Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Bowl History: The Bahamas Bowl is a National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA)-sanctioned Division 1 college football game played in Nassau, Bahamas at the 15,000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium on December 23. The first game was played in 2014. Sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant franchise, the game is officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The game will feature a team from the Mid-American Conference in 2014 through 2016. In 2014 and 2015, the opponent will be from Conference-USA and in 2016 it will be from the American Athletic Conference. The Bahamas Bowl is the first postseason FBS bowl game outside of the United States or Canada between two U.S. teams since the January 1, 1937 Bacardi, Bowl in Havana, Cuba

Teams: Eastern Michigan 7-5 (MAC) vs Old Dominion 9-3 (C-USA)

Bowl Location: Thomas A. Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas

Day, Date & Time: Friday, December, 23, 2016, 12:00 p.m.

Network: ESPN

Best Win(s): Old Dominion beat Southern Miss. 51-35, Eastern Michigan beat Ohio, 27-20, who won the East Division of the MAC & beat Wyoming, 27-24, who won the Mountain Division of the MWC.

Worst Losses: Eastern lost to Missouri, 61-21 while Old Dominion got hammered by Western Kentucky, 59-24.

Common Opponents: UNC Charlotte: Old Dominion won, 52-17 and Eastern Michigan won, 37-19

Vegas Hotsheets Favorite: Old Dominion -4

Offensive Team Data: Eastern Michigan; Total Yards, 453;  Passing Yards, 158 YPG; Rushing Yards, 295 YPG;; Scoring Average, 30 PPG; Turnovers, 1.75 ,TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 44.8%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 90% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 65%

Offensive Team Data: Old Dominion ; Total Yards, 434 YPG; Passing Yards, 238 YPG; Rushing Yards, 196 YPG; Scoring Average 34 PPG, Turnovers, 0.75 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 36.6%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 85% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 63%

Defensive Team Data: Eastern Michigan ; Total Yards, 432 YPG; Passing Yards, 268 YPG; Rushing Yards, 164 YPG; Scoring Average, 30 PPG, Turnovers, 1.92 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 41.7%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 83% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 69%

Defensive Team Data: Old Dominion ; Total Yards, 376 YPG; Passing Yards, 220 YPG; Rushing Yards, 155 YPG; Scoring Average, 27 PPG, Turnovers, 1.75 TPG; Percent of 3rd Down Conversions, 33.9%; Percentage of all scores in Red Zone, 89% & Percentage of TD’s in Red Zone, 80%

Sully’s CFP Game Simulator is a statistical analysis / predictor of how these teams will preform, 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 Arizona’s total yards on offense, add it to what Nevada 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 Nevada’s total offense, add it to what Arizona 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: Old Dominion 433 to 414.5, 

Passing Yards Advantage: Eastern Michigan 257.5 to 253,

Rushing Yards Advantage: Old Dominion 180 to 156.5,

Scoring Advantage: Old Dominion 32 to 28.5, 

Turnovers Advantage: Old Dominion 1.335 to 1.75, 

3rd Down Conversion Advantage: Eastern Michigan 39.35 to 39.15,

Red Zone All Scores Advantage: Eastern Michigan 89.5 to 84,

Red Zone TD’s Only Advantage: Eastern Michigan 72.5 to 66.5, 

Game Simulator Says: Pregame analysis says this game will end in a statistical tie with both teams outperforming the other in 4 of the 8 categories assessed. That said, it predicts Old Dominion will win 32-29, but will not cover the 4 points. Take Eastern Michigan and the points is the Simulators call!

Individuals to Watch: Old Dominion QB, David Washington, 28/4 TD INT Ratio, passed for 2648 yards. Eastern Michigan, DL, Pat O’Connor leads the team in Sacks 8.0 for an average of .67 per game.

Sully Says: Not so fast my simulated friend, Old Dominion by a Touchdown or more, Take the Monarchs and give the Eagles the 4 points