowl game in Head Coach Mike Leach’s four-year tenure. WSU last reached the postseason in 2013 in its 48-45 loss to Colorado State in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

The Cougars will be making their second-ever appearance at the Sun Bowl. The team defeated a Joe Tiller-coached Purdue, 33-27, in 2001 as the 13th-ranked team.

“We are excited to play another football game and spend our holiday week at the Sun Bowl,” Leach said. “Our players and coaches have worked extremely hard to get to a bowl game and we are proud to be playing in one of the nation’s longest-standing bowls.”

The Sun Bowl is the second-oldest bowl game behind the Rose Bowl. The contest has been televised by CBS for decades, and in recent history has pitted the fifth-best teams from the Pac-12 and ACC against each other, as determined by the bowl’s selection committee.

Moos said in a conference call that the ticket allotment for the fan base is at six thousand. Members of the Cougar Athletic Fund and season ticket holders were able to purchase tickets immediately after the announcement. General public tickets will go on sale through wsucougars.com at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

“I realize that it being the day after Christmas presents some challenges,” Moos said. “But it really is a good environment and you can’t forget the Mike Leach factor in West Texas. So we’re hoping to see some new Cougar fans there as well.”

As to why the Cougars were not selected for either the Valero Alamo or National University Holiday Bowls – Moos was in talks with both bowls’ executive directors last week – the 45-10 loss to Washington in the Apple Cup along with the uncertain status of quarterback Luke Falk’s health were brought up in discussions.

The Pac-12 South champion USC Trojans were selected to represent the Pac-12 in the Holiday Bowl for a second consecutive year; their appearance in the Pac-12 championship game and close proximity to San Diego likely helped the bowl’s committee choose the Trojans.

Both Cougar fans and WSU students expressed disappointment in not being selected to play in the Holiday Bowl, though Moos reiterated that this opportunity represents a tremendous leap for the program.

“First of all, it’s a tremendous reward for our players and also for our fans,” Moos said. “Secondly, it’s tremendous exposure for Washington State University, not just Cougar Athletics. Thirdly, the opportunities to practice, especially with the younger guys, are really invaluable.”

Respecting Leach’s policy of not discussing injuries, Moos would not comment on the health of Falk, leading receiver redshirt junior Gabe Marks or redshirt senior left tackle Joe Dahl, but reiterated there is a chance the team will be close to having its full arsenal three weeks from now. Moos also said Falk is expected to resume practicing when the team returns to work Tuesday.

The Hurricanes have endured a whirlwind of a season, having fired former Head Coach Al Golden after the team suffered a 58-0 loss to then-No. 6 Clemson on October 24, but should present a formidable challenge for a young Cougar team.