SATURDAY’S BOWL GAMES
New Mexico Bowl
Who: Central Michigan (8-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3) Time (TV): 2 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Line: San Diego State by 3 1⁄2
Series Record: First meeting
WHAT’S AT STAKE
San Diego State is making a school-record 10th straight bowl appearance but hasn’t won a bowl game since its 31-10 victory over Houston in the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl. The Aztecs lost to Ohio 27-0 in the Frisco Bowl last year. This season, San Diego State started with a 7-1 record then dropped two of its last three conference games to fall out of contention for a Mountain West title game berth. Meanwhile, the Chippewas under first year under coach Jim McElwain completed one of the nation’s biggest turnarounds following a 1-11 season – the school’s worst. Under McElwain, Central Michigan won the Mid-American Conference West and reached the title game for the first time since 2009.
Cure Bowl
Who: Georgia Southern (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5) Time (TV): 2:30 p.m. EST (CBS Sports Network) Line: Georgia Southern by 4 1⁄2
Series record: Georgia Southern 3-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
A matchup of two relatively new FBS programs. Liberty is looking to join Georgia Southern and Appalachian State as the only teams to move from FCS to FBS and win a bowl game in its first season of eligibility. Georgia Southern is bidding to go 3-0 in bowl games after winning the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl and 2018 Camellia Bowl.
Boca Raton Bowl
Who: SMU (10-2) vs. Florida Atlantic (10-3) Time (TV): 3:30 p.m. EST. (ABC)
Line: SMU by 3 1⁄2
Series record: First meeting
WHAT’S AT STAKE
SMU could reach 11 wins for the first time since 1982, and FAU could match a school record with its 11th win – first reached in 2017, Lane Kiffin’s first season with the Owls. Kiffin is gone now, having departed for Ole Miss after FAU won the Conference USA title earlier this month. But the Owls still have a chance to improve to 4-0 all-time in bowl games and get to play this one on their home field. . This is one of just seven bowl games that feature two teams coming in with at least 10 wins. The others are the three College Football Playoff games along with the Cotton, Sugar and Rose bowls.
Camellia Bowl
Who: Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Florida International (6-6) Time (TV): 5:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Line: Arkansas State by 2 1⁄2
Series record: Arkansas State leads 6-2
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Florida International is looking to secure a winning record. Arkansas State is trying to sustain momentum heading into the offseason after winning four of its last five games. It’s been a difficult year for the Red Wolves and coach Blake Anderson, whose wife Wendy died in August after a two-year fight with breast cancer.
Las Vegas Bowl
Who: No. 18 Boise State (12-1) vs. Washington (7-5) Time (TV): 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Line: Washington by 3 1⁄2
Series Record: Tied 2-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Washington’s Chris Petersen will end his six-year coaching tenure with the Huskies by facing the Broncos, the program he was in charge of for eight seasons from 2006-13. Washington is out to show it is the team that had Pac-12 title game participants Oregon and Utah on the ropes and not the one that lost to conference stragglers Stanford and Colorado. A win over Boise State would not only send Petersen out on a positive note but give defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake a lift as he takes over as the next head coach. The Broncos returned to the top of the Mountain West despite starting three quarterbacks and should end the season ranked for the fourth time in six seasons under Bryan Harsin. Bookending the year by beating Power 5 opponents would give Boise State its ninth season with one loss or fewer since 2002.
New Orleans Bowl
Who: No 20 Appalachian State (12-1) vs. UAB (9-4) Time (TV): 9 p.m. EST (ESPN) Line: Appalachian State by 17.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Appalachian State wants to finish ranked – preferably in the top 20 – and that won’t happen if they cannot defeat a UAB team coming off a lopsided loss in the Conference USA title game. The Mountaineers also are trying to go 5-0 in bowls in their first five bowl eligible season since their transition from FCS-level play to the top tier of Division I. UAB is seeking its second bowl victory and third victory over a ranked team in program history.