Triple Option

By Michael Maynard

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (11:30 AM CT, ESPN, Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas): FIU VS Toledo (-7)

Why I Care: I’m going to keep highlighting the favorite streak until it breaks. The favorites are 9-0 so far. If the spreads for both games are indicative, it could easily move to 11-0 today. Also, these may be the two most underrated G5 teams of the year. Toledo didn’t match their MAC title from 2017, but still finished respectively and was a game out of the MAC West lead. FIU has posted successive 8-win seasons since Butch Davis returned to the sidelines.

Why You Should Care: POINTS. Both teams can put up a lot of points, and the Bahamas Bowl has a history of shootouts. This game has the makings of a Big 12 matchup where it may be the first to 50 wins.

Team Stats:

FIU: 8-4, 6-2 C-USA (4-2 EAST). BER: 1-2. OPPG: 34.6, DPPG: 24.7, Pt. Diff: +119

Toledo: 7-5, 5-3 MAC (3-2 WEST). BER: 2-5. OPPG: 41.1, DPPG: 30.1, Pt. Diff: +131

Game Notes:

• Strangely enough, the Bahamas Bowl is sponsored by Elk Grove Village in Illinois. “Makers wanted” is the slogan, which they applied to the bowl title.
• 5th Bahamas Bowl, and 10 different teams have represented. C-USA and MAC are tied 2-2 overall in the series.
• Toledo averages 55 PPG in wins but 21 in losses. They have scored 60 points, and 50 points 6 times, which is tied with Memphis for the greatest frequency of 5🍔s. Only Alabama and Oklahoma have reached 50 more times.
• Building upon that, Toledo is 6-0 in those games and 7-0 when they score more than 45. However, they have not won a game scoring less than 45 points.
• Both FIU and Toledo share a common opponent of Miami. Toledo lost 24-49 at home, and FIU lost 17-31 at Hard Rock Stadium

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (3 PM CT, ESPN, Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID): BYU (-13) vs. Western Michigan

Why I Care: Always a good time to catch a game on the Boise blue turf. If I recall correctly it’s like the Arizona Bowl where they change nothing on the field so it looks like a Boise State home game. Unfortunately it’s not snowing today.

Why You Should Care: For the MAC team, the Potato Bowl is usually for the last team and team that just missed out going to the Bahamas Bowl. Western Michigan somehow won 7 games, and saved their postseason hopes with an upset win vs. NIU in Rivalry Week, as they probably would have been left out of a bowl with only 6 wins. BYU switched QBs midway during the season from Tanner Mangum, the longtime starter who upset a then top-10 Wisconsin, to freshman Zach Wilson, who has given life to a struggling Cougars offense. Both teams are used to playing in cold climates. Both also will look to establish the run game early.

Team Stats:

BYU: 6-6 INDEPENDENT. BER: 2-6. OPPG: 25.4, DPPG: 22.2, Pt. Diff: +39

Western Michigan: 7-5, 5-3 MAC (3-2 WEST). BER: 3-4. OPPG: 33.2, DPPG: 33.3, Pt. Diff: -2

Game Notes:

• Last year’s Potato Bowl featured Josh Allen’s farewell to College Football, as the would be 1st round pick ended his Wyoming career with a 37-14 defeat of Central Michigan.

• BYU makes their first Potato Bowl appearance, Western lost their only appearance 24-38 to Air Force in 2014.
• BYU’s -13 is tied for the 2nd largest spread of the 2018 bowl season as of today. Alabama is -14, and Clemson and Georgia are both -13 as well.
• Western Michigan is 1-7 all time in bowl games, but has reached bowl eligibility in 5 straight.

Published December 21, 2018 @11:10 PM C.T.

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