Bowl History: The AutoZone Liberty Bowl  …. was established in 1959 and the game has been played annually since that time! The first game in this bowl series took place on December, 19, 1959 … Penn State beat Alabama, 7-0 while last year’s game featured, Cincinnati and Vanderbilt, a game won by the Bearcats (Cincinnati), 31-24! . Finally, the conference tie-ins are C-USA/SEC or Big East & the Bowl Pay out is $1,700,000.00!

Teams: Tulsa: Conference Affiliation: C-USA; Overall Record 10-3, Conference Record 7-1, Divisional Record 4-1 (C-USA’s West Division) vs Iowa State: Conference  Affiliation: Big 12; Overall Record 6-6, Conference Record: 3-6!

Bowl Location: Memphis, Tennessee … played @ the Liberty Bowl, the seating capacity @ the facility is 61,008. Last year’s game which featured Cincinnati and Vanderbilt, was attended by 57,103 or 93.60% of the Liberty Bowl’s capacity.

Day, Date, & Time: Monday, 12/31/12 @ 2:30 p.m. CST

Network: ESPN

Best Wins:Tulsa: beat Central Florida twice, 23-21 (regular season) & 33-27  in OT   (C-USA Championship Game), & Fresno State, 27-26: Iowa State beat TCU, 37-23, & Baylor, 35-21!

Worst Losses: Tulsa: lost to a weak Arkansas team, 19-15; Iowa State: handled by a struggling Texas, 33-7

Common Opponents: Only Bowl game … that I am aware of …where the teams played in the regular season … you got it …. a rematch! ISU won the September 1st meeting, 38-23!

Las Vegas Hotsheet: The Bowl opened @ Tulsa -3 and has flip flopped to ISU -1

Offensive Team Data: Tulsa: Total Yards, 461 YPG; Passing Yards, 221 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 240 YPG; Scoring Average 35 PPG, Turnovers, 1.69 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 39.1%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 78% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 64%

Offensive Team Data: Iowa State: Total Yards, 372 YPG; Passing Yards, 218 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 154 YPG; Scoring Average 25 PPG, Turnovers, 1.92 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 40.2%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 77% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 69%

Defensive Team Data: Tulsa: Total Yards, 354 YPG; Passing Yards, 233 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 121 YPG; Scoring Average 24 PPG, Turnovers, 1.92 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 39.1%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 67% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 55%

Defensive Team Data: Iowa State: Total Yards, 445 YPG; Passing Yards, 280 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 165 YPG; Scoring Average 23 PPG, Turnovers, 2.08 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 41.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 78% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 54%

Sully’s Game Simulator: is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take Tulsa’s total yards on offense, add it to what Iowa State gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking ISU’s total offense, add it to what Tulsa gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage Tulsa 453 to 363

Passing Yards: Advantage Tulsa 251 to 226

Rushing Yards: Advantage Tulsa 203 to 138

Scoring: Advantage Tulsa 29 to 25

Turnovers: Advantage Tulsa 1.89 to 1.92

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage Tulsa 40.3% to 39.6%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage Tulsa 78% to 72%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage ISU 62% to 59%

Individuals to Watch: Tulsa: QB, Cody Green has had a solid season, passing for 2,499 yards, 17 TD’s, 10 INT’s, and completed 54% of his attempts. RB’s Trey Watts & Ja’ Terian Douglas have each rushed for 850 yards plus.  Iowa State: QB, Steele Jantz has passed for 1562 yards, 13 TD’s 11 INT’s while completing 62% of his passes. RB

Sully Says: These teams played on opening day … a game won by ISU, 38-23. Tulsa will be trying to win its 11th game for the second time in school history, while Iowa State will be trying to have its first winning season in four years! The Cyclones have lost 5 of their last seven games, while the Hurricanes have won 10 of 12 since losing to ISU. Sully’s CFP Says … The Golden Hurricane will blow the Cyclones from Memphis back to Ames and then some … Take Tulsa and the 1 point!

Bowl History: The Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl  …. the NCAA certified this Bowl in 1989 and the game has been played annually since that time! This Bowl has had a variety of sponsors: Domino’s Pizza (1989-90), Weiser Lock (1991-95), Insight Enterprises (1996-2011) & in 2012, Buffalo Wild Wings.   The first game in this bowl series took place on December, 31, 1989 … Arizona beat North Carolina State, 17-10 while last years game featured, Oklahoma and Iowa, a game won by the Sooners (Oklahoma), 31-14! The 2011 game, is best remembered for … the ESPN Skycam crashing on to the field and almost taking out Iowa’s WR , Marvin McNutt! This 2011 addition of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, (last year known as the Insight Bowl) had the best attendance in its history, 54,247! Finally, the conference tie-ins are Big 12 /Big 10 & the Bowl Pay out is $3,300,000.00 per team!

Teams: Michigan State: Conference Affiliation: Big 10; Overall Record 6-6, Conference Record 3-5, Divisional Record 1-4 (Big 10’s Legends Division) vs TCU: Conference  Affiliation: Big 12; Overall Record 7-5, Conference Record: 4-5!

Bowl Location: Tempe, Arizona @ Sun Devil Stadium, the seating capacity @ the facility is 71,706. Last year’s game which featured Oklahoma and Iowa, was attended by 54,247 or 75.65% of the Sun Devil Stadium’s capacity.

Day, Date, & Time: Saturday, 12/29/2012 @ 9:15 p.m. CST

Network: ESPN

Best Wins: Michigan State: beat Boise State 17-13, Central Michigan 41-7, & Minnesota 26-10; TCU: beat SMU, 24-16, Baylor 49-21, West Virginia 39-38 / 3 OTs, Texas 20-13 … all 7 of these teams are bowl eligible in 2012!

Worst Losses: Michigan State: Pick one …. lost 5 games by a total of 13 points ( Ohio State 17-16, Iowa 19-16 2 OTs, Michigan 12-10, Nebraska 28-24, & Northwestern 23-20)! TCU: Iowa State 37-23!

Common Opponents: None

Las Vegas Hotsheet: The Game opened with TCU -1 has moved to TCU -3

Offensive Team Data: Michigan State: Total Yards, 369 YPG; Passing Yards, 218 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 152 YPG; Scoring Average 20 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 39.8%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 81% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 50%

Offensive Team Data: TCU: Total Yards, 397 YPG; Passing Yards, 240 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 158 YPG; Scoring Average 29 PPG, Turnovers, 2.25 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 33.7%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 70% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 50%

Defensive Team Data: Michigan State: Total Yards, 273 YPG; Passing Yards, 174 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 100 YPG; Scoring Average 16 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 30.9%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 82% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 32%

Defensive Team Data:TCU: Total Yards, 332 YPG; Passing Yards, 228 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 104 YPG; Scoring Average 23 PPG, Turnovers, 2.67 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 30%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 83% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 44%

Sully’s Game Simulator:  is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take MSU’s total yards on offense, add it to what TCU gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking TCU’s total offense, add it to what MSU gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage MSU 351 to 335

Passing Yards: Advantage MSU 223 to 207

Rushing Yards: Advantage TCU 129 to 128

Scoring: Advantage TCU 23 to 22

Turnovers: Advantage TCU 1.88 to 2.09

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage MSU 34.9% to 32.3%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage MSU 82% to 76%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage MSU 47% to 41%

Individuals to Watch: MSU: QB, Andrew Maxwell, threw for 2,578 yards, 13 TD’s, 9 INT’s, and completed 52.9% of his attempts! RB, Le’Veon Bell rushed for 1,648 yards for a 4.4 average per carry, & 11 TDs! Marcus Rush, William Gholston, Max Bullough, & Johnny Adams led a strong Spartan Defense that allowed only 5 rushing TDs all season …. which left  MSU tied for second in the nation … behind ND’s 2! TCU: QB, Trevone Boykin passed for 1,853 yards  (did not start four games), 15 TD’s & 9 INT’s while completing 58% of his passes! TCU had the best defense in the “offense happy” Big 12! TCU D is led by Freshmen, Devonte Fields, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year ( 17.5 tackles for loss & 9 sacks)! Clearly this game game will feature to very good defenses and points should be far and few between come Saturday Night!

Sully Says: This should be the most physical bowl game played thus far in the post season! Sully’s Game Simulator (Head to Head on the Site) like MSU in 5 of the 8 statistical categories assessed! MSU has seen plenty of physical defenses like TCU’s in the Big Ten (Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, & Notre Dame in one of their non-conference games) , TCU has played against mostly finesse defenses in their conference … built to deal with the speed of teams in the Big 12! The story of this game will be told early … watch the battle between TCU’s front 7 vs MSU O-Line & Le’Veon Bell. Sully’s CFP Says …. take MSU and the 3!

Bowl History: The Valero Alamo Bowl  …. the NCAA certified the Bowl in 1993 and the game has been played annually since that time! The first game in this bowl series took place on December, 31, 1993 … California beat Iowa, 37-3 while last years game featured, Baylor and Washington, a game won by the Bears (Baylor), 67-56! This 2011 game, as you may suspect, broke the all time record for total points scored in Alamo Bowl History, 123. The Alamo Bowl has a great TV following …..  as it has produced 8 of ESPN’s top 20 most watched Bowl Games! Further, the Alamo Bowl has sold out 7 times in its 16 year history … Impressive …. given overall Bowl Attendance the past few years! Finally, the conference tie-ins are Big 12 /PAC 12 & the Bowl Pay out is $3,000,000.00!

Teams: Oregon State: Conference Affiliation: PAC 12; Overall Record 9-3, Conference Record 6-3, Divisional Record 2-3 (PAC 12’s North Division) vs …. Texas: Conference Affiliation: Big 12; Overall Record 8-4, Conference Record: 5-4!

Bowl Location: San Antonio, Texas @ the Alamodome, the seating capacity @ the facility is 65,438. Last year’s game which featured Baylor and Washington, was attended by 65,256 or 100.39% of the Alamodome’s capacity.

Day, Date, & Time: Saturday, 12/29/2012 @ 5:45 p.m. CST

Network: ESPN

Best Wins: Oregon State: beat UCLA 27-20, Arizona, 38-35, BYU 42-24, & Arizona State 36-26; Texas: stopped Ole Miss 66-31, Oklahoma State 41-36, Baylor 56-50, Texas Tech 31-22, & Iowa State 33-7! All Nine of these teams that, OSU & Texas, defeated …. are bowl eligible!

Worst Losses: Oregon State: Oregon 48-24 Texas: Oklahoma 63-21

Common Opponents: None

Las Vegas Hotsheet: Game opened @ Oregon State -1.5 has moved to Oregon State -3.5

Offensive Team Data: Oregon State: Total Yards, 444 YPG; Passing Yards, 314 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 130 YPG; Scoring Average 33 PPG, Turnovers, 1.58 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 35.2%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 91% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 72%

Offensive Team Data: Texas: Total Yards, 441 YPG; Passing Yards, 262 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 179 YPG; Scoring Average 36 PPG, Turnovers, 1.25 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 50.3%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 85% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 70%

Defensive Team Data: Oregon State: Total Yards, 358 YPG; Passing Yards, 220 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 138 YPG; Scoring Average 20 PPG, Turnovers, 2.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 32.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 84% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 63%

Defensive Team Data: Texas: Total Yards, 412 YPG; Passing Yards, 214 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 199 YPG; Scoring Average 29 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 37.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 92% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 60%

Sully’s Game Simulator:  is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take OSU’s total yards on offense, add it to what Texas gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking Texas’s total offense, add it to what Oregon State gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage OSU 428 to 400

Passing Yards: Advantage OSU 264 to 241

Rushing Yards: Advantage  OSU 165 to 159

Scoring: Advantage OSU 31 to 28

Turnovers: Advantage OSU 1.54 to 1.88

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage Texas 41.4% to 36.4%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage OSU 92% to 85%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage Texas 67% to 66%

Individuals to Watch: OSU: QB, Sean Mannion has passed for 2,446 yards, 15 TD’s, 13 INT’s and completed 65% of his attempts! WRs Marcus Wheaton & Brandin Cooks have both surpassed the 1000 yard make in receiving yards. Wheaton has scored 11 TD’s while Cooks is averaging 17. 5 yards per reception! Texas: let’s start with who you will not be able to watch LB, Jordan Hicks & QB, Case McCoy have been sent home for violating team rules … more to follow on this … but not today! QB, Davis Ash, has passed for 2,456 yards, 17 TD’s, 7 INT’s and a completion percentage of 68! OSU & Texas have met twice before with Texas winning both times, the most recent being 1987 …. a 61 to 16 spanking! Texas won its last appearance in the Alamo Bowl beating Iowa in 2006, Horns 26 to Hawks 24! 

Sully Says:From Coach Brown … “Thanks Jordan & Kyle” … this is just what Mack was hoping for … a public mess the day before the game …. that will probably go legal shortly. I believe the ESPN “Talking Heads” are wrong about the PAC 12 being better then the Big 12 (9 of the Big 12’s 10 teams are in bowls) @ least that is what some of them have said PAC 12 is the second best conference behind the SEC …. Sully’s CFP Says … Take Texas and the 3.5 points  …and hope the rest of the team overcomes the behavior of those two dopes … I think they will! 

Bowl History: The New Era Pinstripe Bowl is brand new … the NCAA certified the Bowl September 30, 2010! The first game was played on December, 30, 2010 … Syracuse beat Kansas State, 36-34 and last years game featured Rutgers against Iowa State, a game won by the Scarlet Knight (Rutgers), 27-13! The teams play for the George M. Steinbrenner Trophy! The Conference tie-ins are the Big East & the Big 12 & the New Era Pinstripe Bowl Payout is … $2,000,000.00

Teams: Syracuse Conference Affiliation: Big East; Overall Record 7-5, Conference Record 5-2,  ….  vs …. West Virginia:   Conference Affiliation: Big 12; Overall Record 7-5, Conference Record: 4-5!

Bowl Location: New York, New York @ Yankee Stadium, the seating capacity @ the facility is 52,328. Last year’s game which featured Rutgers and Iowa State, was attended by 38,328 or 73.25% of Yankee Stadium’s capacity.

Day, Date, & Time Saturday, 12/29/2012 @ 2:15 p.m. CST

Network: ESPN

Best Wins: Syracuse: Louisville 45-26 & Missouri 34-27,  West Virginia, Baylor 70-63, Texas 48-45, & Iowa State, 31-24!

Worst Losses: Syracuse: Cincinnati 35-24 & USC 42-29; West Virginia: Texas Tech 49-14, Oklahoma State 55-34, Kansas State 55-14, & Oklahoma 50-49!

Common Opponents: None

Las Vegas Hotsheet: Opened @ West Virginia -4 and is now at WV -3.5

Offensive Team Data: Syracuse: Total Yards, 473 YPG; Passing Yards, 301 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 173 YPG; Scoring Average 29 PPG, Turnovers, 1.67 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 49.2%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 83% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 64%

Offensive Team Data:West Virginia: Total Yards, 519 YPG; Passing Yards, 341 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 178 YPG; Scoring Average 42 PPG, Turnovers, 1.0 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 46.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 84% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 71%

Defensive Team Data: Syracuse: Total Yards, 385 YPG; Passing Yards, 237 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 148 YPG; Scoring Average 26 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 38.6%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 86% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 59%

Defensive Team Data:West Virginia: Total Yards, 470 YPG; Passing Yards, 327 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 143 YPG; Scoring Average 38 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 45.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 84% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 67%

Sully’s Game Simulator: is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take Syracuse’s total yards on offense, add it to what West Virginia gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking WV’s total offense, add it to what Syracuse gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage Syracuse 472 to 452

Passing Yards: Advantage Syracuse 314 to 289

Rushing Yards: Advantage West Virginia 163 to 158

Scoring: Advantage West Virginia 34 to 33.5

Turnovers: Advantage West Virginia 1.25 to 1.59

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage Syracuse 47.35 to 42.55

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage West Virginia 85 to 84

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage Syracuse 66 to 65

Individuals to Watch: Syracuse: QB, Ryan Nassib, passed for 3,619 yards, 24 TD’s, 9 INT’s and completed 63% f his passes.  RB, Jerome Smith has rushed for 1,019 yards for an average of 5.1 yards per carry & 3 TD’s. WR, Alex Lemon has 70 receptions for 1,063 yards, with an average of 15.2 yards per catch, & 7 TD’s! West Virginia: QB, Geno Smith has passed for 4004 yards, 40 TD’s, 6 INT’s and completed 71% of his passes! WR-RB Tavon Austin, caught 110 passes for 1,259 yards, an average of 11.4 yards per catch, & 12 TD’s … he has also rushed for 598 yards on 61 carries averaging 9.8 yards per carry, & has scored 3 TD’s rushing!  Stedman Bailey has caught 106 passes for 1501 total yards and a reception average of 14.2 yards per catch … while scoring 23 TD’s.

Sully Says: First… Sully’s CFP Game Simulator says this game is a statistical tie .. that was somewhat of a surprise … given the numbers that WV puts up … even with the fact they play little to NO defense … I thought the Mountaineers would so out perform Syracuse on offense that they could / would mask their defensive deficiencies … did not happen! Put simply … Syracuse is better statistically than I realized! The Orange are all so battle tested …took on USC … Big Ten’s … Northwestern (41-40 loss) & Minnesota (17-10 loss) … before you say … BIG TEN with disgust … both these teams (Northwestern & Minnesota) have played their way into bowls and Minnesota gave Texas Tech a real battle, 34-31, before falling in the final seconds of that game.   Texas Tech has the nation’s second ranked passing offense .. no one questions their skills. Minnesota looked like a bowl worthy team last night!  Yet ….  how does the Syracuse defense slow down Smith, Austin, & Bailey … USC is similar to WV … great wide outs (Lee & Woods) & great QB (Barkley) … SC won that game 42-29 … Sully’s CFP Says … West Virginia wins and covers the 3.5

Bowl History: This bowl was certified by the NCAA Bowl Committee in 2002 and has been played every year since that time. The game has had many different descriptors; San Francisco Bowl (2202), Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl (2002-03), Emerald Bowl (2004-09), & Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (2010 to present). On November 20, 2012, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl & the San Francisco 49ers announced the event will be moved to the new Santa Clara Stadium in Silicon Valley in 2014! The first game in this bowl series was played on December 31, 2002, the contest pitted Va Tech against Air Force, a battle won by the Hokies, 20-13! Last year’s game featured the Fighting Illini taking on the Bruins of UCLA … Illinois prevailed, 20-14! The current conference tie -ins are the PAC 12, Navy, BYU …. Alternates are the ACC, MAC & WAC…. Payouts are PAC 12 $900,000.00 … all others $750.000.00!

Teams: Arizona State; Conference Affiliation: PAC 12; Overall Record 7-5, Conference Record 5-4, Divisional Record 3-2 (South Division of the PAC 12)! ….  vs …. Navy:   Conference Affiliation: Independent; Overall Record 8-4; Conference Record: 0-0!

Bowl Location: San Francisco, California @ AT&T Park, the seating capacity @ the facility is 40,148. Last year’s game which featured Illinois and UCLA, was attended by 29,878 or 79.34% of AT&T’s capacity.

Day, Date, & Time; Saturday, 12/29/2012 @ 3:00 p.m. CST

Network: ESPN 2

Best Wins: ASU: beat Arizona, 41-34… (their only win against an FBS team that posted a winning record); Navy: beat arch rival Army, 17-13, Air Force, 28-21 in OT, & BCS/Big Ten opponent, Indiana, 31-30.

Worst Losses: ASU: @ Missouri, 24-20 Navy: @ Troy, 41-31 … neither one of these teams were bowl eligible in 2012 …. both finished the season @ 5-7!

Common Opponents: None

Las Vegas Hotsheet: LVHS opened the game at ASU -14.5 and it has stayed on that number.

Offensive Team Data: Arizona State: Total Yards, 449 YPG; Passing Yards, 259 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 191 YPG; Scoring Average 36 PPG, Turnovers, 1.92 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 40.1%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 77% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 59%

Offensive Team Data: Navy: Total Yards, 388 YPG; Passing Yards, 111 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 276 YPG; Scoring Average 24 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 41.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 72% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 44%

Defensive Team Data: Arizona State: Total Yards, 351 YPG; Passing Yards, 179 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 172 YPG; Scoring Average 24 PPG, Turnovers, 2.42 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 35.1%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 80% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 61%

Defensive Team Data: Navy: Total Yards, 389 YPG; Passing Yards, 211 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 178 YPG; Scoring Average 23 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 47.7%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 73% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 44%

Sully’s Game Simulator: is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take ASU’s total yards on offense, add it to what Navy gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking Navy’s total offense, add it to what TCU gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards: Advantage ASU 419 to 370

Passing Yards: Advantage ASU 235 to145

Rushing Yards: Advantage Navy 224 to185

Scoring: Advantage ASU 30 to 24

Turnovers: Advantage ASU 1.71 t0 1.96

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage ASU 43.9% to 38.3%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage Navy 76% to 75%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage Navy 53% to 52%

Individuals to Watch: ASU players to watch, PAC 12 Defensive Player of the Year, LB Will Sutton, who had 20 total tackles for loss & 10.5 sacks during 2012 season. QB, Taylor Kelly has passed for 2,772 yards,  25 TD’s,  9 INT’s while completing 66% of his passes! Navy success or failure will be by unit not Individual achievement. The Midshipmen ranker 6 in the nation rushing the ball, 276 yards per game. That said, Navy ranked 4th from last in passes attempted!

Sully Says: The big advantage Navy typically has is gone in this game …  preparation time! ASU has had a long time to get their D up to speed on the nuances of the triple option! How to handle the blocking schemes, the counter’s & misdirection’s, the double wing and its Pre-snap motion, and the occasional play-action pass! Navy’s Coach Ken Niumatalolo, has stated the Arizona State will be as talented as any team they have played this year … he better hope not … ND beat the Midshipmen, 50 to 10 in Ireland! Sully’s CFP Says… Given the time ASU has had to prepare and their athletic advantage … State will win & but not cover the 14.5!

Bowl History: This bowl was established in 2003 as the PlainsCapital Forth Worth Bowl. The game was played in Fort Worth, Texas from 2003 through 2009, it was then moved to SMU’s Campus (Gerald J. Ford Stadium) for the 2010 & 2011 games and has now moved back to to Fort Worth for the 2012 addition of the bowl. The game was moved from Amon G.  Carter Stadium for those two years because of stadium renovations. The first game in the series was played on December 23, 2003 between Boise State & TCU … Boise won, 34-31. Last year’s game was played on December 30, 2011 … BYU beat Tulsa, 24-21! Conference tie-ins are Mountain West & Independents Army & Navy (if bowl eligible & available) and the bowl payout is 1.2 million!

Teams: Air Force: Conference Affiliation: Mountain West; Overall Record 6-6, Conference Record 5-3 ….  vs ….   Rice:  Conference Affiliation: C-USA; Overall Record 6-6; Conference Record 4-4, Divisional Record 3-2 (West Division of C-USA)!

Bowl Location: Fort Worth, Texas @ Amon G. Carter Stadium! The stadium seats 32,000 and last year’s attendance @ the BYU /Tulsa game was 30,258 or 94.56% of capacity!

Day, Date, & Time:  Saturday,12/29/2012 @ 10:45

Network: ESPN

Best Wins: Air Force: beat Nevada, 48-31, Rice: beat SMU, 36-14

Worst Losses: Air Force: lost to Army, 41-21 & Navy, 28-21 in OT;  Rice: lost to Memphis, 14-10.

Common Opponents: Fresno State Rice beat FSU 43-10, while AF lost Fresno, 48-15

Las Vegas Hotsheet: Opened with Rice -1 and has moved to Air Force -2.5  with the dollar flow…

Offensive Team Data: Air Force: Total Yards, 430 YPG; Passing Yards, 123 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 307 YPG; Scoring Average 29 PPG, Turnovers, 2.17 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 52%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 74% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 66%

Offensive Team Data: Rice: Total Yards, 421 YPG; Passing Yards, 220 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 201 YPG; Scoring Average 32 PPG, Turnovers, 1.58 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 45.3%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 85% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 60%

Defensive Team Data: Air Force: Total Yards, 402 YPG; Passing Yards, 204 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 198 YPG; Scoring Average 29 PPG, Turnovers, 1.08 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 45.5%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 89% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 68%

Defensive Team Data: Rice: Total Yards, 441 YPG; Passing Yards, 249 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 193 YPG; Scoring Average 31 PPG, Turnovers, 2.0 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 37.8%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 82% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 71%

Sully’s Game Simulator: is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take AF’s total yards on offense, add it to what Rice gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking Rice’s total offense, add it to what Air Force gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage: Air Force 436 to 412

Passing Yards: Advantage Rice 212 to 186

Rushing Yards: Advantage Air Force 250 to 200

Scoring: Advantage Rice 31 to 30

Turnovers: Advantage Rice 1.33 to 2.09

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage Rice 45.4% to 44.9%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage Rice 87% to 78%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage  Air Force 69% to 64%

Individuals to Watch: Air Force: RB, Cody Getz has rushed for 1,213 yards on 191 carries for an average of 6.4 yards per carry & 9 TD’s! While QB, Connor Dietz passed for 1,127  8 TD’s, & 3 picks.   Rice: QB Taylor McHargue has rushed and passed for 22 TD’s…. 11 running & 11 throwing! Also Sam McGuffie, a Michigan transfer to Rice, is an all-purpose back … who can run it, catch it and possesses both power & speed!

Sully Says: Air Force and Rice have played six times and the Falcons have won five. Their most recent meeting took plane in 1998, when both teams were members of the WAC. Air Force was 2nd in the country in rushing offense and can effectively throw to keep defenses honest … at least … somewhat honest. This bowl is a military event and the services academies take that to heart … and while they always play hard .. they do so with a little more of an edge in this bowl! That said, Rice needed to win their last four games to become bowl eligible … they got that done, including an impressive win over SMU, 36-14, …. SMU just hammered Fresno State, 43-10 (Fresno beat Air Force, 48-15) in their bowl game. While AF lost two of their last three games to end their season. Sully’s CFP Says… AF played 10 straight weeks without a bye (Sept 22 through Nov 24)… coupled with military duties at the Academy … the Falcons looked like a weary team down the stretch!   Rested and motivated in the Armed Forces Bowl …  Air Forces wins and covers the 2.5!

Bowl History: This bowl is not to be confused with the current Belk Bowl  (formally known as the Meineke Car Care Bowl … which is played in Memphis, Tennessee). The official name of this event is the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas! There have been two other bowls played in Houston; the Houston Bowl, 2000 to 2005 & the Bluebonnet Bowl, played from 1959 to 1987. The current Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas is not an extension of either of these bowls and traces its origins to 2006! The first game in this bowl series was played between Rutgers & Kansas State, won by Rutgers, 37 to 10, on December 28, 2006! Last year’s bowl game champion …  was/is Texas A&M, who stopped Northwestern, 33-22, on December 31, 2011! The conference tie-ins are Big 12 / Big Ten and the bowl payout is $1,700,000.00 per team!

Teams:  Texas Tech: Conference Affiliation: Big 12; Overall Record 7-5, Conference Record 4-5: ….  vs ….   Minnesota:  Conference Affiliation: Big Ten; Overall Record 6-6; Conference Record 2-6, Divisional Record 0-5 (Legends Division)!

Bowl Location: The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas is played in Houston, Texas! The hosting arena is Reliant Stadium, the home field for the NFL’s, Houston Texans! Reliant Stadium has a has a seating capacity of 71,054 & last year’s game (2011), played between Texas A&M & Northwestern …. drew a crowd 68,395 or 96.26% of capacity.

Day, Date, & Time Friday, 12/28/12 @ 8:00 p.m.

Network: ESPN

Best Wins: Texas Tech: beat Iowa State, 24-13, West Virginia, 49-14 & TCU 56-53 in 3 OT’s! Minnesota: beat Syracuse, 17-10 & Purdue, 44-28… all five of these teams are in post season bowl games!

Worst Losses: Texas Tech: was hammered by Oklahoma, 41-20, Oklahoma State, 59-21, & Kansas State, 55-24!   Minnesota: went 0-5 in their division, losing to Iowa, 31-13, Northwestern, 21-13, Michigan 35-13, MSU, 26-10, & Nebraska, 38-14!

Common Opponents: None

Las Vegas Hotsheet: The game opened @ Texas Tech -13 and has remained @ TTU -13

Offensive Team Data: Texas Tech: Total Yards, 510 YPG; Passing Yards, 365 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 145 YPG; Scoring Average 38 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 48.2%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 87% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 68%

Offensive Team Data: Minnesota: Total Yards, 318 YPG; Passing Yards, 171 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 146 YPG; Scoring Average 21 PPG, Turnovers, 1.75 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 34.4%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 81% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 58%

Defensive Team Data: Texas Tech: Total Yards, 358 YPG; Passing Yards, 193 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 166 YPG; Scoring Average 32 PPG, Turnovers, 1.17 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 38.8%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 86% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 61%

Defensive Team Data: Minnesota: Total Yards, 353 YPG; Passing Yards, 179 YPG;  Rushing Yards, 174 YPG; Scoring Average 24 PPG, Turnovers, 1.5 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions 40.6%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 82% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 65%

Sully’s Game Simulator:  is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will perform, based solely on their numbers, when they face off on the gridiron! Keep in mind, these stats were established against different teams and conferences and these differences must be taken into account to get a complete picture when attempting to predetermine a winner. If you are interested in how the Simulator works … read this part … if not … skip it! The process used is … we take Minnesota’s total yards on offense, add it to what Texas Tech gives up on defense, …  get a total and then divide that number by 2 … to get the mean. We then invert the process by taking T-Tech’s total offense, add it to what Minnesota gives up on defense, get a total and divide that number by 2  to get the second mean… the greater number (with the exception of Turnovers) is then determined to have the advantage ( please note …. statistical advantage). We repeat this process in each of the eight statistical categories assessed!  That said… here are the results of the Head to Head Analysis:

Total Yards:  Advantage: Texas Tech 432 to 338

Passing Yards: Advantage:  Texas Tech 272 to 182

Rushing Yards: Advantage:  Texas Tech 160 to 156

Scoring: Advantage:  :  Texas Tech 31 to 27

Turnovers: Advantage: Minnesota 1.46 to 1.50

3rd Down Conversions: Advantage: Texas Tech 44.4% to 36.6%

Red Zone All Scores: Advantage: Texas Tech 85% to 84%

Red Zone TD’s Only: Advantage:  Texas Tech 67% to 60%

Individuals to Watch: Texas Tech’s QB, Seth Dodge, is a terrific player … he has passed for 3,934 yards, 38 TD’s, 14 INT’s, & completed 70% of his passes. Techs WR’s, Eric Ward (75 receptions, 974 yards,  13.0 yards per catch, & 11 TD’s) and Darrin Moore (receptions 81, 948 yards, 11.7 yards per catch, & 13 TD”s) could/will make it along day for the Gopher pass defense … Moore is 4th in the nation in receptions for TD’s! Minnesota will push back with WR A.J. Baker … no wait … he quit the team. Ok…. QB, Max Shortell… oops he’s Transferring. The best chance the Golden Gopher have in this game is two-fold… 1) Tech’s Coach Tommy Tuberville left Tech to take the Cincinnati Job and 2) Three Tech defensive players ( DB, Cornelius Douglas, LB, Chris Payne, & DT, Leon Mackey) have been suspended from participating in the bowl!

Sully Says: This will not be pretty! The Big Ten, W/O Ohio State & Penn State in the mix has had to fill bowl slots by dropping down two teams, in other words, this should not be Minnesota …. maybe MSU … then … the Big Ten would, at least, have the athletes to compete! Minnesota did not win a divisional game this year (0-5) … and yet … here they are lining up against the nation’s second ranked passing offense and a QB,  who has thrown the second most TD passes (38) in the country. Sully’s CFP Says …. Take Tech to the Bank … the only concern about the -13 is … how unlucky will that be for the Gophers! Tech wins & covers!!