The original match-up of Marshall and Army was announced on December 8. However, Marshall withdrew from the game after a plethora of players entered the
NCAA transfer portal following the departure of head coach
Charles Huff to
Southern Miss. Louisiana Tech was selected to replace Marshall.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Louisiana Tech ended their regular season with a 5–7 record (4–4 in conference play). The Bulldogs began the season with four losses in five games, then went 4–4 in their remaining eight games. They did not face any ranked FBS teams. Louisiana Tech plays their home games at
Joe Aillet Stadium in
Ruston, Louisiana, approximately east of
Shreveport, Louisiana, home of the Independence Bowl.
Army Black Knights Army played to a 10–1 record (8–0 in conference play) and earned a spot in the
American Athletic Conference Championship Game, where they defeated
Tulane, 35–14. They then faced
Navy in the annual
Army–Navy Game and suffered a 31–13 defeat. The only other team to defeat Army was the one ranked team they faced,
Notre Dame. Army entered the bowl with an 11–2 record and ranked 22nd in the final
College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, 19th in the
AP poll. ==Game summary==