Taking a quick-hit look at the Dec. 23 bowl menu, which today features a pair of 10-win teams, another that could’ve gotten to double digits were it not for a hurricane and a service academy that’s on the verge of its best season ever wins-wise.
WHO: Texas Tech (6-6) vs. South Florida (9-2)
WHAT: The 12th Birmingham Bowl
WHEN: Noon ET on ESPN
WHERE: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
THE LINE: Texas Tech, +3
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: San Diego State (10-2) vs. Army (9-3)
WHAT: The 15th Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
THE LINE: Army, +7
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: Appalachian State (8-4) vs. Toledo (11-2)
WHAT: The 19th Dollar General Bowl
WHEN: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
THE SKINNY: These two teams are very familiar with each other, at least when it comes to the recent postseason as they met in last year’s Camellia Bowl, with Appalachian State coming away with a three-point win. That game, incidentally, is the only meeting ever between the two schools. ... Arguably the biggest surprise in this game is that Toledo head coach Jason Candle is neither coaching his last game nor already off to a bigger program. In two full seasons, Candle has won 20 games at UT, the best start for a Rockets head coach ever. This time next year, though, expect Candle to be in charge of his own Power Five program. ... Toledo, incidentally, can post its highest win total since its 12-0 1971 season under Jack Murphy. A win would not only match that season, but could also leave the Rockets ranked in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 for the first time ever. ... Both teams left the regular season on a high, with the Mountaineers winning three in a row and the Rockets doing the same, with the bonus for the latter being the last of those wins coming in the MAC championship game. ... ASU is looking to run its all-time bowl record to 3-0. with the first two wins coming the past two seasons... If you like quality quarterback matchups, this one’s for you. UT’s Logan Woodside and ASU’s Taylor Lamb are two of only three FBS quarterbacks, the other being Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, to throw for 25 or more touchdowns and fewer than eight interceptions this season. Woodside is currently fifth in the country in pass efficiency, while Lamb is 16th. Woodside is also 11th in passing yards (3,758), while Lamb can also beat a defense with his legs as his 539 yards rushing are 10th amongst Group of Five quarterbacks. ... Don’t sleep on the Rockets’ running game, though, as Terry Swanson‘s 1,319 yards leads the MAC. ... Stat to note: Teams from the Sun Belt Conference have won two straight and four of the last five Dollar General Bowls.
THE LINE: Appalachian State, +7
THE PREDICTION: Toledo 50, Appalachian State 42