2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl Preview

Date: December 31, 2012 2:00 PM ET
Stadium: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
Payout: $2,000,000 per team
Played: 1935-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson
Sideline Reporter: Tracy Wolfson

USC: The preseason AP No. 1 team ended the regular season by losing four out of its last five games. Quarterback Matt Barkley will not play due to a shoulder injury. Redshirt freshman Matt Wittek will get the start. Wide receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods combined for 2,493 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.   

Georgia Tech: The program needed a waiver from the NCAA to go to a bowl after falling below .500 with a loss in the ACC title game. The Yellow Jackets are going to their 16th consecutive bowl game. However, Georgia Tech has lost its last seven bowl games. Just like past Paul Johnson-coached teams, Georgia Tech strongly favors the run. Six different players ran for over 400 yards this season.

	Southern California			Georgia Tech
Overall Record	7-5		Overall Record	6-7
Conference Record	5-4		Conference Record	5-3
Bowl Record	32-16		Bowl Record	22-18
Last Bowl Win	2009 Emerald		Last Bowl Win	2004 Champs Sports

All Time Series: 2-1 Southern California
Line: Southern California by 7.5

2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl Preview

Date: December 31, 2011 2:00 PM ET

Stadium: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas

Payout: $2,000,000

Played: 1935-present

Former Names: N/A

Broadcasters: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson

Sideline Reporter: Tracy Wolfson

All Time Series: 1-0 Utah

Line: Georgia Tech by 2.5

	Georgia Tech			Utah
Overall Record	8-4		Overall Record	7-5
Conference Record	5-3		Conference Record	4-5
Bowl Record	22-17		Bowl Record	13-4
Last Bowl Win	2004 Champs Sports		Last Bowl Win	2009 Poinsettia

Helmet Stickers: Week 9

ACC—Georgia Tech gave No. 5 Clemson its first loss of the year with a 31-17 defeat. Yellow Jackets quarterback Tevin Washington led the charge, rushing for 176 yards and a score. Never before has a Georgia Tech quarterback rushed for more than 151 yards in a game. The triple-option offense racked up 383 rushing yards and controlled the ball for 39 minutes in the game. The Yellow Jackets defense recovered two Clemson fumbles and picked off Tajh Boyd twice in the game. Georgia Tech ended a two-game losing streak and ended Clemson’s national title hopes.

Big 10—Minnesota upset Iowa 22-21 at TCF Bank Field to get the Golden Gophers their first conference win of the season. Minnesota lost its first three conference games by an average margin of 38 points. Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray passed for 193 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 62 yards and the winning touchdown. Marqueis Gray rushed for the right pylon on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 2:48 left in the game. Golden Gopher fans stormed the field when time expired. The win allows Minnesota to retain the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy for another year. Minnesota last defeated Iowa in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000.

Big 12—Iowa State upset a No. 19 Texas Tech team that had defeated Oklahoma the week before. Texas Tech was embarrassed 41-7 at home. Iowa State redshirt freshman quarterback Jared Barnett passed for 144 yards and rushed for 92 yards in his first start. The Cyclones rushed for 368 yards and controlled the ball for 40:09. Iowa State had not rushed for over 300 yards in a game since 2001. Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege accounted for all three of the Red Raiders turnovers. He threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Iowa State’s defense held the Red Raiders to their fewest points at home since a 56-3 Nebraska thumping in 2000.

Big East—Louisville got consecutive Big East wins for the first time since 2006 as it overpowered Syracuse 27-10. Louisville’s defense held the Orange to just 246 yards, their lowest output this season. The Orange only got past Louisville’s 35-yard line twice the whole game. Louisville freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was 17 for 24 with 198 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth start. Louisville tailback Victor Anderson rushed for 93 yards and a score. The Cardinals moved to 2-1 in the Big East and 4-4 overall.

C-USA—On Thursday night, No. 17 Houston thrashed cross-town rival Rice 73-36. Case Keenum threw nine touchdown passes in the game. His fifth touchdown pass broke the all-time FBS record for career touchdown passes, which was 134, set by Graham Harrell in 2008. Houston’s offense racked up 656 yards, 534 of which were threw the air. Wide receiver Patrick Edwards caught five touchdowns and had 318 yards receiving. Wide receiver Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the seventh kickoff he has taken in for a touchdown in his career. Houston is undefeated at 8-0.

MAC—Western Michigan beat Ball State 45-35 to move within one game of bowl eligibility and stay undefeated at Waldo Stadium. The second quarter of the game had seven touchdowns: four consecutive touchdowns for Western Michigan and three touchdowns for Ball State. The Broncos had 610 yards in the game with 465 of them coming through the air. Wide receiver Jordan White caught 9 passes for 172 yards and became Western’s all-time receptions leader. Two other wide receivers had over 100 yards receiving: Chleb Ravenell had 9 catches for 157 yards, while Robert Arnheim had 104 yards on 8 catches.

MWC—Wyoming went into Qualcomm Stadium and defeated San Diego State 30-27 on Saturday night. The Cowboys scored all of their points before halftime, where they led 30-13, and held on in the second half after allowing SDSU to score two more touchdowns. Wyoming freshman quarterback Brett Smith threw two touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns. Wyoming had no turnovers. The Cowboys forced one turnover; cornerback Tashaun Gipson came up with an interception on the Wyoming 5-yard line, denying the Aztecs from entering the red zone mid-way through the third quarter. The Cowboys are now 2-0 in the Mountain West.

Pac-12—No. 6 Stanford survived No. 20 USC. With a tie game late in the fourth quarter, USC cornerback Nickell Robey intercepted Andrew Luck at the Stanford 33-yard line and ran 33 yards for a pick six. The Trojans led by 7 with 3:08 left in the game. Stanford regrouped and drove 76 yards to tie the game with 38 seconds left. Each team scored a touchdown and a PAT in both the first and second overtime. In triple overtime, Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for a score, and a two point conversion was made to tight end Coby Fleener. The Trojans tried to answer. A 21-yard pass to freshman wide out Marqise Lee got them to the Stanford 4-yard line. On the next play, USC tailback Curtis McNeal fumbled when Stanford’s Terrence Stephens knocked the ball loose, and Stanford’s A.J. Tarpley recovered the ball in the end zone to get the Cardinal the 56-48 win. The Cardinal have now beat the Trojans three years in a row and are 8-0 for the first time since 1951.

SEC—No. 22 Georgia took down Florida 24-20 in the game dubbed the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. Georgia has now won six straight games, and Florida had lost four straight games for the first time since 1988. The Georgia defense held Florida to just 226 net yards and -19 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs defense only allowed 32 yards and one first down in the second half. Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones had four of the Bulldogs’ six sacks in the game. After leading 17-3, Florida turned the ball over on two fumbles that gave Georgia short fields of 25 and 18 yards that the Bulldogs capitalized on with touchdowns. Georgia’s offense was 3 for 3 on fourth downs.

Sun Belt—The Red Wolves beat the Mean Green 37-14 in Jonesboro Saturday to go 6-2 on the season. Arkansas State has its best record in eight games since 1986. The Red Wolves raced out to 31-0 by halftime. Arkansas State nearly doubled North Texas’s offensive output, 540 yards to 283 yards. In the second quarter, punter and placekick holder Neely Sullivent rushed for a 14-yard touchdown on a fake field goal attempt. Red Wolves quarterback Ryan Aplin passed for 322 yards and was also the team’s leading rusher in the game with 69 yards. The Red Wolves are undefeated in Sun Belt games and are bowl eligible.

WAC—Louisiana Tech beat San Jose State by ten in Ruston Saturday. After losing 14-10 halfway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs rattled off 28 straight points. Wide receiver Quinton Patton had two touchdown catches in the game on Colby Cameron passes, one of which was a 90-yard bomb. Senior running back Lennon Creer added another touchdown and led the team with 112 yards on the ground, including a 15-yard scamper. Louisiana Tech’s defense picked off the Spartans’ Matt Faulkner four times. Linebacker Jay Dudley returned one of those interceptions 36 yards for a score.

Independents—Notre Dame beat Navy 56-14 in the Irish’s best performance of the season. Notre Dame rushed for seven touchdowns in the game and only punted the ball away once. The Fighting Irish’s defense held Navy to its lowest offensive output of the year at 229 yards. Notre Dame has now beat Navy for the second time in 5 years after winning 43 straight games against the Midshipmen from 1964 to 2006. The Fighting Irish move to 5-3.

Helmet Stickers: Week 5

ACC—No. 21 Georgia Tech is off to its best start since it won the national championship in 1990. The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 after pasting North Carolina State 45-35 on Saturday. Georgia Tech opened the game 21-0, but let the Wolfpack climb back to within a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored three touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes and 22 seconds and later a field goal. Georgia Tech safety Isaiah Johnson returned an interception for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Big 10—Michigan State came into Ohio Stadium with the No. 1 defense in the nation and played like it. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes 10-7 and came close to shutting the Buckeyes out at home for the first time since October 2, 1982. The Spartans finally allowed Ohio State to score with 10 seconds left in the game. Michigan State tallied nine sacks and held Ohio State to 35 yards rushing on 39 attempts. The Spartans beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1999.

Big 12—Kansas State cherry-popped No. 15 Baylor 36-35 in Manhattan Saturday. Trailing Baylor 35-33, K-State linebacker Arthur Brown dealt Robert Griffin III his first interception of the season to set up a 31-yard field goal to get the lead. Baylor had one more shot, but the Wildcats defense made them go four-and-out. Arthur Brown led the K-State defense with 8 tackles and 2 sacks in the game. The Wildcats are now 4-0 and will probably enter the Top 25.

Big East—On Thursday night, Pittsburgh gave a 4-0 No. 16 South Florida team its first loss of the season in a 44-17 decision. Pitt got a much needed win after losses to Iowa and Notre Dame, and beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2008. Panthers running back Ray Graham ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns in a breakout performance. Pitt’s conversion of 9 out of 15 third downs kept the Bulls’ defense on the field and wore South Florida out.

C-USA—The Thundering Herd came into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and beat the Cardinals 17-13. With less than 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Marshall linebacker Tyson Gale intercepted Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater on the Louisville 30-yard line. With good field position, Marshall took the lead with 1:49 left in the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rakeem Cato to tight end C.J. Crawford. On Louisville’s ensuing drive, safety Omar Brown intercepted Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater to seal the win for the Thundering Herd. Marshall outgained Louisville 353 yards to 281 yards.

MAC—Western Michigan beat UConn 38-31 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Broncos quarterback Alex Carder threw for a career-high 479 yards and five touchdowns. Three Broncos receivers had over 100-yards receiving: Jordan White (173 yards), Chleb Ravenell (123 yards), and Robert Arnheim (113 yards). Western Michigan overcame fifteen penalties for 119 yards; the Broncos had more penalty yards than offensive yards in the first quarter. Western Michigan got its first win over Connecticut, evening the all-time series to 1-1.

MWC—Air Force beat fellow service academy Navy by a score of 35-34 in overtime. The Midshipmen scored six in overtime and then had their extra point attempt blocked by the Falcons. The Falcons proceeded to score a touchdown and an extra point to get a one-point win over their rival. Air Force linebacker Brady Amack had 23 tackles in the game. If Air Force can beat Army on November 5^th, it will retain the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for another year.

Pac-12—Southern California outlasted Arizona in a shootout. The Trojans won 48 to 41 in a game that did not see much defense from either team. Matt Barkley set a school-record passing for 468 yards. Barkley threw four touchdowns and rushed for another. Robert Woods had 255 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Trojan safety T.J. McDonald had two interceptions. The Trojans are undefeated in the Los Angeles Coliseum this year (4 games). USC has beaten the Wildcats in 9 of the two teams last 10 meetings.

SEC—No. 18 Arkansas erased an 18-point deficit at halftime and beat No. 14 Texas A&M by a score of 42-38. The Razorback defense regrouped and only allowed a field goal in the second half. Quarterback Tyler Wilson passed for a school-record 510 yards. Wide receiver Jarius Wright set a school-record for receiving yards with 281 yards. The Razorbacks proved the Aggies are not ready for the SEC. The Aggies have not beaten an SEC team in sixteen years.

Sun Belt—Troy got by UAB 24-23 in Troy, Alabama Saturday. Going into the fourth quarter, Troy was losing by 9 points. After hitting a field goal with 5:18 left, Troy cornerback Jimmie Anderson intercepted a pass on the next series and took it to UAB’s 12 yard line. Troy’s D.J. Taylor ran in the ball from 2 yard out with 4:07 remaining to get the go-ahead score for Troy. D.J. Taylor rushed for a total of three touchdowns in the win over the Blazers.

WAC—New Mexico State beat in-state rival New Mexico in Albuquerque Saturday by a score of 42-28. The Aggies beat the Lobos by their largest margin of victory since 1968. NMSU quarterback Matt Christian threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. NMSU running back Kenny Turner rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies have now beat the Lobos three straight times, which the program has not done in over forty years.

Independents—Army routed Tulane 45-6 in West Point. Tulane scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game, followed by Army scoring 45 unanswered points. Eleven different Black Knights had rushing touches in the game. Army punter Chris Boldt averaged 55 yards per punt. Army has now beaten Tulane in four of the last five meetings between the schools. Army left Conference USA after the 2004 season.

All Hell Could Break Loose This Week

If Texas A&M heads to the Southeastern Conference next week, the conference shuffle will start all over again.

Likely, the SEC would want to get a fourteenth team for the sake of balance. It will likely go after Florida State or Clemson from the ACC, or Missouri from the Big 12. Right now, Mizzou says it is committed to staying in the Big 12. Other sexy additions could be Louisville, Georgia Tech, or Virginia Tech. Any of these teams would geographically be a good fit for the SEC.

To replace the Aggies, the Big 12 would likely go after Houston, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, or BYU. As long as Texas and Oklahoma stick together, the conference could probably survive in some form.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 could expand as well, but that won't likely happen unless it becomes apparent alot of dominoes start falling and these conferences need to go on the defense to stay competitive with a superconference consisting of either fourteen or sixteen teams.

The Big East and ACC sit in a precarious position. Both could get poached from. They are both seen as more of basketball conferences rather than football conferences. Keep in mind that college football generates more money than college basketball. The Big East needs to get on with expanding to ten teams if it wants to ensure its survival. Moving Villanova's football program up from the FCS to the FBS would require a much larger stadium than Villanova Stadium, and it looks like the Wildcats either don't have the space and/or money to expand their miniscule 12,500-seat stadium. Using Lincoln Financial Field, where the Philadelphia Eagles play, for home games is not an option; Temple uses this stadium as its home field.

2010 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Preview

December 27, 2010 5:00 PM ET

Stadium: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana

Payout: $1,100,000

Played: 1976-present

Once known as: N/A

Broadcasters: Mark Jones, Bob Davie

Sideline Reporter: Eamon McAnaney

Storyline: The #1 and #2 rushing teams in the nation will face off in the Independence Bowl Monday night. Georgia Tech averages 327 rushing yards per game with a spread-option offense, while Air Force averages 317.9 yards per game using the triple-option. Georgia Tech lost four of its last five games, and will likely be without Joshua Nesbitt, who sustained a broken arm against Virginia Tech on November 4^th. The Yellow Jackets’ leading receiver, Stephen Hill, and starting safety, Mario Edwards, are academically ineligible. The Yellow Jackets have lost five straight bowl games and need a win over Air Force to preserve a streak of fourteen consecutive winning seasons. Meanwhile, Air Force finished the season with three straight wins. The Falcons will have fullback Jared Tew back for the Independence Bowl after a broken fibula suffered on October 16^th. The Falcons have won both of their previous Independence Bowl appearances. Expect fewer than fifteen passing attempts in a game that will be played out on the ground.

All-time Series: 3-0 Georgia Tech

Line: Air Force by 2.5

	Air Force			Georgia Tech
Overall Record	8-4		Overall Record	6-6
Conference Record	5-3		Conference Record	4-4
Bowl Record	9-10-1		Bowl Record	22-16
Last Bowl Win	2009 Armed Forces		Last Bowl Win	2004 Champs Sports

ACC Home Attendance Figures

	Boston College			Clemson
Alumni Stadium			Memorial Stadium
S4 Weber State	34,168		S4 North Texas	75,000
S11 Kent State	35,122		S11 Presbyterian	70,500
S25 Virginia Tech	42,317		O2 Miami	81,500
O2 Notre Dame	44,500		O16 Maryland	71,000
O23 Maryland	36,078		O23 Georgia Tech	75,000
O30 Clemson	37,137		N6 NC State	74,000
N20 Virginia	39,263		N27 South Carolina	81,500
AVERAGE	38,369		AVERAGE	75,500
	Duke			Florida State
Wallace Wade Stadium			Doak Campbell Stadium
S4 Elon	33,941		S4 Samford	68,438
S18 Alabama	39,042		S18 BYU	68,795
S25 Army	27,289		S25 Wake Forest	61,647
O16 Miami	25,911		O16 Boston College	75,301
N6 Virginia	22,741		N6 North Carolina	70,157
N13 Boston College	21,420		N13 Clemson	72,228
N27 North Carolina	30,904		N27 Florida	82,324
AVERAGE	28,750		AVERAGE	71,270
	Georgia Tech			Maryland
Bobby Dodd Stadium			Byrd Stadium
S4 SC State	51,668		S11 Morgan State	40,099
S25 NC State	48,825		S25 FIU	33,254
O9 Virginia	48,016		O2 Duke	39,106
O16 Middle Tennessee	40,652		O30 Wake Forest	39,063
N13 Miami	47,425		N20 Florida State	48,115
N20 Duke	42,110		N27 NC State	35,370
AVERAGE	46,449		AVERAGE	39,168
	Miami			North Carolina
Sun Life Stadium			Kenan Stadium
S2 Florida A&M	53,674		S18 Georgia Tech	58,500
O9 Florida State	75,115		O2 East Carolina	60,000
O23 North Carolina	43,584		O9 Clemson	60,000
N6 Maryland	55,434		O30William & Mary	51,000
N20 Virginia Tech	40,101		N13 Virginia Tech	60,000
N27 South Florida	41,148		N20 NC State	60,000
AVERAGE	51,509		AVERAGE	58,250
	North Carolina State			Virginia
Carter-Finley Stadium			Scott Stadium
S4 Western Carolina	56,417		S4 Richmond	54,146
S16 Cincinnati	55,934		S25 VMI	43,592
O2 Virginia Tech	58,083		O2 Florida State	47,096
O9 Boston College	56,859		O16 North Carolina	50,830
O28 Florida State	56,807		O23 Eastern Michigan	37,386
N13 Wake Forest	57,161		O30 Miami	39,528
			N13 Maryland	45,634
AVERAGE	56,877		AVERAGE	45,459
	Virginia Tech			Wake Forest
Lane Stadium			BB&T Field
S11 James Madison	66,233		S2 Presbyterian	28,205
S18 East Carolina	66,233		S11 Duke	31,673
O9 Central Michigan	66,233		O2 Georgia Tech	30,263
O16 Wake Forest	66,233		O9 Navy	31,454
O23 Duke	66,233		N6 Boston College	29,465
N4 Georgia Tech	66,233		N20 Clemson	31,783
N27 Virginia	66,233
AVERAGE	66,233		AVERAGE	30,474

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE BY SCHOOL

Clemson	75,500
Florida State	71,270
Virginia Tech	66,233
North Carolina	58,250
North Carolina State	56,877
Miami	51,509
Georgia Tech	46,449
Virginia	45,459
Maryland	39,168
Boston College	38,369
Wake Forest	30,474
Duke	28,750