The Fort Worth Bowl will now feature a team from the Mountain West Conference.The recently signed three-year deal goes into effect in 2006.

The agreement means that one of the top three teams from the conference will play in the bowl game at Amon Carter Stadium, giving TCU the chance, if selected, to play in front of its home crowd.

Tom Starr, executive director of the Fort Worth Bowl, had nothing but good things to say about the agreement and said it will be beneficial for all parties involved.

“Bringing the Mountain West in will generate more hometown interest,” Starr said. “It will help sell tickets and will be good for the bowl and the city in general.”

Starr said the committee is hoping to continue the bowl’s growth and stay successful.

“We just wanted to grow,” Starr said. “There are nine good teams in the Mountain West, and it will make for a competitive game each year.”

TCU athletics director Danny Morrison has the same enthusiasm as Starr.

“This is a good alignment,” Morrison said. “It is a win-win situation for everybody.”

Morrison said he is excited with TCU’s inclusion into the MWC and said that conference is the best fit for TCU right now.

“This is a great marriage,” Morrison said. “With nine schools in the conference, it gives you four home games and four away games.

“This is a big accomplishment for TCU to be brought into this elite conference. I’m sure there will be many rivalries.”

He also said TCU must stay successful in rivalries with Texas schools.

“How good you do in the conference is how good of a membership you have,” Morrison said.

Starr said it is not known what other conference will be featured in the bowl yet.

“There is nothing set yet,” Starr said. “We have lots of possibilities, but we wanted to get the Mountain West locked up first.”

Morrison said he is impressed with the work everyone on the committee is putting in.

“Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson is really working hard, and everyone is doing a good job,” Morrison said.

Thompson could not be reached for comment.

The game this year will continue under the old alignment, featuring a Big 12 team against a team from Conference USA scheduled for Dec. 23.

The bowl committee is in the process of selecting a sponsor for the games to be played under the new contract.