Previewing Tuesday's bowls: Boca Raton and Poinsettia

Tuesday's bowl games

Boca Raton Bowl

Marshall (12-1) vs. Northern Illinois (11-2)

Time/TV: 6 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.

Glantz-Culver line: Marshall by 10. Sagarin difference: Marshall by 10.30.

Bowl records: Marshall 8-2, NIU 4-5. Series: NIU leads 4-3 (Marshall won last meeting 37-15 in 2001).

Synopsis: For a brand new bowl game, this event did quite well indeed in terms of securing participants. This is the only contest this postseason outside of the playoff bowls matching two outright conference champions, so it should be played at a high level. The two teams did, however, arrive at their league titles by different means. The Thundering Herd, with one notable exception, were able to claim the Conference USA crown by averaging 45.1 points a game and simply outracing their opponents. The Huskies haven't been as prolific but get timely plays on both sides of the ball. Marshall QB Rakeem Cato and WR Tommy Shuler have been teammates for four years, and it shows in their communication on the field. But they're up against a tough NIU secondary featuring S Dechane Durante and CB Paris Logan, who have seven picks between them. The Herd will need RB Devon Johnson to get rolling as well. NIU QB Drew Hare had big shoes to fill after the graduation of Jordan Lynch, but with the help of RBs Cameron Stingily and Joel Bouagnon he directs a powerful rushing attack. It will be up to Marshall LBs Neville Hewitt and Jermaine Holmes to fill the gaps as quickly as possible.

Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego

San Diego State (7-5) vs. Navy (7-5)

Time/TV: 9:30 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.

Glantz-Culver line: San Diego State by 3. Sagarin difference: SDSU by 2.21.

Bowl records: Navy 8-10-1, SDSU 3-6. Series: SDSU leads 3-0 (won last meeting 35-14 in 2010 Poinsettia Bowl).

Synopsis: By Navy's recent standards, the 2014 campaign has been only a modest success. But after taking care of business against archrival Army, the Midshipmen can feel more satisfied about the season if they can avenge their loss in this event to the Aztecs from four years ago. SDSU's year has not been a qualified hit, either, missing multiple opportunities to take charge in the wide-open West Division of the Mountain West Conference. On the plus side, the Aztecs' league successes include a win against Air Force, so they should have some idea of how to prepare for the Navy option. QB Keenan Reynolds and FB Noah Copeland do most of the heavy lifting for the Midshipmen and will be the top priorities for SDSU LBs Calvin Munson and Josh Gavert. The Aztecs' main offensive weapon is workhorse TB Donnell Pumphrey, who has amassed 1,761 rushing yards and 19 TDs while averaging over 21 carries a game. QB Quinn Kaehler can be error-prone, but if he is accurate from the outset, LB Jordan Drake and the Navy defense might have a hard time getting off the field.

Jeff Sagarin's power ratings show the relative strength of teams. Since Qualcomm Stadium is San Diego State's home field, 2.67 points were added to the Aztecs' rating to calculate the difference.