2024 College Football Bowl Previews (Dec 26th)

GameAbove Sports Bowl: Toledo Rockets (7-5) vs Pitt Panthers (7-5)

Key Facts: Bowl season hasn’t been kind to either program lately. Toledo has lost 5 of their last 6 bowls and Pitt has lost 5 of their last 7. Both teams are cold entering this game with Toledo losing their last 2 games and Pitt losing their last 5 after a 7-0 start. Toledo generally seems to have a mostly intact roster at this point. I’m not sure how likely it is that Eli Holstein is available for Pitt, they’re a different team without him. GameAbove Sports is a Sports investment form

Previous Meetings: These programs have only met 3 times despite being a state apart. It was part of a 2 for 1 series in 2002, 2003 and 2006. The most electric of which was the 2003 matchup in the Glass Bowl. A 9th ranked Pitt team, the defending Big East champs led by a the best receiver in the nation a guy named Larry Fitzgerald (you may have heard of him) rolled into the Glass Bowl…yes a top 10 team played AT the Glass Bowl, I miss games like this. It was an electric back and forth battle but Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski hit receiver Lance Moore on a fade in the endzone with 50 seconds left to give the Rockets a 35-31 lead they would hold for good. This was all part of the most electric season in MACtion history, one of my offseason projects might be to talk about that season in some sort of way.

Motivation Edge: Both teams would obviously hope to be at a beach destination but staying close to home isn’t a bad thing either. Toledo is going to be very excited to get a shot at a bigger program like Pitt, meanwhile it’s hard to imagine Pitt sharing the same excitement.

Rate Bowl: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-5) vs Kansas State Wildcats (8-4)

Key Facts: There’s not a ton of recent bowl history for Rutgers. They’ve only made 2 in the last decade both under Schiano. They’re 1-1 in those with a loss in 2021 to Wake Forest as a late replacement team, but they beat the Miami Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl last year. Kansas State has won 4 of their last 6 bowl games. Both teams seem pretty intact so far, but we’ll see if that continues. Kyle Monangai is the engine of the Rutgers offense, keep an eye on if he opts out. This was previously the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, it seems to subtle change is because the Rate is no longer guaranteed.

Previous Meetings: These programs have only met once before! It was the 2006 Texas Bowl and Rutgers won 37-10. Oddly enough this was during the first Greg Schiano era at Rutgers and during the prime of it at that. That Rutgers team finished 12th in the polls that year. Oh that feels so long ago. Both programs are in near opposite shape now.

Motivation Edge: Both teams will be excited to leave their cold locales for Arizona this time of year so there is that. From there I do think Rutgers will be excited to get a shot at a team that spent a lot of time in the Top 25 this year and get another bowl win. This isn’t a particularly exciting matchup for Kansas State but they will likely have significantly more fans at the game.

68 Ventures Bowl: Bowling Green Falcons (7-5) vs Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-5)

Key Facts: Bowl games have been a massive struggle for Bowling Green in the last couple decades. The Falcons have lost 8 of their last 9 bowl games, the only win coming a decade ago in 2014. It’s not much better for Arkansas State as the Red Wolves have lost 5 of their last 7. Will the game be close? That could hold a major key to the game. Bowling Green is 1-3 in one score games, and Arkansas State is a ridiculous 6-1 in one score games. 68 Ventures is another investment company, I just wish they could have had one more venture.

Previous Meetings: Bowling Green and Arkansas State have played once before and it’s very random. They played a November game all the way back in 1974 in Bowling Green. It resulted in a 17-0 Falcons win. Exactly 50 years ago this game happened and now they cross paths again.

Motivation Edge: Both teams seem very motivated. Bowling Green’s group of seniors are very determined to win a bowl game, everyone including stud TE Harold Fannin Jr are set to play in this game. Arkansas State doesn’t seem to have any key opt outs to this point either. The Red Wolves are likewise determined to get off the bowl skid themselves.