Two bowl games are on the docket for Tuesday, and both have their own sets of unique storylines. In Boca Raton, we have a mouthwatering clash between two mid-major conference champions while in San Diego it’s very possible that both teams could have their own distinct home field advantage in the stands. Let’s take a look what we can expect to see from both the Boca Raton Bowl and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
Boca Raton Bowl, 6 pm ET, ESPN: Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
This year’s Boca Raton Bowl is quite a treat for college football fans. A bowl game between the MAC and Conference-USA rarely features two teams that have legitimate claims at being Top 25 teams, but that is exactly what we have.
Okay, so neither Marshall nor Northern Illinois has played a schedule worthy of discussion for a Top 25 ranking. And while Marshall at least impressed against the vast majority of that schedule, Northern Illinois struggled at times against some pretty bad teams. Still, the Huskies have consistently done what they have needed to do to win ball games, against teams both good and bad.
These are two top mid-major programs at different moments in their histories. Northern Illinois is in the middle of a dynasty. And while Rod Carey has made some very questionable (and that’s being nice) game management decisions during his tenure, it is clear that he is doing a great job of continuing what Dan Doeren built. The MAC may consistently be one of the bottom of the Group of Five conferences, but if NIU can continue to pile up ten-win seasons with regularity they will consistently be in the running for that coveted New Year’s Six bowl bid.
This, on the other hand, was meant to be Marshall’s dream season. There is a lot of veteran talent on both sides of the ball and they are led by senior star quarterback Rakeem Cato. The dream of a national championship was ruined when it became clear that the selection committee refused to recognize the worst schedule in the country. The dream of a perfect season was ruined when Western Kentucky upset them in the final regular-season game.
This is a big game for both teams. Northern Illinois wants to build momentum and national respect heading into next year, where they will once again be favored in the MAC and can definitely win ten or more games again. Marshall could use a bowl win and a year-end ranking to try and turn this into a successful program, not just one successful season. Either way, though, we are going to be treated to a great matchup in a game that was expected to be a bottom-tier bowl.
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, 9:30 pm ET, ESPN: Navy vs. San Diego State
I don’t know what it is about them, but San Diego State just beats triple-option teams. It’s that simple. Their last loss against an option offense was against Air Force in 2009. In that span was a bowl blowout against Navy in this same bowl game. SDSU clobbered Air Force 30-14 just a few weeks ago and Air Force is a much better triple-option team than Navy this year.
I don’t have such high hopes for this being an interesting game. In fact, I’m mostly expecting San Diego State to run away with this. Still, though, it is always nice to see and appreciate when the service academies compete in bowl games. Between the matchup and the short turnaround (the game will be played only ten days after Navy’s game against Army) I don’t expect Navy to come close to winning, but you can guarantee that they will lay everything on the line to try and provide us as good a game as they can.
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