The Arizona Bowl is a matchup for Mountain West bragging rights
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Nevada (6-6) vs. Colorado State (7-5)
Tucson, Arizona
Dec. 29, 2015
The Arizona Bowl is a conference game. But it’s a bowl game. So it’s not a conference game.
Tuesday’s matchup between Mountain West mates Nevada and Colorado State is the first time since 1979 that two teams from the same conference have played each other in a bowl game. Thankfully, unlike the Orange Bowl, when Nebraska played Oklahoma in the regular season before a bowl rematch, these two teams didn’t face each other earlier in the season.
And if the game wasn’t unique enough, it’s not available on a traditional broadcast outlet for many viewers. If you want to watch the game and aren’t in the home markets for Nevada or Colorado State or have the regional sports network MASN, it’s streamed at CampusInsiders.com.
Let’s talk about the game itself for a moment. Colorado State is back in a bowl game under new head coach Mike Bobo, the former Georgia offensive coordinator. Quarterback Nick Stevens had the unenviable task of following Garrett Grayson and he’s thrown for 2,369 yards, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Three Rams have run for over 500 yards on the season, including Dalyn Dawkins. He leads the team with 805.
Nevada ended the season with two-straight losses, though they were to Utah State and San Diego State, both bowl teams in 2015. Running backs James Butler and Don Jackson have both run for over 1,000 yards as the Wolfpack have run the ball 518 times. Quarterback Tyler Stewart has thrown 316 passes. Yes, it’s a run-heavy attack.
Colorado State lost to Utah State and San Diego State too. And both teams beat New Mexico and Fresno State. But the Rams have the edge in the other two common Mountain West opponents. CSU beat Wyoming and UNLV. Nevada lost to both, accounting for two of the teams’ combined five wins in 2015. That stat may be enough to believe CSU has a significant edge.
PICKS
Graham: There is nothing exciting about seeing two teams from the same conference playing in a bowl game. Even making a pick in this game lacks excitement. Still, someone has to win, so let’s go with Colorado State. CSU 38, Nevada 17.
Nick: Each team gave up 27 points per game in 2015. But Colorado State scored 30 while Nevada scored 26. I’m going with the higher-powered offense. Rams 34-27.
Sam: I can’t bring myself to a pick a team that lost to Wyoming. Plus, Colorado State is riding a four-game winning streak into this one, so I’ll go with CSU. Colorado State 31, Nevada 20.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
