NEW ORLEANS BOWLTroy by 3.
Ohio (8-4) vs. Troy (7-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Line:
Series record: First meeting.
What’s at stake: Ohio is in its fifth bowl and is still looking for its first bowl win after falling to Marshall in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl last season. Troy seeks its second New Orleans Bowl win in three appearances, and second victory overall in six bowl games.
Facts and figures: Ohio coach Frank Solich seeks his 99th career win. . . . With 40 wins at Ohio, Solich is fourth on the Bobcats’ all-time victories list. He’ll pass Carroll Widdoes for third with three more wins. . . . Ohio finished second in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division this season behind Miami (Ohio). . . . The Bobcats average 28 points this season, the seventh-highest scoring average in school history. . . . Ohio’s season-ending loss at Kent State snapped a seven-game winning streak. . . . Troy has won a share of five straight Sun Belt Conference titles. . . . Larry Blakeney is 160-82-1 as Troy’s coach, giving him by far the most wins in school history, smashing the previous mark of 44. . . . Under Blakeney, Troy has had 14 winning seasons, including six with 10 or more wins. . . . Troy’s defense has had just three players start all 12 games during the 2010 season. The unit has lost 23 players for all or part of the 2010 season to injury or other issues.
NEW MEXICO BOWLBYU by 11 1/2.
BYU (6-6) vs. UTEP (6-6), noon (ESPN)
Line:
Series record: BYU leads 28-7-1.
Last meeting: BYU 31-14 in El Paso on Nov. 14, 1998.
What’s at stake: A winning season. That’s what happens when 6-6 teams are matched in a bowl game, but don’t be too quick to shrug off the New Mexico Bowl. There have been recent thrillers — Colorado State rallied to beat Fresno State 40-35 in 2008, and Wyoming beat Fresno State 35-28 in double overtime last year.
Facts and figures: Jake Heaps will be the first freshman QB to start a bowl game in BYU history. His 10 TD passes are three short of Ty Detmer’s BYU freshman record. . . . BYU and UTEP are former WAC rivals, playing 36 times from 1946 to 1998. One of the biggest wins in UTEP history was a 23-16 stunner of No. 7 BYU in El Paso in 1985, when the Miners beat the defending national champions for their only win during a 1-10 season. . . . Bronco Mendenhall is the first BYU coach to reach a bowl game in each of his first six seasons. The Cougars are 3-2 under Mendenhall, including a 44-20 victory over Oregon State in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl. . . . UTEP is making its first bowl trip since the 2005 GMAC Bowl. The Miners are 0-2 in bowls under coach Mike Price.
HUMANITARIAN BOWLNorthern Illinois by 1.
Fresno State (8-4) vs. Northern Illinois (10-3), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line:
Series record: Series tied 2-2.
Last meeting: 1991, Fresno State 55-7.
What’s at stake: Every three years, it seems Fresno State is destined for a bowl trip to Boise. This year is no different, but comes with the added bonus of the Bulldogs trying to make amends for the last time they stepped on the blue turf and were whacked 51-0 by Boise State in late November. Northern Illinois is in a whirlwind of change with coach Jerry Kill leaving to take the head job at Minnesota and his replacement, Dave Doeren, busy prepping Wisconsin’s defense for the Rose Bowl. That leaves interim coach Tom Matukewicz responsible for getting the Huskies to care about their third straight bowl appearance.
Facts and figures: Fresno State is 11-11 all time in bowl games but is 2-0 on the blue turf in Boise, beating Virginia in 2004 and Georgia Tech in 2007. . . . Fresno State DE Chris Carter was named the WAC defensive player of the year after leading the conference with 11 sacks. . . . Northern Illinois has set school records for points, offensive yards, first downs and offensive touchdowns. A win will add another: 11 victories in a season.
