The Lone Star Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association have agreed to annually send teams to the Kanza Bowl, a new postseason football game to be played the first Saturday in December in Topeka, Kansas.

The Kanza (pronounced CANS-uh) Bowl will be one of only four Division II bowl games. The Lone Star and MIAA signed a one-year agreement with the bowl, with the option to renew the contract for up to two additional years.

“Having the chance to participate in a postseason bowl game is something our coaches have desired for some time, and it’s appropriate that we can do that in an agreement with the MIAA,” said Lone Star Commissioner Stan Wagnon. “Both conferences play football at the highest level in Division II, and both of us seem to always have a team or two that feels like they should have been included in the playoffs. This will give those teams an opportunity that wouldn’t otherwise exist.”

MIAA Commissioner Jim Johnson said, “The Lone Star and the MIAA traditionally over the last 10 to 15 years have been two of the conferences in Division II that have been well represented in the postseason playoffs and in the national championship game. The game that takes place in December in Topeka will be as good as any game in the Division II playoffs.”

Activities associated with the bowl include a Friday night banquet. Team members also will participate in a community-engagement event while in Topeka.

A bowl selection committee will be responsible for selecting the two teams after the NCAA Division II playoff teams have been determined. The committee has established several criteria to simplify its selection process, including a commitment to selecting the team from each conference with the best conference record.

The committee will use head-to-head results as a tiebreaker if the two teams under consideration have the same conference record. If no head-to-head competition exists, or if more than two teams have identical conference records, the bowl selection committee will use its own judgment to make the selection.

Since the MIAA also sends a representative to the Missouri-based Mineral Water Bowl, the MIAA’s best non-playoff team will have the choice of playing in the Kanza Bowl or the Mineral Water Bowl. The Lone Star has no other bowl commitments.

The facility in Topeka – Hummer Sports Park – seats 6,000 fans and features a synthetic grass field. The conferences agreed that the selected MIAA team will always be the home team, while the selected LSC team will be the visitor.

For the bowl game in 2009, officials from the MIAA will govern the contest, using a seven-man crew.  The officiating crew will alternate between the two leagues, with officials from the LSC set to work in 2010.

The Pioneer Bowl (SIAC vs. CIAA) and the Dixie Rotary Bowl (RMAC vs. GNAC) are the other two Division II bowls.