Central Michigan (6-6, 4-4 MAC) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5, 4-4 Sun Belt)
December 26, 2012 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The History: When you first hear the name of this bowl game, all it will make you want to do is eat a large pizza. At least that’s what it does for me. However, this years Little Caesars Bowl, which takes place at Ford Field in Detroit, pits one team from the MAC which has had quite a successful run over the past few seasons and another team playing in its first bowl game in school history.
Central Michigan Scouting Report: The Chippewas come into the Little Caesars Bowl with a 6-6 record on the season. CMU had a rough start to the year as it lost four in a row after defeating Big Ten foe Iowa early in the season. However, CMU bounced back to win four of its final five games to become bowl eligible. The Chippewas offense is led by senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff (2,905 yards and 20 touchdowns) and junior running back Zurlon Tipton (1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns).
Buckeye Connection: Somewhat surprisingly the Buckeyes and Chippewas have not faced off on the football gridiron. This despite the relative closeness of the two schools, and the recent CMU football success.
Western Kentucky Scouting Report: Western Kentucky has been in the media recently for its unusual hire of a new head coach for next season–Bobby Petrino. With everything that has gone on with Petrino, some questioned why a university would take a chance on him. That has overshadowed the season that the Hilltoppers have had. WKU moved up to the FBS four seasons ago and the Little Caesars Bowl will be a chance for the Hilltoppers to earn their first bowl victory in school history. WKU features a dynamic playmaker on offense in running back Antonio Andrews, who led the nation in all-purpose yards this season with 2,997.
Buckeye Connection: Not surprisingly, since Western Kentucky is relatively new to the FBS, the Buckeyes and Hilltoppers have never played a game of Football.
tBBC “Expert” Picks:
- Tim- Central Michigan
- Eric- Central Michigan
- Gary- Central Michigan
- Janelle- Western Kentucky
- Mali- Central Michigan
- Jason- Central Michigan
- WVa- Central Michigan
My Selection: An interesting matchup between the Chippewas and the Hilltoppers. But one thing I’ve learned about this college football season is that MAC football is exciting to watch and I’m all about some MACtion. Central Michigan gets the win, 31-24.
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