Click here to read the 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Weekly Release – Week 4 (PDF)
THIS SATURDAY: Every game of the Week 4 schedule for both Conference USA and the MAC will be contested Saturday. In C-USA, a pair of conference games leads the way as FIU (2-1) visits Louisiana Tech (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) and Florida Atlantic (0-3) goes to Charlotte (2-1, 0-1 C-USA). In the only C-USA game against a ranked team, RIce (2-1) plays at in-state rival No. 4 Baylor. In the MAC, unbeaten Ohio (3-0) plays at Minnesota, while Toledo (2-0), with back-to-back victories over Power Five schools in the last two weeks and receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 polls, hosts Arkansas State. In games against ranked teams, Western Michigan goes to No. 1 and defending CFP national champ Ohio State, Central Michigan (1-2) goes to No. 2 Michigan State, UMass (0-2) visits No. 6 Notre Dame and Ball State (2-1) is at No. 17 Northwestern.
OVERTIME RULES: A total of four games in Week 3 were decided in overtime. In Conference USA, UTEP beat New Mexico 50-47, while Louisiana Tech battled for three OTs before falling to Kansas State 39-33. In the MAC, Toledo stayed unbeaten after a 30-23 victory in two OTs over Iowa State for the MAC’s third victory over a Power Five team in 2015, and Central Michigan lost at Syracuse 30-27.
HUSKIES COME CLOSE: Northern Illinois gave No. 1 Ohio State all it could handle before falling 20-13 to the Buckeyes on the road. NIU forced ive OSU turnovers and had the ball with a chance to tie late.
CONFERENCE ACTION: in Conference USA, Rice (2-1, 1-0 C-USA) beat North Texas (0-2, 0-1 C-USA) 38-24 in a West Division matchup. Middle Tennessee (2-1, 1-0 C-USA) spoiled the inagural conference game for Charlotte (2-1, 0-1 C-USA), 73-14. In the MAC, Ball State (2-1, 1-0 MAC) beat West Division rival Eastern Michigan (1-2, 0-1 MAC) 28-17.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: Scoring was the order of the day in Week 3 as four Conference USA and three MAC teams scored 40 or more points. Those seven teams had a combined 6-1 record. in the first three weeks of the season, C-USA or MAC teams that have scored 40 or more points are 19-2.
POLLING PLACE: Toledo continues to receive votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 polls this week. Northern Illinois also received votes in the coaches’ poll.
C-USA vs. MAC: The MAC took a 2-1 lead over Conference USA after Buffalo beat Florida Atlantic 33-15. This Saturday, there are a pair of C-USA/MAC showdowns as Marshall (2-1) visits Kent State (1-2) and Miami (1-2) heads to WKU (2-1).
CONFERENCE USA/MAC STANDINGS
#PASSPORTTOKICKOFF: #PassportToKickoff is not only our hashtag, but a reminder that all U.S. citizens must have a valid passport to travel to the Bahamas & the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. For passport info: passports.state.gov.
WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, September 26
Southern Miss at Nebraska (ESPNews)
* FIU at Louisiana Tech (FCS)
Rice at No. 4 Baylor (FSN)
Marshall at Kent State (ASN/ESPN3)
North Texas at Iowa (ESPNU)
Appalachian State at Old Dominion (ASN)
Miami at WKU (CBSSN)
Middle Tennessee at Illinois (ESPNews)
* Florida Atlantic at Charlotte (ASN)
Colorado State at UTSA (CBSSN)
Incarnate Word at UTEP (C-USADN)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, September 26
Bowling Green at Purdue (BTN)
Central Michigan at No. 2 Michigan State (BTN)
Northern Illinois at Boston College (ESPN3)
Marshall at Kent State (ASN/ESPN3)
Miami at WKU (CBSSN)
Nevada at Buffalo (ESPN3)
Ohio at Minnesota (BTN)
UMass at No. 6 Notre Dame (NBC)
Western Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State (ABC/ESPN2)
Army at Eastern Michigan (ESPN3)
Akron at Louisiana-Lafayette (ESPN3)
Arkansas State at Toledo (ESPN3)
Ball State at No. 17 Northwestern (BTN)
* – conference games
(TV/digital network in parentheses)
ASN – American Sports Network
BTN – Big Ten Network
C-USADN – C-USA Digital Network (online)
CBSSN – CBS Sports Network
ESPN3 – ESPN3.com (online)
FCS – Fox College Sports
FSN – Fox Sports Net
WEEK 3 RESULTS
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, September 19
Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15
* Rice 38, North Texas 24
Kansas State 39, Louisiana Tech 33 (3 OT)
Marshall 45, Norfolk State 7
No. 25 Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14
Indiana 38, WKU 35
FIU 39, N.C. Central 14
* Middle Tennessee 73, Charlotte 14
NC State 38, Old Dominion 14
Southern Miss 56, Texas State 50
UTEP 50, New Mexico State 47 (OT)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, September 19
Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15
Minnesota 10, Kent State 7
Akron 52, Savannah State 9
Syracuse 30, Central Michigan 27 (OT)
Ohio 35, Southeastern Louisiana 14
* Ball State 28, Eastern Michigan 17
Memphis 44, Bowling Green 41
Temple 25, UMass 23
Cincinnati 37, Miami 33
No. 1 Ohio State 20, Northern Illinois 13
Western Michigan 52, Murray State 20
Toledo 30, Iowa State 23 (2 OT)
* – conference games
WEEK 3 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
RB Jalen Richard, Southern Miss: The senior rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-24 win at Texas State for C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
CB Jeremy Cutrer, Middle Tennessee: The junior intercepted two passes, recovered a fumble and recorded a pair of pass breakups in a 73-14 victory over Charlotte for C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
PR Jaquan White, UTEP: The junior returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown in a 50-47 overtime victory over New Mexico State for C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
WR Roger Lewis, Bowling Green: The sophomore caught seven passes for a career-high 261 yards and three TDs in a loss vs. Memphis for MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week honors.
DB Demetrius Monday, Kent State: The sophomore forced and returned a fumble 80 yards for a TD and had two interceptions in a loss at Minnesota for MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week honors.
P Tyler Grassman, Buffalo: The sophomore averaged 38.8 yards on nine punts in a 33-15 win at Florida Atlantic for MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
RB Kareem Hunt, Toledo: The junior rushed 24 times for 129 yards in a 30-23 two-OT victory over Iowa State for MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week honors.
DB Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois: The sophomore had two interceptions, two pass breakups and two tackles in a loss at No. 1 Ohio State for MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week honors.
K Jameson Vest, Toledo: The freshman had three field goals in a 30-23 two-OT victory over Iowa State for MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES
A list of Conference USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-12 and SEC)
C-USA/MAC Team vs. Opponent — Score
Sept. 3
WKU (C-USA) vs. Vanderbilt (SEC) — 14-12
Sept. 6
Marshall (C-USA) vs. Purdue (Big Ten)– 41-31
Sept. 12
Bowling Green (MAC) vs. Maryland (Big Ten) — 48-27
Toledo (MAC) vs. No. 18 Arkansas (SEC) — 16-12
Sept. 19
Toledo (MAC) vs. Iowa State (Big XII) — 30-23 (2 OT)
FROM SATURDAYS TO SUNDAYS
During the NFL’s 2015 Kickoff Weekend, both Conference USA and MAC were well-represented on rosters (active, practice squad or injured reserve) across the 32 teams. C-USA had 79 players on NFL rosters (Louisiana Tech led with 11), while the MAC had 78 players among the current 13 institutions (Toledo – 12).
POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: C-USA vs. MAC Matchup
CollegeFootballNews.com (Pete Fiutak) – Sept. 22: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Sept. 21: UTEP vs. Western Michigan
ESPN.com (Brett McMurphy) – Sept. 20: WKU vs. Bowling Green
ESPN.com (Mark Schlabach) – Sept. 20: Middle Tennessee vs. Buffalo
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Sept. 20: Rice vs. Ohio
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Sept. 19: Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Sept. 16: Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Sept. 13: Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green
SI.com (Zac Ellis) – Sept. 1: Rice vs. Western Michigan
FOXSports.com (Stuart Mandel) – Aug. 25: Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – July 20: WKU vs. Western Michigan
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – July 7: Middle Tennessee vs. Northern Illinois
Associated Press (Ralph Russo) – June 9: Middle Tennesse vs. Ball State
Bleacher Report (Brian Pedersen) – May 5: Marshall vs. Toledo
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Each week in 2015, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will spotlight an alumni player from each of our partner conferences, Conference USA and the MAC.
WILLIE ROAF (LOUISIANA TECH)
Willie Roaf (Photo Credit: Louisiana Tech Athletics)
Former NFL offensive lineman and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Willie Roaf was a consensus All-American during his college career at Louisiana Tech from 1989-92.
A four-year letterman, Roaf became the program’s first consensus All-American in his 1992 senior season, and he was a finalist for the Outland Trophy that season, given to the best collegiate offensive lineman.
During his college career, Roaf was selected All-South Independent and All-Louisiana in 1991 and 1992. Louisiana Tech had a record of 25-16-3 during his four seasons, and the Bulldogs did not lose at home during that time.
During his time in Ruston, he blocked for two of the top five career rushers in Louisiana Tech history (Jason Cooper, Jason Davis). His No. 71 jersey is one of two retired by the school.
Roaf was drafted No. 8 overall in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, and he was an All-Rookie selection at right tackle. He moved to left tackle the following season, and he became of the most dominant players at his position.
An 11-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro, Roaf played nine seasons with the Saints. He was traded to Kansas City prior to the 2002 seasons, and played four years with the Chiefs before retiring after the 2005 season. He played in a total of 189 regular-season games.
He was voted to both the 1990s and the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee.
He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012, and was named to the 75th Anniversary All-America Third Team by the Football Writers Association of America in 2015.
POPEYES 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 (VIZIO Fiesta and Chick-fil-A Peach bowls for the 2015 season) if it is not selected for the Playoff Semifinals.
C-USA has 2015 tie-ins with the Popeyes Bahamas, Arizona, Gildan New Mexico, Miami Beach, R&L Carriers New Orleans, St. Petersburg and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas bowls, with a secondary tie-in with the Camping World Independence Bowl (if either the ACC or the SEC does not have enough eligible teams). There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners
The GoDaddy Bowl has first choice of a MAC bowl-eligible team, and the remainder of the selections will follow, with no set selection order among the MAC’s bowl partners. The MAC has 2015 tie-ins with Popeyes Bahamas, Boca Raton, Famous Idaho Potato, GoDaddy and Raycom Media Camellia bowls, with secondary tie-ins with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (if Army is not bowl eligible), various ESPN owned-and-operated bowls and the Quick Lane Bowl (if either ACC or Big Ten does not have enough eligible teams).
The 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl participants will be announced Sunday, December 6.
ESPN EVENTS
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, 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); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Orlando Kickoff (Florida); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); 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 (Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); 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 (Hartford/Storrs, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago)
