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September 14th, 2017 | BAHAMAS BOWL

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Bahamas Bowl Weekly Preview – 2017 Week 3 (September 15-16)

Click here to read the 2017 Bahamas Bowl Weekly Release – Week 3 – September 15-16 (PDF)

THIS WEEKEND: Week 3 gets underway on Friday night as Arizona visits UTEP. Saturday, Louisiana Tech visits WKU in a rematch of the 2016 Conference USA Championship Game, won by WKU 58-44, the highest scoring conference title game in FBS history. In the regular season, Louisiana Tech won at home 55-52. Also in C-USA, Middle Tennessee visits Minnesota in a game that is a reunion of 2015 Bahamas Bowl head coaches, Rick Stockstill (MTSU) and P.J. Fleck (Minnesota/former Western Michigan head coach). Old Dominion (2-0), C-USA’s lone undefeated team, hosts North Carolina. In the MAC on Saturday, Central Michigan (2-0) visits Syracuse and Toledo (2-0) hosts Tulsa. There is one C-USA vs. MAC matchup as Kent State (1-1) travels to Marshall (1-1). The MAC has pair of games vs. the Big 12 as Akron (1-1) hosts Iowa State and Ohio (1-1) hosts Kansas and one game against the Big Ten as Northern Illinois (1-1) goes to Nebraska.

WEEK 2 REVIEW: It was a big weekend for both the MAC and Conference USA as both leagues notched a pair of victories over Power 5 conferences. The MAC got victories over the Big Ten (Eastern Michigan over Rutgers) and the Big 12 (Central Michigan over Kansas). C-USA had victories over the ACC (Middle Tennessee over Syracuse) and the Big 12 (UTSA over Baylor). In the only league game in either conference, RIce beat UTEP 31-14 in C-USA action.

MAC WEEK 2 NOTES: Eastern Michigan’s 16-13 victory over Rutgers extended the MAC’s streak of a regular-season victory over the Big Ten to 12 consecutive seasons, the longest such streak in MAC history. During the 12-year streak against the Big Ten, MAC teams have defeated 11 different teams and have 25 victories. Central Michigan took control in the second quarter and rolled over Kansas 45-27 in Lawrence. Toledo picked up a 37-24 road victory at Nevada behind 426 yards of total offense.

C-USA WEEK 2 NOTES: UTSA notched its’ first-ever victory over a Power 5 conference with a 17-10 victory at Baylor, thanks to four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Middle Tennessee scored three second-half TDs for a 30-23 win at Syracuse, the Blue Raiders fifth win against a Power 5 team under head coach Rick Stockstill. FIU head coach Butch Davis got his first victory at the school with a 17-10 win over Alcorn State in Birmingham. Southern Miss posted the first shutout of the season for C-USA in a 45-0 victory over Southern, behind a defensive effort that held the Jaguars to 140 total yards.

WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

CONFERENCE USA

Friday, Sept. 15
Arizona at UTEP (ESPN)
Saturday, Sept. 16
Coastal Carolina at UAB (RAY)
FIU at Indiana (BTN)
Middle Tennessee at Minnesota (BTN)
North Texas at Iowa (ESPN2)
North Carolina at Old Dominion (STAD)
North Carolina A&T at Charlotte (WCCB)
* Louisiana Tech at WKU (STAD)
Southern Miss at La.-Monroe (ESPN3)
Southern at UTSA (KCWX)
Kent State at Marshall
Rice at Houston (ESPN3)
Bethune-Cookman at Fla. Atlantic (beIN)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE

Saturday, Sept. 16
Iowa State at Akron (CBSSN)
Nothern Illinois at Nebraska (FS1)
Kansas at Ohio (ESPN3)
Tennessee Tech at Ball State (ESPN3)
Central Michigan at Syracuse (ACCN)
Colgate at Buffalo (ESPN3)
Kent State at Marshall
Idaho at Western Michigan (ESPN3)
Tulsa at Toledo (ESPN3)
Bowling Green at Northwestern (BTN)
Cincinnati at Miami (ESPN3)

* – conference games

WEEK 2 RESULTS

CONFERENCE USA

Friday, Sept. 8
FIU 17, Alcorn State 10
Saturday, Sept. 9
Kansas State 55, Charlotte 7
Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14
Ball State 51, UAB 31
Middle Tennessee 30, Syracuse 23
Old Dominion 17, Massachusetts 7
NC State 37, Marshall 20
SMU 54, North Texas 32
Southern Miss 45, Southern 0
Mississippi State 57, Louisiana Tech 21
* Rice 31, UTEP 14
UTSA 17, Baylor 10
Illinois 20, WKU 7

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE

Friday, Sept. 8
Purdue 44, Ohio 21
Saturday, Sept. 9
Army 21, Buffalo 17
Ball State 51, UAB 31
Miami 31, Austin Peay 10
Northern Illinois 38, Eastern Illinois 10
Eastern Michigan 16, Rutgers 13
Kent State 38, Howard 31
Michigan State 28, Western Michigan 14
Central Michigan 45, Kansas 27
South Dakota 35, Bowling Green 27
Akron 52, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
Toledo 37, Nevada 24

* – conference games

WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL HONORS

CONFERENCE USA
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Marshall WR Tyre Brady: The junior had 11 receptions for 248 yards and a 75-yard TD in a loss at NC State.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Middle Tennessee QB Brent Stockstill: The junior completed 22-of-36 passes for 269 yards and three TDs in a 30-23 victory at Syracuse.

Defensive Player of the Week
Middle Tennessee LB Khalil Brooks: The sophomore had eight tackles and 1.5 sacks in a 30-23 victory at Syracuse.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Marshall K/P Kaare Vedvik: The junior averaged 44.5 yards on four punts, including a long of 57 yards in a loss at NC State.

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Kent State QB Nick Holley: The senior rushed for 119 yards and a TD and threw for 105 yards and two scores in a 38-31 victory over Howard.

East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Akron LB Ulysees Grant III: The junior had 10 tackles and returned a interception for a TD in a 52-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Bowling Green K Jake Suder: The junior was 4-for-4 on field goals in a loss to South Dakota.

West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Central Michigan QB Shane Morris: The senior was 28-of-37 passing for 467 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-27 victory at Kansas.

West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Eastern Michigan DL Jeremiah Harris: The junior had a sack, an interception and a pass defense in a 16-13 victory at Rutgers.

West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Western Michigan KR Darius Phillips: The senior returned a kickoff 100 yards for touchdown in a loss at Michigan State.

C-USA VS. MAC

The 2017 Bahamas Bowl will be contested between Conference USA and the MAC. The MAC leads the season series, 2-1. Teams from the two conferences will play each other four more times this season.

Sept. 1
Eastern Michigan (MAC) 24, Charlotte (C-USA) 7
Sept. 2
Marshall (C-USA) 31, Miami (MAC) 26
Sept. 9
Ball State (MAC) 51, UAB (C-USA) 31
Sept. 16
Kent State (MAC) at Marshall (C-USA)
Sept. 23
Ball State (MAC) at WKU (C-USA)
Bowling Green (MAC) at Middle Tennessee (C-USA)
Florida Atlantic (C-USA) at Buffalo (MAC)

AROUND THE CONFERENCES

• 2016 Bahamas Bowl champion ODU leads the FBS with 15 sacks, nearly halfway to its 2016 season total of 34. The Monarchs have the top three individuals in C-USA in sacks: Miles Fox (5), Bunmi Rotimi (4) and Pat Toal (3).

• 2016 Bahamas Bowl participant Eastern Michigan got a solid performance from QB Brogan Roback in the Eagles’ 16-13 win at Rutgers. He completed 19 passes for 260 yards and a TD without an interception. He completed passes to nine different receivers.

• Florida Atlantic has three plays of 60 yards or more in the Owls’ first two games. Only Oklahoma State (4) has more in FBS this season.

• Conference USA quarterbacks have the two longest active streaks in the FBS in consecutive games with at least one TD pass: Marshall’s Chase Litton (23 games) and Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill (18).

• Ball State scored 51 points in a win vs. UAB, the most for the Cardinals since a 55-point outburst vs. Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 29, 2013.

“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES

A list of Conference USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC).

Sept. 9
Central Michigan (MAC) 45, Kansas (Big 12) 27
Eastern Michigan (MAC) 16, Rutgers (Big Ten) 13
Middle Tennessee (C-USA) 30, Syracuse (ACC) 23
UTSA (C-USA) 17, Baylor (Big 12) 10

BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS

Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: Predicted Matchup
10thYearSeniors.com (John Marc Nutt) – Sept. 13: Southern Miss vs. Ohio
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Sept. 13: Louisiana Tech vs. Toledo
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Sept. 13: Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
SI.com (Eric Single) – Sept. 12: Louisiana Tech vs. Eastern Michigan
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Sept. 12: UTSA vs. Central Michigan
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Sept. 11: Southern Miss vs. Bowling Green
ESPN.com (Kyle Bonagura) – Sept. 10: Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio)
ESPN.com (David M. Hale) – Sept. 10: Southern Miss vs. Miami (Ohio)
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Sept. 10: Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan
College Sports Madness (CSM Staff) – Sept. 10: Old Dominion vs. Toledo
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Sept. 10: Southern Miss vs. Miami (Ohio)
CollegeFootballNews.com (Pete Fiutak) – Sept. 10: WKU vs. Toledo
Bleacher Report (David Kenyon) – Aug. 23: Louisiana Tech vs. Western Michigan
Sports on Earth (Matt Brown) – Aug. 21: Southern Miss vs. Miami (Ohio)
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – July 5: UTSA vs. Ohio
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Magazine: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (Ohio)

2017 BAHAMAS BOWL PARTICIPANT SELECTION

The highest-ranked conference champion by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West or Sun Belt will play annually in one of the College Football Playoff bowls (Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl or Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the 2017 season) if it is not selected for the Playoff Semifinals.

Conference USA has secured guaranteed commitments with six bowl partners for the 2017 season, as well as one secondary agreement: Bahamas, Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla, Boca Raton, Gildan New Mexico, R+L Carriers New Orleans and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowls are primary agreements. The Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., is a secondary agreement, should the ACC or SEC not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team. There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners.

The MAC has 2017 primary bowl tie-ins with Bahamas, Dollar General, Famous Idaho Potato and Raycom Media Camellia Bowls. The MAC has secondary 2017 bowl agreements with Boca Raton, Frisco and Quick Lane Bowls. The Dollar General Bowl has first selection in 2017, and there is no order of selection for the remaining three primary MAC tie-ins.

The 2017 Bahamas Bowl participants – selected from among bowl-eligible teams in Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference – will be announced by the bowl, ESPN Events and conference partners once finalized.

ESPN EVENTS

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (St. Petersburg, Fla.); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Baton Rouge, La.); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Texas Bowl (Houston); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Ramstein Air Base, Germany); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (TBD); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); PK80 (Portland, Ore.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)

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