RENO -- For the first time in 65 years, Nevada and New Mexico will face each other on the gridiron.

Nevada of the Western Athletic Conference and New Mexico of the Mountain West Conference accepted invitations Sunday to meet in the second annual New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 22 in Albuquerque.

Nevada (6-6, 4-4 in the WAC) became bowl eligible with a 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday. This marks the first time in Nevada history that the Wolf Pack has been invited to a bowl game three straight years.

New Mexico (8-4, 5-3) was among five bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West.

``We are very pleased to have the chance to represent the WAC in another bowl game,'' Nevada coach Chris Ault said at a news conference Sunday night. ``This team, especially after yesterday's game, is very deserving of a bowl game. The last few weeks, our defense has gotten better and our offense has continued to do well.

``New Mexico is a fine football team. I had a chance to see them on TV once this year and was impressed. They have a good running back and are sound in what they do,'' Ault added.

The Wolf Pack and Lobos last met in Reno in 1942, when they played to a scoreless tie. New Mexico beat Nevada 26-7 in 1941, the only other time the schools have met on the gridiron.

Miami, Fla., defeated Nevada 21-20 in last year's MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho. Nevada posted a 49-48 overtime victory over Central Florida in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu.

Nevada is among four bowl-bound WAC teams this year, including undefeated Hawaii, which will face Georgia in the BCS's Sugar Bowl.

Boise State will meet East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu on Dec. 23 and Fresno State will face Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise on Dec. 31.

Nevada players said they were excited to be part of the WAC's success.

``This is great. Our season didn't turn out the way we had hoped but we get a chance to end our season and our careers with one more win,'' Nevada senior tight end Adam Bishop said. ``That means a lot to me and the rest of the seniors.

``I feel like this is just another road game for us against another tough opponent. They won a lot of games this year, so it's going to be a challenge,'' he said.

Despite heading into the bowl game without a winning record, Nevada barely came up short against Hawaii and Boise State. Hawaii edged the Wolf Pack 28-26 in Reno, and Boise State beat Nevada 69-67 in overtime at Boise.

Ault, who is fifth among active coaches in career victories, has a 1-2 record in bowl games.

The game, set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. PDT at University Stadium, will be nationally televised on ESPN.

San Jose State defeated New Mexico 20-12 in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl last year.