| Game Name: | Armed Forces Bowl |
| Title Sponsor: | Bell Helicopter |
| Date Game Played: | December 30 |
| Year Game Played: | 2013 |
| Football Season: | 2013 |
| Stadium: | Amon G. Carter Stadium |
| City: | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Visitor School: | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Middle Tennessee |
| Visitor Nickname: | Blue Raiders |
| Visitor Record: | 8–4 |
| Visitor Conference: | C-USA |
| Visitor Coach: | Rick Stockstill |
| Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home School: | United States Naval Academy |
| Home Name Short: | Navy |
| Home Nickname: | Midshipmen |
| Home Record: | 8–4 |
| Home Conference: | Independent |
| Home Coach: | Ken Niumatalolo |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Referee: | Mark Kluczynski (MAC) |
| Attendance: | 39,246[1] |
| Payout: | $600,000 |
| Us Network: | ESPN/ESPN Radio |
| Us Announcers: | Beth Mowins (play-by-play) Joey Galloway (analyst) Paul Carcaterra (sidelines) |
| Different Previous: | 2012 |
| Different Next: | Jan 2015 |
The 2013 Armed Forces Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 30, 2013, at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. The eleventh edition of the Armed Forces Bowl (which was originally known as the Fort Worth Bowl), it featured the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders of Conference USA against the Navy Midshipmen, an independent team. It began at 10:45 a.m. CST and aired on ESPN.[2] It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by Bell Helicopter and was officially known as the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Navy defeated Middle Tennessee by a score of 24–6.
The Midshipmen accepted their invitation after earning a 6–4 record in their first ten games of the season,[3] while the Blue Raiders accepted their invitation after earning an 8–4 record in theirs.[4]
See main article: article and 2013 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team. The Blue Raiders' first season as a member of Conference USA saw them continue their winning ways as they finished 8–4 overall and 6–2 in conference play (tied with the East Carolina Pirates for second in the C-USA East Division). At season's end, bowl director Brant Ringler extended an invitation to the Blue Raiders to play in the game.[4]
This was Middle Tennessee's first Armed Forces bowl.
See main article: article and 2013 Navy Midshipmen football team. In April 2009, organizers announced that they had reached a deal with Navy to play in the 2013 edition of the Armed Forces Bowl.[5] After defeating the South Alabama Jaguars for their sixth win of the season on November 16, bowl director Brant Rigler extended an invitation to play in the game.[6]
This was Navy's first Armed Forces Bowl, making them the last of the FBS' three service academies to reach the bowl (Air Force reached the bowl in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012, with Army reaching the bowl in 2010).