Previewing Thursday's college football bowl games

Bahamas Bowl in Nassau

Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (7-5)

Time/TV: Noon ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.

Pregame.com line: Western Michigan by 4½. Sagarin difference: Western Michigan by 4.86.

The Christmas Eve lineup features a couple of nice bowl destinations, even if they might be a bit harder to reach. This second edition of the tilt in Nassau will have a hard time topping last season’s inaugural event in which Western Kentucky barely escaped a huge comeback by Central Michigan.It’s the Broncos from Kalamazoo representing the MAC this time, and the Blue Raiders will carry the banner for Conference USA. Both offenses average around 35 points a game, so it should nevertheless be an entertaining affair. The triggerman for the Broncos is QB Zach Terrell, with WRs Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis making life difficult for opposing secondaries. Middle Tennessee counters with freshman signal caller Brent Stockstill, whose 27 TD throws match Terrell’s total. Classmate Richie James is most frequently on the other end, but WR Ed-Marques Batties and TE Terry Pettis must be watched as well.

Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu

San Diego State (10-3) vs. Cincinnati (7-5)

Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Artificial.

Pregame.com line: San Diego State by 3. Sagarin difference: San Diego State by 2.84.

The Aztecs swept the competition in the Mountain West Conference, and, as postseason reward destinations go, this one is hard to beat. There to meet them will be the Bearcats, who didn’t play badly against tough competition in the American this season but seemed to be a few plays short in the key games. The teams should offer a compelling contest with contrasting styles. SDSU runs a power-based attack with TB Donnell Pumphrey doing the heavy lifting. He gets good air cover from QB Maxwell Smith, who makes few mistakes with 13 TD throws and only two picks. LB Eric Wilson can generally be found in the middle of things for the Bearcats’ defense. Cincinnati likes to air it out more, but QB Gunner Kiel did not accompany the team to Hawaii while attending to an undisclosed personal matter. That will leave the offense in the hands of freshman Hayden Moore, who has seen considerable action and has nine TD passes but has also been picked eight times. He’ll have to beware Aztecs LB Calvin Munson.

Jeff Sagarin's power ratings show the relative strength of teams.

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