Vanderbilt waited 26 years to reach a bowl. Turns out the Commodores won't even need to pack their bags for this one.

Vanderbilt (6-6, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) accepted an invitation to the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and will face Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Dec. 31 at 2:30 CT. The game will take place in LP Field, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, in downtown Nashville.

The Eagles (9-4, 5-3 ACC) advanced to the conference championship game before falling to Virginia Tech. While Boston College has been a postseason regular, the invitation was a long time coming for the Commodores.

"I'm excited, our staff is excited and our players are excited about getting a chance to experience a bowl game," said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, now in his seventh year with the team. "Getting to play in the Music City Bowl is a fantastic reward for this football team and Vanderbilt University."

Vanderbilt began the season 5-0, its best start since World War II, before losing four straight. The Commodores then clinched eligibility with a 31-24 win over Kentucky before dropping their last two games. Despite losing six of their last seven games, the enthusiasm over finally reaching a bowl has been obvious among the long-suffering fans of Vanderbilt, who can clinch their first winning season since 1982 as well with a bowl win.

I think it will also mean a great deal for our fans," Johnson said. "After supporting the Commodores as they have for so many years, I'm extremely happy for all of them. They probably deserve this bowl as much as my team does."

Tickets for the game are available at www.vucommodores.com and are $50-$70 apiece.