Previewing Saturday's college football bowl games – USA TODAY
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl
Marshall (9-3) vs. Connecticut (6-6)
Time/TV: 11 a.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Artificial.
Pregame.com line: Marshall by 5. Sagarin difference: Marshall by 4.95.
A big day of bowls kicks off with this tilt in the Sunshine State. The Thundering Herd don’t have nearly the fire power they produced a year ago but still managed to come within a game of playing for the Conference USA title.
The Huskies are quite happy to be here after winning just two games in 2014. Marshall had to turn to freshman QB Chase Litton early in the campaign. He hasn’t performed badly with 22 TDs and seven INTs, but he might have his hands full against the UConn defense. That unit is the reason for the Huskies’ improvement this season, surrendering just 19.8 points a game.
Hard-hitting SS Andrew Adams is the tone setter. But Marshall isn’t likely to give up many points, either, with speedsters like LB Evan McKelvey and S Tiquan Lang tracking down plays. The Huskies have struggled to score all season. QB Bryant Shirreffs has a respectable 60.3% completion rate but doesn’t have many big-play threats around him.
Sun Bowl in El Paso
Miami (Fla.) (8-4) vs. Washington State (8-4)
Time/TV: 2 p.m. ET/CBS. Surface: Artificial.
Pregame.com line: Washington State by 2½. Sagarin difference: Miami by 1.24.
The records are the same, but not all 8-4 seasons are created equal. The Cougars are quite happy with their campaign, considering how it began with a loss to FCS member Portland State. They weren’t thrilled with losing the finale to Washington in the Apple Cup showdown, but that was in large measure due to the absence of QB Luke Falk.
There were some nice wins in between, however, and Falk should be back for this date with the Hurricanes, who will be coached one more time by Larry Scott before he hands the reins over to Mark Richt. The fact that Miami has an interim coach tells you how happy its fans were with the team’s record, though the ‘Canes did win four of their last five under Scott since parting ways with Al Golden.
Sophomore QB Brad Kaaya was, for the most part, not part of the problem for Miami as he threw for over 3,000 yards with 15 TDs and only four picks. He’ll need to be accurate to keep pace with Falk and his band of fleet WSU pass catchers, led by Gabe Marks and Dom Williams.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Southern Mississippi (9-4) vs. Washington (6-6)
Time/TV: 2:20 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.
Pregame.com line: Washington by 8½. Sagarin difference: Washington by 12.71.
The team on the winning side of that Apple Cup clash by coincidence takes the field at nearly the same time. With that victory the Huskies earned this date with the Golden Eagles, who couldn’t keep up with Western Kentucky in the Conference USA title game but enjoyed an improvement of six wins over last season.
Washington is still a young squad and has been somewhat inconsistent as a result, but QB Jake Browning and TB Myles Gaskin appear to have bright futures ahead of them. Southern Miss QB Nick Mullens with counter with a veteran receiving crew, led by seniors Mike Thomas and Casey Martin.
Pinstripe Bowl in Bronx, N.Y.
Duke (7-5) vs. Indiana (6-6)
Time/TV: 3:30/ABC. Surface: Grass.
Pregame.com line: Indiana by 2. Sagarin difference: Duke by 2.74.
The Blue Devils won the ACC Coastal two seasons ago and looked as though they might be on their way to doing so again. But a certain play you might have seen a time or two against Miami began a four-game losing streak that derailed their 2015 campaign.
The Hoosiers had a six-game skid of their own, but they won their last two to earn their first bowl berth since 2007 and only their second since 1993. So IU might have the happy-to-be-here edge but expect Duke to be prepared as well.
Blue Devils’ QB Thomas Sirk does it all for the offense, and he’s probably going to see a lot of Hoosiers’ LB Marcus Oliver. Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld is more of a stay-at-home pocket passer, but he’d be advised to know the whereabouts of Duke S Jeremy Cash at all times.
Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6)
Time/TV: 5:45 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Artificial.
Pregame.com line: Virginia Tech by 13½. Sagarin difference: Virginia Tech by 14.62.
The Hokies were undoubtedly hoping legendary coach Frank Beamer’s swan-song season would be a little better than 6-6, but they’ll nevertheless try to send him out a winner.
The Golden Hurricane, who missed the bowl season altogether for the last two years, will look to spoil the Virginia Tech party. While the offense has received the bulk of the criticism for the Hokies’ mediocrity, the fact is both sides of the ball have been inconsistent. QB Michael Brewer has been up and down since returning from a shoulder injury. He should be able to make things happen against the leaky Tulsa pass defense, but he will want to stay clear of LB Matt Linscott.
Golden Hurricane QB Dane Evans figures to air it out often. WR Keyarris Garrett is his excellent primary target with 88 catches for 1,451 yards, but he’s sure to receive added attention from Hokies’ FS Chuck Clark.
Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.
UCLA (8-4) vs. Nebraska (5-7)
Time/TV: 9:15 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.
Pregame.com line: UCLA by 6½. Sagarin difference: UCLA by 6.20.
Given all the tough breaks, with one admittedly good one, the Cornhuskers got during Mike Riley’s first year in Lincoln, the team was glad to take advantage of this year’s opportunity to go bowling despite a sub-.500 mark. They might be less glad if the young Bruins, who are hoping to set the tone for a run in the Pac-12 South in 2016, come ready to play.
Nebraska was playing its best football in November, when it upended eventual Big Ten champ Michigan State and gave Iowa a battle in the regular-season finale. QB Tommy Armstrong missed Nebraska’s most egregious loss on Halloween at Purdue, but he’s had his own issues with ball security.
He’ll have to be on target as he tries to match UCLA’s standout freshman Josh Rosen. Bruins’ TB Paul Perkins could be the difference.
Jeff Sagarin’s power ratings show the relative strength of teams.
GALLERY: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BOWL GAMES
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