SMU has agreed to hold the ESPN-televised 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Dec. 30.

This is the eighth time the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be held, and the first time in history that the game will be played somewhere other than TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, which will undergo renovation following the Horned Frogs’ regular season schedule.

“We are very excited to serve as the host of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl this December and help our friends at TCU and in Fort Worth,” SMU Director of Athletics Steve Orsini said.

The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is owned by ESPN Regional Television. The bowl game features a patriotic and military theme that has previously included military showcases, flyovers, ceremonies and demonstrations. Armed Forces Insurance also presents the annual

“Great American Patriot Award” that honored men and women in the armed forces last year.

 “The patriotism that this game represents is something with  [which] we are proud to be associated,” Orsini said, “And we are more than happy to host this game in our great stadium on our beautiful campus right in the heart of Dallas.”

While the venue for the bowl game has changed, the bowl week activities and team hotels will remain in Fort Worth.

“Fort Worth certainly remains the home of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and we are excited about the enhancements in store for Amon G. Carter Stadium. In the mean time, we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our bowl in Dallas,” Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, announced in a press release.

The Amon G. Carter renovations are expected to be complete in time for the Horned Frogs’ 2011 regular season. The Bell Armed Forces Bowl is also expected to return to Fort Worth in the 2011 postseason.

Ticket information will be released in the next few weeks.