PASSPORT STAMPED (BOWL-ELIGIBLE TEAMS): C-USA (6): FIU (8-3) Louisiana Tech (7-3), Marshall (7-3), Middle Tennessee (7-4), North Texas (8-3), UAB (9-2); MAC (7): Buffalo (9-2), Eastern Michigan (6-5), Miami (6-6), Northern Illinois (7-4), Ohio (7-4), Toledo (6-5), Western Michigan (6-5). AT CUSTOMS (ONE VICTORY SHY): C-USA (2): Florida Atlantic (5-6), Southern Miss (5-5).
WEEK 13 PREVIEW: Tuesday, the final midweek MACtion games took place as Miami reached bowl eligibility with a 42-21 victory over Ball State, and Western Michigan beat MAC West champ Northern Illinois 28-21. Friday, the MAC completes its’ regular-season schedule Friday as Buffalo tries to wrap up the MAC East as the Bulls travel to Bowling Green. A victory gives the Bulls the East Division title, but a Buffalo loss, coupled with Miami’s Tuesday victory over Ball State and a Ohio home victory over Akron, gives Miami the MAC East title and a date with Northern Illinois in the Marathon MAC Championship Game on November 30.
Also Friday, Central Michigan is at Toledo and Eastern Michigan travels to Kent State.
Saturday, there are seven Conference USA games, with the two biggest being Marshall at FIU and UAB at Middle Tennessee. A FIU victory gives the Panthers the East Division title outright. A FIU loss, and a Middle Tennessee victory over UAB gives the Blue Raiders the East title. UAB is the West champion, and can host the Conference USA Championship Game on December 1 with a victory over MTSU. A FIU victory and a Middle Tennessee victory gives FIU the East title and the C-USA title game host will be determined by College Football Playoff rankings first, and if neither FIU or UAB is in the CFP top 25, the host will be decided by average computer ranking.
Also Saturday, Florida Atlantic needs a home victory over Charlotte to gain bowl eligibility, and Southern Miss also needs a victory at UTEP to be bowl eligible. In other games, WKU is at Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion travels to Rice, and North Texas plays in-state rival UTSA.
IN THE POLLS: In Conference USA, UAB (9-2 overall, 7-0 C-USA), and in the MAC, Buffalo (9-2, 6-1 MAC) are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and the Amway Coaches polls.
WEEK 13 SCHEDULE
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Nov. 24
* Marshall at FIU (STAD/FB)
* WKU at Louisiana Tech (CBSSN)
* Old Dominion at Rice (ESPN+)
* UAB at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
* Southern Miss at UTEP (ESPN+)
* Charlotte at Florida Atlantic (STAD)
* North Texas at UTSA (ESPN+)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Tuesday, Nov. 20
* Miami 42, Ball State 21
* Western Michigan 28, Northern Illinois 21
Friday, Nov. 23
* Akron at Ohio (CBSSN)
* Buffalo at Bowling Green (ESPNU)
* Central Michigan at Toledo (ESPN3)
* Eastern Michigan at Kent State (ESPN3)
* – conference games
WEEK 12 RESULTS
CONFERENCE USA
Thursday, Nov. 15
* North Texas 41, Florida Atlantic 38
Saturday, Nov. 17
* FIU 42, Charlotte 35
* Marshall 23, UTSA 0
* Southern Miss 21, Louisiana Tech 20
* WKU 40, UTEP 16
Old Dominion 77, VMI 14
Kentucky 34, Middle Tennessee 23
Texas A&M 41, UAB 20
LSU 42, Rice 10
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Tuesday, Nov. 13
* Ball State 42, Western Michigan 41 (ot)
Wednesday, Nov. 14
* Ohio 52, Buffalo 17
* Miami 13, Northern Illinois 7
Thursday, Nov. 15
* Toledo 56, Kent State 34
Saturday, Nov. 17
* Bowling Green 21, Akron 6
* – conference games
WEEK 12 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
CONFERENCE USA
Offensive Player of the Week
North Texas RB DeAndre Torrey: The sophomore rushed 17 times for 184 yards and scored twice in a 41-38 victory over Florida Atlantic.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
FIU LB Sage Lewis: The junior had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery for a TD in a 42-35 victory over Charlotte.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Marshall LB Omari Cobb: The junior had 1eight tackles (three for loss) and two sacks in a 23-0 victory over UTSA.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Old Dominion PR Isaiah Harper: The senior had a 74-yard punt return for a TD in a 77-14 victory over VMI.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Ohio RB A.J. Ouellette: The senior rushed for 186 yards and had three total TDs in a 52-17 victory over Buffalo.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Miami DB Ja’don Rucker-Furlow: The freshman had four tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in a 13-7 victory over Northern Illinois.
East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Miami K Sam Sloman: The junior made two field goals in a 13-7 victory over Northern Illinois.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Northern Illinois DE Drew Plitt: The sophomore threw for three TDs in a 42-41 OT victory over Western Michigan.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Northern Illinois DE Josh Corcoran: The senior had two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in a 13-7 loss to Miami.
West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Toledo PR Diontae Johnson: The junior had a 83-yard punt return for a TD in a 56-34 victory over Kent State.
WELCOME MAKERS WANTED
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, using its business slogan – Makers Wanted – was announced July 31 as the title sponsor of the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.
The tagline Makers Wanted is Elk Grove Village’s slogan and serves a call-to-action for a thriving community and the thousands of businesses based there. It is home to the largest contiguous industrial park in the United States, featuring six square miles and 62 million square feet of inventory. Over 5,614 businesses, including 300 manufacturers specializing in metal, plastic, rubber and food manufacturing, call Elk Grove Village their home. It is also a top national destination for data centers in the U.S. with two million square feet.
For more information, visit www.makerswanted.org.
C-USA VS. MAC
The 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl will be contested between Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference for the fifth-straight year. C-USA won the 2018 season series over the MAC 2-0.
Sept. 1
Marshall (C-USA) 35, Miami (MAC) 28
Sept. 22
WKU (C-USA) 28, Ball State (MAC) 20
The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl is tied 2-2 all time between C-USA and the MAC.
2014
WKU (C-USA) 49, Central Michigan (MAC) 48
2015
Western Michigan (MAC) 45, Middle Tennessee (C-USA) 31
2016
Old Dominion (C-USA) 24, Eastern Michigan (MAC) 20
2017
Ohio (MAC) 41, UAB (C-USA) 6
AROUND THE CONFERENCES
• Akron will play at South Carolina in Columbia on December 1. The game replaces Akron’s contest at Nebraska, canceled due to lightning, and South Carolina’s game against Marshall, canceled due to Hurricane Florence. Marshall has a conditional 12th game scheduled at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on December 1. The game will be played if Virginia Tech defeats Virginia on November 23.
“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES
A list of C-USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC).
Team (Conference) – Opponent: Score
Sept. 8
Eastern Michigan (MAC) – Purdue (Big Ten): 20-19
Sept. 15
Akron (MAC) – Northwestern (Big Ten): 39-34
North Texas (C-USA) – Arkansas (SEC): 44-17
Sept. 22
Buffalo (MAC) – Rutgers (Big Ten): 42-13
Old Dominion (C-USA) – Virginia Tech (ACC): 49-35
MAKERS WANTED 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 (PlayStation Fiesta Bowl or Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the 2018 season) if it is not selected for the Playoff Semifinals.
Conference USA has secured guaranteed commitments with six bowl partners for the 2018 season, as well as two secondary agreements: The Makers Wanted Bahamas, Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton, Gildan New Mexico, Hawai’i, R+L Carriers New Orleans and either the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla or the SERVPRO First Responder Bowls are primary agreements. The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., is a secondary agreement (should the ACC or SEC not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team), as is the DXL Frisco Bowl. There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners.
The MAC has 2018 primary bowl tie-ins with Makers Wanted Bahamas, Dollar General, Famous Idaho Potato and Raycom Media Camellia Bowls. The MAC has secondary 2018 bowl agreements with the Quick Lane Bowl (should the ACC or Big Ten not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team), the DXL Frisco Bowl and other ESPN owned/operated bowl games.
The 2018 Makers Wanted 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.
SATURDAYS TO SUNDAYS
A total of 14 former student-athletes who played in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl have played for NFL clubs in 2018.
S Kevin Byard – Tennessee (Middle Tennessee)
WR Corey Davis – Tennessee (Western Michigan)
S Kavon Frazier – Dallas (Central Michigan)
TE Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams (WKU)
WR Richie James – San Francisco (Middle Tennessee)*
G Forrest Lamp – Los Angeles Chargers (WKU)*
G Taylor Moton – Carolina (Western Michigan)
T Chukwuma Okorafor – Pittsburgh (Western Michigan)*
CB Darius Phillips – Cincinnati (Western Michigan)*
QB Cooper Rush – Dallas (Central Michigan)
WR Taywan Taylor – Tennessee (WKU)
DE Leterrius Walton – Pittsburgh (Central Michigan)
CB Darious Williams – Baltimore (UAB)*
T Andrew Wylie – Kansas City (Eastern Michigan)*
* – made NFL debut in 2018
MAKERS WANTED BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: Predicted Matchup
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Nov. 21: Marshall vs. Toledo
10th Year Seniors (John Marc Nutt) – Nov. 21: Marshall vs. Toledo
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Nov. 20: Southern Miss vs. Toledo
The Athletic (Stuart Mandel) – Nov. 20: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami
Sports Illustrated (Eric Single) – Nov. 20: FIU vs. Northern Illinois
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller) – Nov. 20: FIU vs. Northern Illinois
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Nov. 20: FIU vs. Northern Illinois
ESPN.com (Kyle Bonagura) – Nov. 18: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami
ESPN.com (Mitch Sherman) – Nov. 18: Marshall vs. Toledo
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Nov. 18: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Nov. 18: Marshall vs. Toledo
CollegeFootballNews.com (Staff) – Nov. 18: Florida Atlantic vs. Buffalo
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – Nov. 18: FIU vs. Buffalo
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Nov. 17: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Oct. 31: North Texas vs. Buffalo
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, 10 college basketball events, a college softball event 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
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); DXL Frisco Bowl (Texas); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta)
Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); Charleston Classic (South Carolina); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); 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 (South Bend, Ind.); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)
Collegiate Softball
St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.)
