The Southern Methodist Mustangs can anticipate a warm and cold reception when they encounter the Eagles of Boston College in the second annual Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park on Dec. 28.

The ACC will go all in for one of its three newest members that will compete at an historic venue within a vast and lucrative media market. SMU (11-2, 8-0) closed it its run in the American Athletic Conference by winning the league title and will join California and Stanford in the ACC next season.

“I am really excited about SMU, they are a top 25 team and they have great players and they are well coached,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley, who is out of town on a recruiting trip.

“They are going to be an ACC opponent next year and I’m excited about it. I think it will be a good matchup and I’m sure our players are excited, too. It is a really good team that a lot of people thought was going to go to a New Year’s six bowl game.”

The organizers at Fenway have a grand reception planned for the Mustangs at the park, where the gridiron stretches from the right field bullpens to the visitor’s dugout.

“We are excited about this matchup and the chance for Boston College and SMU athletes, coaches, families, and fans to discover Fenway Park beyond the baseball season,” said Brett Miller, the executive director of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

The one thing the boys from Dallas might not find accommodating is winter weather in New England, which can be most unpredictable in the days after Christmas. The olde ballyard on Lansdowne Street is better suited for hosting winter events like the NHL’s Winter Classic or Frozen Fenway, an unofficial outdoor event for area colleges.

“I haven’t heard anything yet about new uniforms for the bowl,” said Hafley. “It might be really cold at 11 a.m. and we will have to figure out the cleats, but I’m sure the field will be in good condition. They have some of the best ground crews in all sports so hopefully that will be in great shape.”

Fenway Park is the Northern most outpost on the FBS bowl calendar, well up the dial from Ford Field in Detroit and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. BC has played in bowl games at both Ford Field and Yankee Stadium (twice) in the last 10 years.

Last season’s inaugural Wasabi Bowl between Louisville and Cincinnati was played on an unseasonably balmy day under partial sunshine, so it’s conceivable the Mustangs could catch a break from the elements. In any event, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee welcomes the opportunity.

“We’re excited to be playing in the Fenway Bowl,” said Lashlee. “We hope to wrap up the season with a 12th win, which would only be the second time that has happened in school history.

“Our goal was winning a conference championship and we did that. Our players deserve to be celebrated and this is a great opportunity to do just that.”

The primary benefit of securing a bowl berth, outside of the four teams in the FBS playoffs which will compete for the national championship, is the 15 additional days of practice awarded by the NCAA. BC will have plenty of time to study up on the Mustangs and Hafley plans to use some of the practice sessions as a segway to spring football.

“Up until that first week before the bowl and get to the bowl site and all that stuff, we are going to go fundamentals and it is going to be ones versus ones and twos versus twos,” said Hafley.

“There is going to be a lot of time at the end to scrimmage the younger players who have not gotten many reps. Once we get closer to the game, we turn our attention towards SMU.”

While this will be a first for SMU, BC has an extensive history of playing football games at Fenway Park. The Eagles have played 76 games at Fenway and compiled a record of 55-16-5.

BC beat Norwich 28-6 in its Fenway debut on Oct. 31, 2014. BC’s last two games at Fenway were against Notre Dame and UConn and in both instances, the Eagles were the visiting team. The one drawback to the venue is that both teams share the same sideline on the Green Monster half of the field.

“We are excited to go to a bowl game and represent Boston and do it in Boston,” said Hafley. “We are going to build around the week prior and do some fun things and do some team-bonding activities.

“The Fenway Bowl is a newer bowl and I’m sure they are going and incredible job in a great city. I am sure there are a lot of new things for us to see and do and it will be great for the families and the players.”