2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Preview

Date: December 29, 2012 4:00 PM ET
Stadium: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
Payout: $837,500 per team
Played: 2002-present
Former Names: San Francisco Bowl (2002-2003), Emerald Bowl (2004-2009)
Broadcasters: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese
Sideline Reporter: Jenn Brown

 Navy: After dropping three of their first four contests, the Midshipmen earned wins in seven of their last eight games. As usual, Navy stuck to the ground game this season. Gee Gee Greene, Noah Copeland and Keenan Reynolds all exceeded 100 carries and 600 yards. Reynolds also threw for 884 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Arizona State: First-year coach Todd Graham guided the Sun Devils to their most wins since 2007 and will be seeking the school's first bowl win since the 2005 Insight Bowl. An opportunistic Arizona State defense averaged 3.9 sacks per game, the second-best mark in the nation, and totaled 20 interceptions, fourth-most nationally. Three Arizona State running backs combined for 1,536 yards and 18 scores.

	Navy			Arizona State
Overall Record	8-4		Overall Record	7-5
Conference Record	N/A		Conference Record	5-4
Bowl Record	7-9-1		Bowl Record	12-12-1
Last Bowl Win	2009 Texas		Last Bowl Win	2005 Insight

All Time Series: 0-0
Line: Arizona State by 14

Big East Expansion Targets

With the announced departure of West Virginia from the Big East last Friday, along with the previous news of TCU, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse turning their backs on the Big East, the once-proud conference is fighting for its survival.

The Big East is looking to add Houston, Southern Methodist, and Central Florida in all sports.

The Big East is looking to add Boise State, Air Force, and Navy as football-only members.

The Big East will need to make one more invitation to get to John Marinatto's desired size of twelve members with the recent loss of West Virginia. Other schools being considered are BYU, Army, Temple, East Carolina, and Memphis.

Looking at how unstable the Big East is right now, why would any school want to make the jump? There is no guarantee the Big East will keep its autobid to the BCS after 2013 even if it does patch itself back together. Announcements on whether these schools will go to the Big East or not will be released tomorrow it is rumored. It is unlikely all of the six aformentioned schools will join if invited.

The Big East needs to figure out what it wants to be: a basketball conference or a conference for all sports. Some conference members don't field football teams. Some conference members like Notre Dame are involved in all sports except football. Other conference members are committed in all sports. There are offers are being made to schools to be football-only members. Unequal commitments will not work in the long term. The Big East needs to get this in its head or it will forever be destined to fail.

Independents Home Attendance Figures

	Army			Navy
Michie Stadium			Navy Memorial Stadium
S11 Hawaii	30,042		S11 Georgia Southern	33,391
S18 North Texas	24,689		O16 SMU	33,924
O2 Temple	33,065		O30 Duke	34,117
O30 VMI	32,410		N13 Central Michigan	34,333
N6 Air Force	38,128		N20 Arkansas State	27,501
AVERAGE	31,667		AVERAGE	32,653
	Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium
S4 Purdue	80,795
S11 Michigan	80,795
S25 Stanford	80,795
O9 Pittsburgh	80,795
O16 Western Michigan	80,795
O30 Tulsa	80,795
N13 Utah	80,795
AVERAGE	80,795

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE BY SCHOOL

Army	31,667
Navy	32,653
Notre Dame	80,795

2010 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Preview

December 23, 2010 8:00 PM ET

Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Payout: $750,000

Played: 2005-present

Once known as: N/A

Broadcasters: Mike Patrick, Craig James

Sideline Reporter: Holly Rowe

Storyline: San Diego State will be playing on its home field. Brady Hoke has revived the Aztecs football program in his second year at the helm. SDSU has not gone to a bowl game since 1998. San Diego State is looking to get its first win since the 1969 Pasadena Bowl, but the Aztecs must stop Navy’s triple option first. San Diego has a large Navy presence which should show up to support the Midshipmen. Navy is playing in its seventh straight bowl game and is looking to have back-to-back ten-win seasons for the first time. This game will be a contrast of styles. The Aztecs are the 11^th best passing team in the nation, with two receivers each having over 1,100 receiving yards. The Midshipmen are the 5^th best rushing team in the nation, due to their triple-option offense. Neither team is spectacular defending their opponent’s offensive competency. Look for a high-scoring game.

All-time Series: 2-0 San Diego State

Line: San Diego State by 3

	Navy			San Diego State
Overall Record	8-4		Overall Record	8-4
Conference Record	N/A		Conference Record	5-3
Bowl Record	7-8-1		Bowl Record	1-4
Last Bowl Win	2009 Texas		Last Bowl Win	1969 Pasadena

The Service Academies

Since today is Veterans Day, lets take a look at how Air Force, Army, and Navy are doing as D1 football programs. The service academies are playing some good football. It looks as though all three will get invited to play in bowl games this season. Never before have all three gone to bowls in the same season.

Air Force has won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2002, by beating both Navy and Army this season. Air Force is sitting on a 6-4 record with three of Air Force’s four losses coming by five points or less (Oklahoma 24-27, San Diego State 25-27, Utah 23-28). This team is not far off from being 9-1. Air Force is headed to its fourth straight bowl game. Last year the Falcons blew out a 10-3 Houston team in the Armed Forces Bowl by a score of 47-20.

Remaining Schedule:

Nov 13 New Mexico

Nov 18 @UNLV

The Navy Midshipmen have been consistently the most competitive of the service academy football programs during the last decade. Navy has gone to bowls and won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy each of the last seven seasons. With a 6-3 record, the Midshipmen will be heading to the Poinsettia Bowl on December 23^rd. Navy won the 2009 Texas Bowl 35-13, defeating Missouri. The Naval Academy has beaten rival Notre Dame in three of the last four seasons (2007, 2009, 2010).

Remaining Schedule:

Nov 13 Central Michigan

Nov 20 Arkansas State

Dec 11 Army (in Philadelphia)

The Army Black Knights have struggled the most out of the three service academies in recent history. Army is currently sitting at 5-4. Two of their four losses have been by a field goal (Hawaii 28-31, Rutgers 20-23 OT). With the hiring of Rich Ellerson in December 2008, the Black Knights are experiencing resurgence in their football program. Army had not won more than four games in a season since their magical 1996 campaign. Under Ellerson, the Black Knights went 5-7 in 2009 and look to be headed to a bowl game for the first time since 1996 if they can win at least one of their last three games.

Remaining Schedule:

Nov 13 @Kent State

Nov 20 Notre Dame (in New York)

Dec 11 Navy (in Philadelphia)

It's Crunch Time

There are four weeks left in the college football regular season. Every game counts for teams trying to get to six wins (or in some cases seven) so that they can land a spot in a bowl game. A bowl game not only means a program can play in another game, but it gives a school exposure on national television and extra practice time for the team, which is beneficial for developing the team for next season.

After ten weeks of football:

-47 teams are eligible to play in bowls

-22 teams are ineligible to play in bowls
-51 teams are on the bubble

Bowl tie-ins by conference:

ACC: 8 (6 eligible)

Big East: 6 (0 eligible)

Big Ten: 8 (7 eligible)

Big 12: 8 (7 eligible)

C-USA: 6 (4 eligible)

MAC: 3 (4 eligible)

MWC: 5 (4 eligible)

Pac-10: 6 (3 eligible)

SEC: 9 (7 eligible)

Sun Belt: 2 (0 eligible)

WAC: 4 (4 eligible)

Navy: Poinsettia Bowl (eligible)

Army: At-large (not eligible)

Wyoming and Central Michigan won bowl games last season, but both are already ineligible to go to a bowl this season. Bowling Green and Minnesota also played in bowl games last postseason, but both schools have racked up too many losses to participate in the 2010-2011 postseason.

Helmet Stickers: Week 10

ACC—Since the ACC started playing a conference title game in 2005, either Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech has represented the Coastal Division in every title game. Virginia Tech got by Georgia Tech Thursday night by a score of 28-21. The Yellow Jackets tied the game with 2:34 at 21 apiece. On the ensuing kickoff, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson ran back the kick for 90 yards and a touchdown to put the Hokies back up by 7. The Yellow Jackets got a chance to tie the game, driving to the Hokies’ 17-yard line, but cornerback Rashad Carmichael made an interception with eight seconds left to end the game. The Hokies are undefeated in conference play, 5-0.

Big 12—Texas A&M ended a seven-game losing streak to Oklahoma with a 33-19 victory Saturday night. Aggies running back Cyrus Gray ran for 112 yard in his first game as a starter. The Aggies defense finally emerged Saturday, giving the Sooners their first scoreless first half since 2007. Linebacker Michael Hodges had nineteen tackles and two sacks. During the game, the Aggies defense stopped the Oklahoma Sooners offense three times on 4^th and 1 on the Texas A&M 1-yard line. The Wrecking Crew is back in College Station!

Big East—Louisville beat an improved Syracuse team 28-20 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The Cardinals lost their starting quarterback and running back to injuries in last week’s loss to Pitt. Backups Justin Burke and Jeremy Wright filled in effectively. The former passed for 143 yards and the latter rushed for 98 yards. Louisville is one win away from bowl eligibility. The Cardinals have not gone to a bowl since 2006.

Big Ten—The 67-65 triple overtime game between Michigan and Illinois this weekend was the highest scoring (132 points) Big Ten conference game ever and the highest scoring FBS game this season. Roy Roundtree had 246 receiving yards, a school record. Second-string quarterback Tate Forcier came into the game after Denard Robinson was knocked out and threw for 114 yards in the last quarter and three overtimes. Michigan’s defense has been taking criticism most of the season, but the Wolverine defense came up with a big stop on Illinois’ two-point conversion in triple overtime.

C-USA—UTEP became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2005 after defeating Southern Methodist 28-14 at the Sun Bowl. Miners quarterback Trevor Vittatoe threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns with no sacks or interceptions. Vittatoe completed passes to nine different targets. The Miners ended a three-game losing streak with the win.

MAC—After trailing Western Michigan 22-13 heading into the third quarter, Central Michigan rallied to score 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to get a 26-22 win at home. Chippewas wide receiver Cody Wilson had a career-high 12 catches for 185 yards. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Radcliff passed for 300 yards. The Chips’ defense recovered four Western Michigan fumbles for a +2 turnover ratio. The win ended a six-game skid.

MWC—In the last battle of unbeatens during the regular season, TCU cherry popped Utah in a 47-7 rout. The Horned Frogs destroyed the Utes in every statistical category. The Horned Frogs possessed the rock for 39:06 and outgained the Utes 558 yards to 199 yards. TCU hung up 40 unanswered points on Utah until they allowed a touchdown in garbage time. Utah suffered its worst home loss since 1989. If a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference gets a shot to play in the national championship, it should be Texas Christian University.

Pac-10—UCLA defeated a stingy Oregon State team on the final play of the game. The game appeared to end in a 14-14 tie and was set to go to overtime, but instant replay determined there was one second left in the game. That was enough for Bruin kicker Kai Forbath to connect on a 51-yard field goal to get the 17-14 win for the Bruins. Forbath got an opportunity to redeem himself after missing a 46-yarder with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter and a 49-yarder in the second quarter. The Bruins ended a three-game skid.

SEC—The only thing crazier then LSU beating former LSU head coach Nick Saban Saturday was Les Miles eating grass. The Tigers rallied to a 24-21 victory in front of 92,969. The Tigers put up two field goals, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion in a big fourth quarter. The Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide 433 yards to 325 yards and went two-for-two on fourth downs, including a 23-yard reverse play on 4^th and 1. Louisiana State’s win extinguished any chance that Alabama had at going to the BCS National Championship.

Sun Belt—Florida International defeated Louisiana-Monroe 42-35 in double overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime. During the second overtime, Golden Panthers running back Darriet Perry scored on a 17-yard run. The Warhawks tried to respond with a touchdown of their own, but on fourth-and-12, Golden Panthers cornerback Ashlyn Parker stopped the Warhawk’s Luther Ambrose 4 yards short of a first down. Florida International wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had four touchdowns: two receiving, one rushing, and one on a kick return. FIU advances to 3-1 in Sun Belt play.

WAC—Boise State dismantled Hawaii 42-7. Boise State set a school record for offense in a game with 737 yards. Kellen Moore threw for 507 yards and three touchdowns, including an 83-yard touchdown pass to receiver Titus Young. The Bronco defense was just as impressive as the offense, tallying seven sacks and holding a high-octane Hawaii offense to just 196 yards in the game—the lowest offensive output the Warriors have had in a game in 12 years. Boise State has beaten Hawaii in nine of the last ten meetings between the two schools.

Independents—Navy gets a helmet sticker for its 76-35 win over two-time defending Conference USA champions East Carolina on Saturday. The 76 points scored by Navy are the most scored against a Division I team in Navy history. Navy had 596 yards of total offense, of which 521 were on the ground. The Midshipmen were 6 for 12 on third downs and 2 for 2 on fourth downs. East Carolina lost four fumbles in the third quarter, including three fumbles in the span of four offensive snaps, and Navy capitalized by scoring on all four recovered fumbles. Ten different rushers carried the ball for Navy. With the win, Navy qualified for a bowl game for the eighth straight season.

Helmet Stickers: Week 8

ACC—Clemson finally beat Georgia Tech after losing four straight times to the Yellow Jackets. The Tiger defense held Georgia Tech to their lowest point total of the season, 13. Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Joshua Nesbitt was harassed all day, only passing for 83 yards and running for 2 yards. Clemson’s 27-13 victory gets them back to .500 in ACC play.

Big 12—There were three undefeated Big 12 teams heading into Week 8. Missouri was the only one to stay perfect. Mizzou knocked off Oklahoma, 36-27 at home. The Tiger offense and defense outperformed the Sooners in all aspects of the game, controlling the ball for over thirty-eight minutes. The sellout crowd of 71,004 stormed the field and took down the goal posts. This is the first 7-0 start for the Tigers since 1960. Gary Pinkel got his first win against the Sooners, and Missouri beat Oklahoma for the first time since 1998.

Big East—Just when it looked like one team in the Big East was the leader of the pack, West Virginia got upset by a scrappy Syracuse team. Syracuse turned three interceptions into 9 points as the Orange shocked the Mountaineers 19-15. Syracuse had five sacks and prevented the Mountaineers from scoring except for two first quarter touchdowns. The Orange ended an eight-game losing streak to West Virginia and gained possession of the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy.

Big Ten—Wisconsin followed up its big upset over Ohio State last week with another big win. The Badgers defeated the Hawkeyes 31-30 in Iowa City. With Wisky down 30-24 and facing fourth down, Badger punter Brad Nortman ran 17 yards on a fake punt to keep the go-ahead drive alive. Badger running back Montee Ball scored on an 8-yard run with 1:06 left in the game. The Hawkeyes were driving at the end of the game, but just ran out of time.

C-USA—Tulane got a much-needed win over UTEP on the road, 34-24. With 13:39 left in the game, the Miners tied the Green Wave 24-24. The Green Wave responded by scoring a touchdown and a subsequent field goal after regaining possession off an interception. Tulane had 461 yards of total offense while UTEP had 286 yards.

MAC—The Ohio Bobcats took the Miami (OH) RedHawks to the woodshed, 34-13, in a game that would decide the top dog in the MAC Eastern Division. Ohio’s defense was phenomenal, getting five sacks, four interceptions, and recovering two fumbles. The Bobcat defense also halted the RedHawks’ running game to just 11 yards. Despite committing 10 penalties for 105 yards, the Bobcats silenced 17,144 at Yager Stadium. Ohio is now 4-1 in conference play.

MWC—TCU routed Air Force 38-7 in Fort Worth to stay undefeated. Sophomore running back Ed Wesley rushed for 209 yards. The Horned Frogs held Air Force to just 184 yards rushing. Air Force was the top rushing team in the nation coming into the scrimmage, averaging 346 yards per game. The Horned Frogs outgained the Falcons 562 to 231.

Pac-10—With Nick Foles out due to injury, there were questions whether backup quarterback Matt Scott could lead the Wildcats to victory. Scott went 18 for 22 through the air, including two touchdowns. Scott had 233 yards passing and 65 yards rushing; Arizona didn’t miss Foles, nor miss a beat as it walloped Washington 44-14. The Wildcats are 6-1, their best start since 1998.

SEC—In the battle of two unbeatens, Auburn bested LSU by a touchdown. Auburn established their run game and didn’t look back. The Auburn Tigers ran for 440 yards, the most the LSU Tigers have allowed in a game in their entire history. Cam Newton had 217 of those rushing yards in addition to throwing for 86 yards. Newton now has the record for most rushing yards by a SEC quarterback in a season with 1,077. Auburn is the only undefeated team left in the SEC.

Sun Belt—Western Kentucky ended the nation’s longest losing streak by beating Louisiana-Lafayette 54-21 on the road. The Hilltoppers had lost 26 straight games before Saturday. The win also marks the Hilltoppers first win since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2009. Western Kentucky quarterback Kawaun Jakes was 18 for 22 with 262 yards and a touchdown. The Hilltoppers were 75% on third down conversions.

WAC—The Warriors of Hawaii routed the Aggies of Utah State 45-7 in Logan, Utah. Warrior quarterback Bryant Moniz passed for 389 yards, while running back Alex Green ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns. The Warrior defense had a coming-out party, holding the Aggies to just 181 yards of offense. Hawaii is now 4-0 in Western Athletic Conference games and 6-2 overall. Hawaii just might be a team that can give Boise State trouble on November 6th.

Independents—The Navy Midshipmen came up with a big victory over rival Notre Dame by a score of 35-17. Most of Navy’s production was on the ground; the Midshipmen only passed twice the entire game. Navy also did not have a single penalty. Navy lost forty-three straight meetings to the Fighting Irish between 1964 and 2006, but has now won three of the last four meetings. Navy has Notre Dame’s number.