The 2009 Armed Forces Bowl was the seventh edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The game started at 12:00 PM US EST on Thursday, December 31, 2009. The game was telecast on ESPN and matched the Houston Cougars of Conference USA and the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West Conference. The game earned a 1.6 rating. The game marked the first time that Houston had entered a bowl game with a national ranking in the Coaches' Poll since the 1979 season.