Owls eye C-USA title, bowl bid
Conference champs pick their postseason berth.
BOCA RATON — For the first time since 2008, Florida Atlantic is preparing for postseason play.
Though FAU (9-3, 8-0) clinched bowl eligibility on Nov. 3 and a spot in the Conference USA championship game earlier this month, the Owls are now officially getting ready for their first postseason game since a 24-21 win in Detroit over Central Michigan, on Dec. 26, 2008 in the Motor City Bowl. FAU completed the fourth 8-0 season in C-USA history with last Saturday’s 31-12 win over Charlotte.
Saturday’s C-USA title game pits FAU against North Texas (9-3, 7-1), a team the Owls beat 69-31 on Oct. 21.
“I feel like we’ve done a lot, we’ve accomplished a lot,” FAU linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said. “We’re not where we want to be, but looking back, we’ve done a lot of progress in the summer and even in December when the coaches first got here.”
As the Sun Belt conference — FAU’s home from 2004-12 — does not have a championship game, the Owls will be playing in their first FBS title game. Here are some of the key details FAU fans need to know prior to the C-USA title game:
What is the Conference USA Championship Game?
It pits the champions of the East (FAU) and West (North Texas) Divisions at noon Saturday. FAU, picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the East, clinched its title game berth with a 52-24 win over Florida International on Nov. 18, while North Texas clinched Nov. 11 with a 45-10 win over Texas-El Paso. FAU, because of its better conference mark, earned the right to host the game.
What is at stake?
The winner of Saturday’s game will pick a bowl game that has a C-USA tie-in, while the loser will have to be invited to one of those bowls.
First-year Owls coach Lane Kiffin also has financial incentives in his contract that will pay him undisclosed amounts for appearing in the C-USA title game and winning the conference championship game.
What bowls can the winner pick from?
Conference USA has six guaranteed bowl games: the New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 17 vs. a team from the Sun Belt Conference); New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16 vs Mountain West); Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19 vs. American Athletic); St. Petersburg Bowl (Dec. 21 vs. American Athletic); Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22 vs. Mid-American); Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dec. 26 vs. Big 12).
C-USA also has a secondary agreement with the Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) that will be applied this year because the conference has 10 bowl-eligible teams. The C-USA team would face an ACC or SEC team.
How can I watch the title game?
ESPN2 will air the C-USA title game live. It also can be watched on the ESPN app. ESPN 760-AM West Palm will broadcast the game.
How can I get tickets? Tickets may be purchased online (visit www.ConferenceUSA.com for information), by calling the FAU ticket office (866-328-6957), and at the stadium gates Saturday.
Can players break program records in the postseason?
Any stats recorded by players during the championship game and bowl game will be added to their final season statistics and included in the program’s record books.