Hardly riveting action in this one. Texas Tech has already seen their coach move on to “greener” pastures and Minnesota barely qualified to play in a bowl game. Maybe the Gophers have an advantage because they are not going through a transition…maybe.
The Military Bowl isn’t the most highly publicized game of the college football bowl season, but this game between the San Jose State Spartans and the Bowling Green Falcons is a matchup between two drastically improved teams. Just two years ago, these two had three combined wins, and last year both finished 5-7.
Although West Virginia jumped ship to the Big 12 this season, a vintage Big East match-up takes place in the (new) House that Ruth Built after Christmas this bowl season with the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
When it is Duke and not hardwood it is hard to get excited. This year’s team isn’t a total pushover but I am not sure they are ready to win a bowl game just yet.
The Holiday Bowl has a history of playing host to high-scoring football games, and it wouldn’t surprise anybody if that same trend played out Thursday, Dec. 27 between the Baylor Bears and the UCLA Bruins. These two teams combined for 79.2 points per game in the regular season, but the bigger story is that they allowed a combined 64.1. If you like offensive football, tune in for this one.
The Independence Bowl should feel like a home game for the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, who are clashing in their home state with some visitors from the Midwest – the MAC’s Ohio Bobcats.
In 2012, Virginia Tech has not had a very Virginia Tech season. The Blacksburg squad led seemingly forever by head coach Frank Beamer has a sterling reputation for churning out winning seasons, yet the Hokies limped to a .500 mark this season.
Western Kentucky is in a bowl game, but they made more news after the season when they announced that they would be giving ex-Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino another chance.
It is rather surprising to see a team like the 9-3 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs not playing in a bowl this season, while the .500 Purdue Boilermakers – sitting at 6-6 in a decidedly underwhelming Big Ten Conference – meet up with a Big 12 opponent on New Year’s Day in Dallas.
SDSU did not get off to a great start this season, but they caught fire and ended up winning their last 7 games of the season. They will be facing a BYU team That won 3 of their last 4 games and has the nation’s 5th ranked defense.
The Washington Huskies and the Boise State Broncos have only faced off once before—the team from the Pacific Northwest won 24-10 in 2007—but they’ll face off twice in two games starting with the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl.
Once this game concludes, both teams will begin their offseason, but once fall comes around, they’ll prepare to face each other again in the 2013 season opener.
It’s impressive that Western Kentucky finds its way to a bowl, when the Hilltoppers didn’t become an FBS member until 2009. There is more redemption in the fact that WKU was passed over last year, with an identical 7-5 record on the campaign.
Conference USA vs the Sun Belt in some exciting bowl action. Nothing new to be playing this time of year for East Carolina who I think will be in the “Big East” this time next season. Watch out for the Cajuns who are playing in their own backyard.
This bowl match-up knocks the rust off an old acquaintance, back from when Central Florida was part of the MAC conference. The Knights left the MAC in 2004.
Another early bowl matchup that will probably be better than a lot of the action as the New Year approaches. The teams have just 5 losses between them and either can put a scare in almost any team in the country.
Some of the early bowl games wind up being the best and I think this is a good candidate. Both teams can put points on the board and are not that far from home so there should be a good atmosphere for this Bowl Season kickoff.
