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Bowl Guide for Dec. 24-27: Five reasons to watch every game this week
The Rainbow Warriors host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the Hawaii Bowl Christmas Eve. Darryl Oumi/Getty Images

Bowl Guide for Dec. 24-27: Five reasons to watch every game this week

Okay, listen, we get it. Most likely, you think bowl season starts on New Year's Eve. Maybe slightly earlier depending on when your team is playing. But regardless of whether or not you're aware of them, the bowls have already started, and there's plenty of college football action to get you through to the main event around New Year's.

Today, we'll be giving you five reasons to tune in to the bowls kicking off between Christmas Eve and Dec. 28, as the bowl season marches on. Sure, it's an appetizer for the playoffs, but at the same time, sometimes appetizers are delicious little bacon-wrapped dates filled with goat cheese. Yum.

Hawaii Bowl
Middle Tennessee (8-4, Conference USA) vs. Hawaii (6-7, Mountain West Conference)
Location: Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
Time: Saturday, Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • The Haka. In terms of intimidation, dancing tends to rank somewhere between writing a stern letter and baking cookies for your opponent. Or at least that was the case until people starting paying attention to the Haka. Traditionally, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have only been performing the Maori war dance since 2006, but it has definitely caught the attention of college football. It helped Colt Brennan to a Heisman Trophy finalist campaign in 2007, when he threw for 4,343 yards and 38 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, Colt Brennan is not taking snaps for Hawaii this year in the Hawaii Bowl. The Rainbow Warriors come into the Hawaii Bowl winning their last two games but have been inconsistent all year long. They went 0-3 against Power 5 Conference opponents, including an absolute beat-down loss against Michigan, 63-3. A lot of that inconsistency can be expected with a first-year head coach in Nick Rolovich, but the team just hasn’t been that good. First-year starter Dru Brown hasn’t been able to be leaned on consistently in a pass-first offense, so despite having over 50 dudes basically dancing that they are going to beat you to the ground, the Rainbow Warriors have hardly been able to intimidate anyone this year.
  • The Luck of the Horseshoe. The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders have a more superstitious ritual that they have ridden to a successful season: a blue horseshoe in Walnut Grove with a penny dated 1911 (the university’s founding year) buried underneath. Students and alumni touch the horse show before big games to give the team a little luck or, for this year at least, a lot of luck. The Blue Raiders ended with an 8-4 record. Middle Tennessee State carved opponents, gaining 514.8 total yards per game for the season and scoring 40.1 points per game. They’re coming into the Hawaii Bowl hot, putting up 77 points against Florida Atlantic.
  • Middle Tennessee State’s I’Tavius Mathers and Richie James are going to go off. The Blue Raiders have ridden the backs of two superb athletes all year. Running back I’Tavius Mathers was all over the field, gaining 2,093 yards of total offense. He did a lot of damage on the ground, scoring 16 touchdowns in the rushing attack with speed and quickness in the open field. Middle Tennessee State also has wide receiver Richie James, who added 1,763 yards on the ground and through the air. His 11 touchdowns receiving lead the team, and he is one of the most complete wide receivers in the country whom no one knows about. With Hawaii’s defense susceptible to, well, anything, expect these two to have a big game.
  • Where’s the defense? Hawaii’s defense has been a huge concern all season, giving up 37.5 points per game, while allowing 455.4 yards per game. While Middle Tennessee State has made a living outscoring opponents but has also let a couple opponents hang around in games with its turnstile defense. The Raiders were almost just as bad as Hawaii in terms of scoring defense, giving up 34.4 points per game this season. If you were looking for a shootout, this is going to be the game to watch.
  • Home cooking? Despite having the game at home, Hawaii has been less than successful at the Hawaii Bowl. The Warriors have lost their last two games by an average margin of 27.5 points and are 3-3 historically at the Hawaii Bowl. It has been six years since they participated in postseason football at Aloha Stadium. Rainbow Warrior fans are hoping that luck changes this year.

Mascot edge: This is a colorful battle if ever there was one: Blue Raiders vs. Rainbow Warriors. Raiders maraud, but give me Warriors of all stripes over sad pirates (that’s but Blue Raiders means, right?) any day of the week.

St. Petersburg Bowl
Miami (OH) (6-6, Mid-American Conference) vs. Mississippi State (5-7, Southeastern Conference)
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg
Time: Monday, Dec. 26, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Will the real Mississippi State quarterback please standup? Mississippi State replaced Dak Prescott with sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who put up a respectable 2,281 yards and 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, but it was obviously nowhere near his predecessor’s 3,793-yard, 29-touchdown effort the previous year. He also ran for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he wasn’t enough of a threat through the air to keep defenses honest. He couldn’t be relied upon to carry the team consistently, and when the running game got canned and the team fell behind, he couldn’t bring them on his own.
  • Then again, can the defense stand up as well? The Bulldogs could put up points, but their defense was allowing 33.1 points per game and 461.4 yards a game. Sometimes they could find their rhythm and outscore opponents, but it was tough to win giving up that many points. Facing a red-hot Miami, may not bode well for this struggling defense.
  • Gus Ragland’s magical season. Ragland tore his ACL during spring practice and couldn’t compete for the starting job. Billy Bahl ended up winning the job, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 1,274 yards. However, Miami went 0-5 with Bahl as a starter and was injured against Ohio. But after a short one-and-a-half game stint with Noah Wezensky at starting quarterback, the Red Hawks named Ragland as their starter, and that’s when the magic started happening. Ragland led Miami on six-game winning streak, where he threw for 15 touchdowns with no interceptions, including a 380-yard, three-touchdown clinic against Ball State in the final regular-season game of the year. He may not have been the starter at the beginning of the year, but he didn’t give up and took the Red Hawks on a wild ride to their first bowl game in five years.
  • SEC superiority. As inconsistent as Mississippi State has been this year, it has the athletes and the offense to run all over Miami. Though SEC opponents have been rocking the Bulldogs, they have ahd the athletes to stay competitive at least. Miami will have to play a perfect game in order to have a chance to win against Mississippi State, but it likely will not happen against the physically stronger SEC team.
  • Actually seeing Tropicana Field with people. Slight hyperbole, but Tropicana Field has had some embarrassingly low attendance even when the Tampa Bay Rays were good. They ranked last this year in the MLB in total attendance. It will be a welcome change to see it filled with a decent amount of people in the stadium.

Mascot edge: As a dog person, my gut tells me to go with the Bulldogs, but how unoriginal is that? While many teams sport the hawks moniker, I know of only one RedHawks team. Plus, hawks fly; dogs don’t.

Quick Lane Bowl
Boston College (6-6, Atlantic Coast Conference) vs. Maryland (6-6, Big Ten)
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Time: Monday, Dec. 26, 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin and Boston College head coach Steve Addazio reunite as opponents. It’s been a while since 2010 when Durkin and Addazio were a part of Urban Meyer's last year at Florida. Now they will face each other as foes in the Quick Lane Bowl. Addazio was the offensive coordinator for the Gators in 2010 while Durkin commanded the outside linebackers and special teams. Interestingly enough, it is Durkin's team with the more explosive offense on paper, while Addazio’s BC team is stout defensively. It will be fascinating to see whether their time together will affect the outcome of this game.
  • Will Boston College do anything special for its jersey? Boston College is good at a lot of things. Football jerseys aren’t one of them. Despite having a great color scheme with maroon and gold, the Eagles have come out with some of the plainest jerseys in the game. It’s like having all the ingredients to make good fried rice and just making white rice. BC did come out with some slick Wounded Warrior red, white and blue uniforms in 2012, but that was a one-off that probably won’t make a return. However, this year, it made some subtle changes that at least make it look like the team is evolving past the simple jerseys. It might not look like much, but the added pattern on the sleeve and the horizontal stripes on the shorts add some much needed detail to otherwise blunt solid color numbers on a solid color background. Much like the football, the jerseys still need a little more time to develop.
  • On the other hand, what craziness is Maryland going to come out with? When Maryland alumnus and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank decided he was going to provide uniforms to his alma mater, he went all out. Oregon had a monopoly on seemingly weekly uniforms with Phil Knight pouring money back into the university. Plank was elbowing out a place at the table with some of the funkiest jerseys the NCAA has ever seen. He got creative with the Maryland state flag and has continued to incorporate its designs to fresh ways. That didn’t stop this year. The Red Ops uniforms were pretty cool against Ohio State, but the regular road whites were pretty sick, too. Both sleeves had different parts of the Maryland flag, and the color scheme is busy but fits within the jersey beautifully. Unfortunately for the Terrapins, their jerseys were about the most consistently successful part of their season.
  • Which team's mediocrity will show more? It seems that looking good is a curse. You are doomed to perform well against bad teams and get spanked by good ones. Both Maryland and Boston College were destroyed by AP top 25 teams, losing six games collectively. Both teams were also unable to claw their way out of mediocrity in their respective conferences. Maryland can’t stop anyone, and Boston College can’t score on anyone. This is going to be one of the most brutal games to watch for the on-field product, but at least jersey sales aren’t going to suffer.
  • Harold Landry. The teams might be mediocre, but Harold Landry is not. The Boston College defensive end is a menace in the pass rush, sacking the quarterback 15 times this year — good for a tie at the top of the ACC. He has been a big reason the Eagles have only allowed 203.7 passing yards per game this year. Maryland’s pass protection is OK, but it has allowed two sacks per game this year. Expect Landry to be a disruptive force if Maryland is put into passing situations.

Mascot edge: I want to say that Eagles are more ferocious than Terrapins, but how exactly is an eagle supposed to get around that shell and get its claws on a turtle?

Independence Bowl
North Carolina State (6-6, Atlantic Coast Conference) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6, Southeastern Conference)
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport
Time: Monday, Dec. 26, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN2

  • Eastern Carolina-style BBQ. Forget about the sauce-slathered barbecue you think you know. The meat is the first and last thing you’ll have in the eastern style. The sauce is a vinegar/pepper-based concoction that is supposed to be the subtle backup to the lead-singing pork, which is slow-cooked, pit-style, utilizing the temperature and smoke from wood to create a mouth-watering flavor. Much like the meat is star in Carolina barbecue, Matt Dayes is the star for N.C. State.
  • Matt Dayes running wild. The senior running back had a career season, gaining over 1,373 yards from scrimmage and scoring 10 total touchdowns. He’s the engine that gets this offense running. When he is running with a purpose, N.C. State is tough to stop. However, the Wolfpack can fall apart quicker than the barbecue that Carolina is famous for. In three of its six losses, N.C. State held a lead in the fourth quarter only to give up the lead in the final minutes. This makes the Wolfpack a tough sell to win if the game is close.
  • Nashville hot chicken. Holy. Moly. Eat at your risk. Nashville hot chicken is a recent phenomenon, but it has taken over the Nashville area seemingly overnight. First you get a breast, thigh or wing; marinate it in a spicy paste made of lard and cayenne pepper (LOTS of cayenne pepper in some cases); pan fry it; and serve with white bread and pickles. It’s a simple dish with an explosion of flavor that stings the lips and eyes if you’re not careful. And while Vanderbilt is known for its sophisticated education, the football team can get just as hot.
  • Can Vanderbilt stay hot? In two games, Vanderbilt was held to single-digit points, but in their last two games, the Commodores have put up 83 combined points, including a 45-34 shootout win against AP 24th-ranked Tennessee. The Commodores tend to go as quarterback Kyle Shurmur goes. In wins, he sports a 7:2 TD:INT ratio. In losses, he has a 2:5 ratio.
  • Can N.C. State’s defense stop the show? The Commodores were able to destroy some of the worst defenses in college football in Mississippi and Tennessee. However, they will face a stingy N.C. State defense that has sacked the quarterback 31 times and has seven interceptions.

Mascot edge: Whether we’re talking the animals or the crew in “The Hangover” series, we know what kind of damage a Wolfpack can do. Give me the wolves over the Commodores.

Heart of Dallas Bowl
Army (7-5, Independent) vs. North Texas (5-7, Conference USA)
Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Will Texas teams stay perfect in the Heart of Dallas Bowl? The Heart of Dallas Bowl is relatively new, but it has been very kind to Texas teams that have played in it. In the bowl’s six-year history, three Texas universities have played in it, and all three have won, including North Texas in 2014 against UNLV. This year, however, North Texas is not looking like it will continue that trend. The University of North Texas is limping into the game, losing four of its last five games. In that stretch, the Mean Green has given up 39.2 points per game and 239.6 rushing yards with a defense that would make Swiss cheese look like the Iron Curtain.
  • Will Army get revenge? There are a few occasions where you want to mess with Texas. Army learned that college football should be at the bottom of that list after a 17-point loss against North Texas at West Point, 35-18. With North Texas’ rushing defense as effective as cardboard cutouts the past couple games, there is a good chance Army bulldozes its way this time around. Over 81 percent of Army’s total offense comes from the rushing attack. Every team knows this coming in, but rarely are teams able to stop it. Leading the infamous triple-option offense of the Black Knights is Andy Davidson with 905 yards on 178 rushing attempts. Army was able to gain 302 yards on the ground against North Texas at West Point but was done in by seven turnovers. The likelihood of another seven-turnover game is right in line with Army Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis being forgotten in Army football lore.
  • Will there be a musical guest, and who will it be? As stated previously, Denton has a rich history of musicians. The Heart of Dallas Bowl committee would be fools not to take advantage of this. Attendance has dipped in the last few years for the bowl, so the organizers need to get creative to bring fans in. Imagine if Meat Loaf rose up from under a stage, or Don Henley belted "Boys of Summer" or somehow convinced the Eagles to reform for a college football bowl. OK, admittedly that’s a long shot, but you never know what can happen in this crazy world of ours.
  • How many people will actually show up? It’s tough to fill a football stadium for a neutral site game, but the Heart of Dallas Bowl particularly has been struggling. At its peak in 2013, 48,313 fans showed up for Oklahoma State vs. Purdue. Since then, the bowl has only gotten worse. Last year, there was an announced attendance of 20,229 in the 92,100-capacity Cotton Bowl. That's barely over half the attendance of this year’s Texas State High School 6A-Division II Championships, which drew 40,318 people at AT&T Stadium. If people don’t show up again, ESPN is going to have to keep those camera shots nice and tight on the lower bowl to hide the empty seats elsewhere.
  • Come for the football, stay for the mules. College football has some pretty offbeat mascots, and Army has two that won’t be found anywhere else. Army may be known as the Black Knights, but three mules represent it on the field. Ranger III, Stryker and Paladin are the official mules of the Army Mule Corps that not only serve as West Point’s mascots, but the mascots of the entire Army. The mules are supposed to represent the strong, hearty and persevering nature of Army cadets – and the Army run game (probably).

Mascot edge: I don’t know what Mean Green even is, but supposedly the mascot is “Scrappy the Eagle.” I like an Army of Black Knights’ chances in that battle, especially with their mules.

Military Bowl
Temple (10-3, American Athletic Conference) vs. Wake Forest (6-6, Atlantic Coast Conference)
Location: Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Wake Forest quad getting rolled. There are many grand college traditions across the country, but Wake Forest’s might be the most college of them all. After big wins or upsets, students flood the main quad at Hern Plaza and toilet-paper the trees. The tradition dates back to when the school moved from Wake Forest to Winston-Salem, N.C. At the old university, they used to ring a bell for big wins, but when they moved there was no bell to ring that was available to the public. Naturally, they started TP-ing the trees. Wake Forest celebrated its bowl-eligible season by streaming bath tissue all over the trees. You could expect a similar celebration if it actually wins the Military Bowl.
  • Wakey Leaks. What is bowl season without a little controversy? Well, in this case, a lot of controversy. It was discovered that radio analyst and former Wake Forest player and coach Tommy Elrod was leaking confidential game plan information to opposing teams beginning in 2014. An investigation was launched after Wake Forest plays were found in the Louisville locker room after the Cardinals trounced the Demon Deacons 44-12. Louisville and Virginia Tech were named as teams that received information from Elrod, who has since been fired from his analyst position and banned from the Wake Forest campus. Aside from the incredible name this scandal has received, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to this news. Do the Deacons fold, or do they rally and shock the college football world with a win?
  • Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead. Temple has had a successful season, and it can thank the efforts for its two stud running backs. Thomas was an all-around threat, gaining 1,344 yards from scrimmage and scoring 19 touchdowns. When Thomas needed a break, Armstead took over in the backfield with similar success, rushing for 918 rushing yards on 149 carries, hitting pay dirt 14 times. They will be tested against a Wake Forest defense that has allowed 155.9 rushing yards per game, but this two-headed monster will be the key to Temple’s success.
  • Interim head coach Ed Foley. For smaller programs like Temple, success often means turnover for coaching staffs. After building the Owls up from a two-win team to a 10-win team, head coach Matt Rhule is leaving Temple for the vacant Baylor head coach position before the Military Bowl. Associate head coach Ed Foley took over in the interim with a 7-15 record as a head coach. Wake Forest is dealing with its own issues, but so is Temple with the head coaching leaving before the biggest game of the season. Owl fans are anxious to see if Foley can keep them running on all cylinders or if they fall apart.
  • Temple defense. Raise your hand if you thought Temple would have a top 10 defense at this time this year. Put your hands down, liars. Temple has only allowed 17.2 points per game in 2016, good for seventh in the nation in scoring defense. Look for the Owls to smother a Wake Forest offense that was only able to generate 19.2 points per game.

Mascot edge: Demon Deacons do sound scary, but I’m pretty sure you can just call Tommy Elrod to find the mascot’s weakness. Plus, Owls are wise.

Holiday Bowl
Minnesota (8-4, Big Ten) vs. Washington State (8-4, Pacific-12)
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Gabe Marks. Meet the most interesting man in college football. You might not find a more unintentionally funny man in an interview than the kid from Venice, Calif. Aside from his deadpan delivery, he’s also a heck of a football player. He leads the Cougars with 867 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Look for him to make an impact in Holiday Bowl
  • Luke Falk. Feeding Marks the ball is one of the Pac-12’s best quarterbacks. Falk threw for 4,204 yards with 37 touchdowns, completing 71 percent of his passes. He will face a big test against a physical Minnesota defense that has only allowed quarterbacks to complete 56 percent of their passes. However, if Falk can stay composed and get help from his offensive line, he can torch the Golden Gophers with a big game.
  • Minnesota suspensions. Documents were leaked going into disturbing detail about a sexual assault allegation that happened in September. As a result, 10 Minnesota players were suspended for the Holiday Bowl. The Golden Gopher players were actually threatening a boycott, which has since been rescinded after the documents were made available to the public. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how these suspensions affect the team. Has anyone turned on one another? Is the distraction going to deter from the game?
  • Rodney Smith. One player Minnesota hopes it can lean on is its star running back in Rodney Smith. Smith has been a terror on offense, gaining 1,271 yards and finding the end zone 15 times. The shifty running back can cause a lot of problems for Washington State if he’s able to control the tempo of the game and keep the Cougar offense off the field. If he’s having a good day, there will be fewer opportunities for Falk and Marks to do their damage.
  • Pointing out soft Southern Californians vs. weather-hardened Washington State and Minnesota fans. Take it from a former San Diegan, we have it easy. Most of the time San Diego doesn’t dip below 70 degrees, making it a perfect destination for fun and sun. But man, during those winter days when the temperatures drop to 50 degrees, you would think there was a blizzard coming from how many layers we put on. I imagine Minnesota fans who are facing 10-degree weather in Minneapolis and Washington State fans escaping the same will greet the Golden State weather with short sleeves while Californians will be bundled up like they're going on an arctic expedition. Enjoy laughing at their plight. They will enjoy laughing at yours come January and February.

Mascot edge: Anything golden sounds tantalizing, but I don’t see Golden Gophers standing much of a chance against Cougars. Then again, if the golden refers to being coated in the prized material, maybe a cougar would break its teeth trying to nab the gopher.

Cactus Bowl
Boise State (10-2, Mountain West Conference) vs. Baylor (6-6, Big 12)
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

  • Jeremy McNichols. One of the best all-around players in college football will be in action in the Cactus Bowl. McNichols torched opponents with 2,113 total yards and 27 touchdowns this year. With Baylor’s defense giving up over 210 rushing yards a game, you can expect him to have a big game.
  • Bryan Harsin's quest for three straight bowl wins. There is no doubt Bryan Harsin walked in to a good situation when Chris Petersen left Boise State in 2013, but he has made the most of it guiding the Broncos to three straight bowl berths and two straight bowl wins. Overall, Harsin is undefeated in bowl games at 3-0. Talk about starting your career on the right foot.
  • How will Baylor play for lame duck interim coach Jim Grobe? There aren’t many situations worse than being a lame duck anything. Even the name makes you slump your shoulders a bit. Jim Grobe did the best he could under the circumstances Baylor found itself in, but the university is bringing in Temple head coach Matt Rhule to take over the program. Whether the team will give Grobe a victorious send-off is another story.
  • Can Baylor get out of its rut? After winning their first six games, the Baylor Bears have been freefalling faster than that guy in the Tom Petty and the Heartbeakers song. They have lost six straight games to end the regular season, giving up 43.7 points per game in those losses. They will need to wake up facing the aforementioned Bronco running back Jeremy McNichols and quarterback Brett Rypien.
  • What’s Baylor’s next violation? The Bears played with a sexual assault scandal hanging over their heads the entire year and ended the season getting cited for a recruiting violation. At this rate, the Bears will get pegged for something in the middle of the Cactus Bowl that will have the administration scrambling for answers.

Mascot edge: Bears are ferocious while Broncos are fast. I have a feeling the horses would run away from the bears, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Boise runs away from Baylor.

Can you name the non-College Football Playoff FBS bowl games?

'Bowl' does not need to be typed for each answer. The name of the bowl will suffice. In some cases, prior familiar names will work for answers as well.

SCORE:
0/35
TIME:
10:00
1935
Sun Bowl
1945
TaxSlayer Bowl
1946
Citrus Bowl
1959
Liberty Bowl
1976
Independence Bowl
1978
Holiday Bowl
1986
Outback Bowl
1989
Cactus Bowl
1990
Russell Athletic Bowl
1992
Las Vegas Bowl
1993
Alamo Bowl
1997
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
1998
Music City Bowl
1999
Dollar General Bowl
2001
New Orleans Bowl
2002
Foster Farms Bowl
2002
Hawaii Bowl
2002
Belk Bowl
2003
Armed Forces Bowl
2005
Poinsettia Bowl
2006
Texas Bowl
2006
Birmingham Bowl
2006
New Mexico Bowl
2008
Military Bowl
2008
St. Petersburg Bowl
2010
Pinstripe Bowl
2010
Heart of Dallas Bowl
2014
Bahamas Bowl
2014
Boca Raton Bowl
2014
Camellia Bowl
2014
Miami Beach Bowl
2014
Quick Lane Bowl
2015
Cure Bowl
2015
Arizona Bowl
2017
Frisco Bowl

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