A look at today’s bowl matchups
MILITARY BOWL
■ North Carolina (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) vs Temple (8-4, 5-3 American Athletic Conference), noon (ESPN).
■ Line: North Carolina by 41/2.
■ Series Record: First meeting.
■ WHAT TO WATCH FOR
■ North Carolina seeks to complete a winning season with its first bowl victory since defeating Cincinnati in the 2013 Belk Bowl. Temple is making its fifth straight bowl appearance after losing three of the previous four.
■ Temple defense against North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell. The Owls allowed only 212.5 yards passing per game and had 39 sacks. Howell threw for 3,347 yards and 35 touchdowns, most by a true freshman in FBS history.
PINSTRIPE BOWL
■ Michigan State (6-6) vs. Wake Forest (8-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN).
■ Line: Michigan State by 31/2.
■ Series Record: First meeting.
■ WHAT TO WATCH FOR
■ Wake Forest is one of nine schools to win a bowl game in each of the past three seasons and needs one more win to become just the third team in school history to finish with nine or more victories. It could be a close one. Each of the last two bowl victories has been by three points and last season’s victory over Temple was by eight points. Michigan State’s offense has been wildly inconsistent this season and failed to score more than 10 points in a game five times. The Spartans still did just enough to make a bowl game for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
■ Wake’s QB vs. Michigan State’s pass defense. Jamie Newman has been hit with injuries this season, missing one game and leaving early in two others. He averages 244.8 yards and has thrown for 23 TDs with 10 interceptions, but it’s possible that even if healthy enough to start, he doesn’t play much. Wake Forest ranks 12th in the nation in total offense. The Spartans allowed 30-plus points four times this season.
TEXAS BOWL
■ Oklahoma State (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (7-5), 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)
■ Line: Texas A&M by 6 1/2.
■ Series record: Texas A&M leads 17-10.
■ WHAT TO WATCH FOR
■ The Cowboys look to win their fourth straight bowl game after winning four of their last five games this season to reach a bowl for the 14th straight year. The Aggies are in their 11th straight bowl game and a win today would be the 100th of coach Jimbo Fisher’s career.
■ Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard vs. Texas A&M’s defensive front. The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-America honoree has 10 straight 100-yard rushing games, leads the nation with 1,936 yards rushing, and his 21 rushing TDs are tied for third in the country. The Aggies have been good against the run this season and rank 30th in the nation, allowing 129.1 yards rushing a game.
HOLIDAY BOWL
■ No. 22 USC (8-4) vs. No. 18 Iowa (9-3), 8 p.m. (FS1).
■ Line: Iowa by 21/2.
■ Series record: USC leads 7-2.
■ WHAT TO WATCH FOR
■ The Hawkeyes will be playing for the memory of former coach Hayden Fry, who died on Dec. 17 at age 90, and for a 10-win season. Fry coached at Iowa for 20 seasons, taking the Hawkeyes to the Holiday Bowl three times. USC plays for the first time since new athletic director Mike Bohn announced that coach Clay Helton would return next season, a move that was unpopular with fans.
■ USC’s passing game, led by freshman QB Kedon Slovis and junior WR Michael Pittman, against Iowa’s defense. Slovis has thrown for 3,242 yards and 28 touchdowns, against nine interceptions in 11 games, including 10 starts. Pittman has 95 catches for 1,222 yards and 11 touchdowns. Iowa ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense (13.2 points), 12th in total defense (304.3 yards) and 12th in passing defense (184.2 yards).
CHEEZ-IT BOWL
■ No. 24 Air Force (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West) vs. Washington State (6-6, 3-6 Pac-12), 10:15 p.m. (ESPN).
■ Line: Air Force by 2 1/2.
■ Series Record: First meeting.
■ WHAT TO WATCH FOR
■ Air Force is looking to finish with 11 victories in a season for the first time since going 12-1 in 1998. Washington State is hoping to close strong in a season that started with a No. 23 preseason ranking in the AP Top 25 and fizzled midway through with a string of five losses in six games. The bowl will feature a wide disparity in styles: the Falcons and their triple option against the Cougars and their Air Raid offense.
■ Air Force’s defense vs. Washington State QB Anthony Gordon. A senior, Gordon made the most of his lone season as the Cougars’ starter, leading the nation with a Pac-12-record 5,228 yards passing and 45 TDs. The Falcons were decent against the pass this season, finishing 39th in the FBS but have faced nothing like what Washington State does.