College Bowl Capsules: Bowden's coaching farewell slated for Gator Bowl
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Bobby Bowden will coach his final game at Florida State in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day.
Bowl officials said Sunday that the Seminoles will play 18th-ranked West Virginia, the school Bowden left in 1976 to come to Florida State. The Seminoles began their 28-year streak of bowl games in 1982 when they defeated the Mountaineers 32-12 at the Gator Bowl.
Under normal circumstances, Florida State would have likely fallen to a lower bowl with its 6-6 record, but the possibility of keeping Bowden in Florida for his final game matched against his former school was too much for the Gator Bowl to ignore.
The 80-year-old Bowden announced Tuesday that he would retire after the Seminoles' bowl game. Florida State is 5-0-1 in the Gator Bowl, including two wins over West Virginia.
Gator Bowl chairman Dan Murphy said they immediately jumped to Florida State when they learned of Bowden's plans to retire.
"We got excited when we knew we could possibly pick Florida State," Murphy said. "We couldn't think of a better way for coach Bowden to go out."
He said bowl officials expect tickets sales "to go through the roof."
West Virginia (9-3) finished with wins over Pittsburgh and Rutgers while Florida State was defeated 37-10 in its season finale at Florida.
"I've seen West Virginia play two or three time times this season and I'm very impressed with them," Bowden said in a statement.
"It's probably the best thing that's happened to us all week," Florida State athletic director Randy Spetman said. "We can celebrate coach Bowden's last game with all our fans."
Although he said he wanted to come back for a final year in 2010, Bowden chose to call it a career after reviewing the parameters the school sought to have him work within next year — namely defer much of his responsibility to coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher.
Forty-two of Bowden's 388 career wins came at West Virginia between 1970-1975. He was West Virginia's offensive coordinator for four seasons before becoming head coach.
Bowden took over a moribund Florida State program in 1976 that had won a total of four games in the previous three seasons and immediately turned in around.
The Seminoles won their last three games to finish 5-6 in Bowden's inaugural year and haven't had a losing season since, although a loss to the Mountaineers would snap that 32-year run.
Bowden will be facing his former school for the first time since Florida State beat West Virginia 30-18 in the Gator following the 2004 season.
West Virginia coach Bill Stewart was an assistant coach for that Mountaineers team and was a freshman lineman at WVU in Bowden's first season in 1970.
"He's one of my heroes," Stewart said Sunday night. "He's an icon to college football. It's going to be a real, real challenge because I know they're going to want to go out with a real bang for coach Bowden.
"I'm just a drop in the bucket compared to him. I love the man. All the accolades he gets, he deserves. I'll be right there when he's on the podium clapping louder than anybody."
But Stewart said Florida State's players will need to overlook the emotions of their retiring coach.
"All the attention's going to go to coach Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles. And it should," Stewart said. "They can't forget our team. Our team cannot be overlooked. That would be a mistake on anyone's part to overlook the Mountaineers."
Penn State to face LSU in Capital One Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. — Joe Paterno got the call around 6:30 Sunday night.
No, Penn State wasn't headed to a BCS bowl after all. But the 82-year-old coach with the most wins in major college football history still got his wish: a trip to Walt Disney World for the grandkids with a matchup against a top-tier team.
Penn State will meet LSU in the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl that features the top non-BCS team from the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences in a clash of powerhouse programs accustomed to BCS bowls.
"The only thing that was important to me as far as this football team is concerned, is to go some place nice and to have a really good opponent," Paterno said. "Whether you put a BCS in front of it, a BCS behind it, I really didn't think about it."
The No. 11 Nittany Lions and 13th-ranked Tigers both began the season with dreams of landing in a BCS bowl. Penn State even took faint hopes of jumping Iowa for an at-large bid to a BCS bowl into this weekend before Iowa was chosen for the Orange Bowl earlier Sunday night.
Consider this a consolation.
Paterno will lead his Nittany Lions (10-2) against an LSU (9-3) team full of speed and quickness, the type of SEC matchup that Big Ten teams have struggled with in recent years. Paterno's 23-11-1 record in bowl games will surely be tested.
Even with the tough matchup, Paterno said he wanted the Tigers all along.
"When everybody was speculating about the bowl game and where we're going to go and the whole bit, I talked it over with the team and I said the best matchup for us is if we could get LSU," he said. "Because LSU is a really good team."
That much is certain.
LSU coach Les Miles is 4-0 in bowl games, including two BCS bowls, and the Tigers have outscored their opponents 157-44 in those games.
Perhaps none was bigger than when the Tigers captured the 2007 national championship with a 38-24 win over top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS title game at the Sugar Bowl.
The young Tigers just weren't enough to compete against the SEC elite this season, losing to Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Finishing the season at the Citrus Bowl stadium might not be what it had in mind to start the season, but LSU isn't complaining about a warm-weather bowl against Penn State.
"I can tell you that our football team wanted to play the best opponent in the greatest bowl destination," Miles said. "And Orlando certainly was our pick.
"I can tell you that our families and our coaches are certainly excited because it is Orlando and it is a great stop. I know I have a 6-year-old that can't stop."
This will be Penn State's fifth trip for a bowl game in Orlando and its first since 2003. The Nittany Lions lone win in four tries was a 31-13 victory over Tennessee in 1994.
With theme-park attractions in town and the ocean not an even hour away, Paterno considers the trip nothing to scoff about.
"I'm looking at this thing as a reward for our kids," Paterno said. "I think, win or lose, we'll be better having to compete against a team the quality of LSU."
-- Antonio Gonzalez
Chick-fil-A Bowl picks Virginia Tech, Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Virginia Tech and Tennessee will meet for only the eighth time in history when the two travel to the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.
The teams' campuses are about 215 miles apart, but the Hokies and Volunteers haven't met since the 1994 Gator Bowl, won by Tennessee 45-23. Tennessee holds a 5-2 all-time advantage.
"This really is a dream matchup," Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO, said Sunday. "We feel like we've got one of the most compelling matchups outside the BCS."
The teams feature two of the country's strongest defenses and have offenses that average just under 400 yards per game.
No. 12 Virginia Tech (9-3) won four straight to finish the season second in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division — one game behind ACC champion and ninth-ranked Georgia Tech.
"We feel fortunate to be going back to the Chick-fil-A Bowl," coach Frank Beamer said. "It is an extremely well-run bowl in which we'll be facing a tradition-rich University of Tennessee football team."
The Hokies defense ranks 14th in the nation by limiting opponents to an average of 300 yards. Tailback Ryan Williams was named ACC rookie of the year after rushing for 1,538 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The trip to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta marks Virginia Tech's 17th straight bowl appearance and fourth visit to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Hokies are 1-2 in the game and last played there in 2006, losing to Georgia.
Tennessee is returning to the postseason in Lane Kiffin's first season as coach and after an unusual one-year hiatus. The Vols (7-5) will make their 48th bowl appearance — which is tied for third among NCAA schools.
It's their sixth in the Atlanta bowl game, and the Vols most recently lost to Clemson in 2004.
Tennessee's defense ranks 16th in the country, limiting opponents to an average 308.8 yards per game. The Vols finished second in the Southeastern Conference East Division after winning four of their last five games.
"We're really excited to be going to Atlanta for a great bowl game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl," Kiffin said. "Not only is this a great bowl game, but we have many players from the Atlanta area and the state of Georgia."
-- Beth Rucker
Oregon State, BYU to play in Las Vegas Bowl
LAS VEGAS — BYU is headed for the Las Vegas Bowl for the fifth straight year, this time to face Oregon State.
The 15th-ranked Cougars will be playing the No. 16 Beavers on Dec. 22 in the first meeting of two ranked teams in the bowl game's history.
"I think this is one of the more intriguing bowl games of this year," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said in a statement after the pairing was announced Sunday.
Oregon State (8-4) was one win away from playing in the Rose Bowl, but lost to No. 7 Oregon in the Civil War game that decided the Pac-10 title last Thursday. The Beavers are still bowl-bound for the fourth straight season, a school record, and are on a five-game postseason win streak that started with a victory over New Mexico in the 2003 Las Vegas Bowl.
BYU (10-2) is becoming a regular December act in Las Vegas. It's about 375 miles southwest of BYU's campus, and Cougars fans have been faithful about making the trip.
At No. 15, BYU is the highest-ranked team to appear in the Las Vegas Bowl since it started in 1992. The Cougars were ranked 16th a year ago when they lost the game to Arizona.
The Cougars finished second in the Mountain West Conference to unbeaten TCU and are in the postseason for the fifth straight year.
"I'm proud of what our seniors and our team have accomplished this year," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, who played at Oregon State and was an assistant coach there.
This will be the first postseason meeting between the Cougars and Beavers, who have played eight times in the regular season. The Beavers hold a 5-3 lead in the series. The most recent meetings was a 10-7 victory for the Beavers in 1986, when Mendenhall was a starting safety and made four tackles against the Cougars.
No. 17 Pitt to face North Carolina in Meineke Bowl
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A day after a heartbreaking loss cost it a BCS bid, No. 17 Pittsburgh had to settle for a trip to the Meineke Bowl to play North Carolina in its backyard.
The teams will meet on Dec. 26 at Bank of America Stadium, 2½ hours from the Tar Heels' campus and far from the destination the Panthers were thinking about when they had a 21-point lead over Cincinnati at home on Saturday.
The Bearcats rallied for a 45-44 win to capture the Big East title in a game decided by a botched extra point. Pittsburgh (9-3), once ranked in the top 10, was then passed over by the Gator Bowl for West Virginia. The Meineke Bowl, which has the third pick of Big East teams, selected the Panthers Sunday ahead of Rutgers.
"Our program is excited to play another football game and have the opportunity to potentially earn a 10th victory," Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said.
The Gator Bowl's maneuverings to get Florida State in coach Bobby Bowden's final game to face his old school, West Virginia, trickled down to affect North Carolina, in the Atlantic Coast Conference bowl picture.
The Tar Heels (8-4) had been mentioned as a candidate for the bowls in Florida or the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., but instead will head to Charlotte for the second straight year. North Carolina, which has won four of its last five games, lost to West Virginia 31-30 in the 2008 Meineke Bowl.
Bowl officials took North Carolina again instead of Boston College.
"Our players are excited to continue their season and play so close to home," North Carolina coach Butch Davis. "We had tremendous fan support at the game in 2008 and we will need that again this year against an outstanding Pittsburgh team."
The Panthers, led by freshman running back Dion Lewis, will play in the Charlotte game for the second time. They lost to Virginia 23-16 in 2003 in Larry Fitzgerald's final college game. They also sold few tickets. Last year's game, with the local Tar Heels, was a sellout.
"The fan response has been tremendous already, as there are only a limited number of lower level seats still available," bowl director Will Webb said. "It is also a great benefit for fans from both schools to be in close proximity to Charlotte and be able to travel to the game easily."
-- Mike Cranston
Cal accepts bid to play Utah in Poinsettia Bowl
BERKELEY, Calif. — Given the way the regular season ended for his team, California coach Jeff Tedford gladly accepted an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl on Sunday.
The Golden Bears, who suffered their second-worst defeat of the season in a 42-10 loss at Washington on Saturday, will play Utah on Dec. 23 at Qualcomm Stadium.
Cal (8-4) could have earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl by beating the Huskies but the Bears still get a trip to sunny San Diego — and hope to welcome back star tailback Jahvid Best following his frightening concussion last month.
"Of course you want to play in the biggest bowl you can but the frustration comes in just not playing our best and not finishing the season like we would have liked to have finish it in conference play," Tedford said Sunday. "We would have created more options for ourselves obviously if we would have won yesterday but we're still looking forward to the Poinsettia Bowl."
This is the seventh straight year that Tedford has guided Cal to a bowl appearance, the longest streak in school history. The Bears are 5-1 in their previous six bowl games.
Best, a Heisman Trophy candidate early in the year, suffered a serious concussion during Cal's 31-14 loss to Oregon State on Nov. 7 when he hurdled a defender at the end of a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He hasn't played since and earlier this week flew to Pittsburgh to get checked out by a concussion specialist.
Tedford isn't sure if Best will be able to play in the Poinsettia Bowl but isn't ruling him out, either.
"I think they're looking toward having Jahvid do some working out this week," Tedford said. "Whatever the extent of that (is), I don't know. It's completely on how he feels from day to day. But the feedback I got from the medical staff is he can start progressing and doing some physical activity."
What is more important for Tedford is correcting the problems the Bears had in the loss to the Huskies.
Cal already had a bowl bid locked up before the game but played flat and uninspired against Washington. Quarterback Kevin Riley was sacked five times and fumbled twice while the Bears went 2 of 12 on third downs and were held to 81 yards rushing.
"I got a little sick to my stomach yesterday because they were a good team, but we shot ourselves in the foot a lot of times," Cal left tackle Mike Tepper said. "It was just disappointing. I thought those (mistakes) would be behind us."
Having a chance to end his college career on a winning note rather than the sour tune the Bears hit in Washington is one reason the Cal senior offensive lineman woke up Sunday not caring about what bowl game his team would get invited to.
"I don't think we as players look at it as, oh this is considered a high profile bowl," Tepper said. "We look at it as it's a pretty cool location, an opportunity to play another game and make the most of it. I think our administrators and coaches worry about the prestige more than we do. Playing another game means more fun for us."
Playing two days before Christmas means Tedford and his staff will have to radically adjust their schedule with a heavy week of recruiting ahead for the coaches and finals looming for the players.
"It makes it pretty tight," Tedford said. "What this does, it takes away a recruiting weekend so we have to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. That makes it very challenging."
Auburn to face Northwestern in Outback Bowl
Northwestern and Auburn parlayed strong finales into a trip to Tampa, Fla., for the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.
Northwestern (8-4) is coming off a 33-31 upset of No. 24 Wisconsin 33-31 that prompted fans to storm the field after the team's third straight victory, including a stunner at No. 10 Iowa. Auburn (7-5) led No. 1 Alabama until the final two minutes before losing 26-21 to end coach Gene Chizik's debut regular season.
"Our fan base right now and our coaches and our players ... we are so jacked-up about this and it's going to be a great following," said Chizik, a native of nearby Clearwater, Fla. "I know it's a great bowl because I'm from down there and I get all that. It's going to be a great week.
"We can't stand it, we're so excited."
Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats are playing in their second straight postseason game after an overtime loss to Missouri in last season's Alamo Bowl. Northwestern is 0-6 in bowl games since winning its first one, the 1949 Rose Bowl, but is on a roll now.
"We�’re definitely playing our best football of the year right now and with the layover we�’re going to have to make sure we keep our edge," Fitzgerald said.
"It means the world to me for our seniors," he said. "We�’ve got 21 great seniors. This is their last opportunity to put on the purple and white and to do it on Jan. 1, I don�’t know if you could write a better script for the finale."
He figures plenty of Northwestern fans will happily head to a warmer locale for the game between the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.
"We fully anticipate the 'Purple Nation' invading Florida," Fitzgerald said.
The two teams have never met.
Auburn wound up with a losing record in 2008 and sat out the postseason. The Tigers turned it around despite a roller-coaster season, winning their first five games before losing three straight. They lost their last two against Georgia a0nd the Crimson Tide. The last game was played on the day after Thanksgiving, allowing Fitzgerald to get his first glimpse of the Tigers in "one whale of a football game."
Auburn hasn't played in the Outback Bowl since a 43-14 loss to Penn State in 1996, the first year under the game's current name. That was also the last time the bowl had selected an SEC West team.
Northwestern has never played in the game.
Chizik's mother, Rita, still lives in Clearwater, about 25 miles from Tampa.
Besides the homecoming, he said the New Year's game was a big first step for a program trying to build a foundation.
"What does everybody want? Everybody wants a New Year's Day bowl," Chizik said. "It's in a great place. It's just phenomenal for our fans. This is a reward for our fans, who we think are the best in the country, and for our players.
"I think it's huge for the program in terms of where this thing is going down the road."
Outback Bowl President/CEO Jim McVay said there were "a lot of neat things about" the Tigers that led to their selection after six SEC teams finished with 7-5 records.
"A lot of really, really good things kept coming up for Auburn," McVay said.
Auburn tight end Tommy Trott said the team "just erupted" when the Tigers learned they were going to Tampa.
"It was a total surprise," Trott said.
As for Northwestern, the Wildcats were chosen ahead of Wisconsin largely because of the head-to-head factor.
"They won the game so they deserve to be here," McVay said.
Defensive end Corey Wootton took pride in being chosen over a team like Wisconsin.
"I think it says a lot about the respect we're starting to gain as a program," Wootton said. "We're just excited to represent the Big 10 in a premier bowl."
-- John Zenor
Arkansas to play East Carolina in Liberty Bowl
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Arkansas and East Carolina are set to meet in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, a game Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino knows well.
Bowl officials on Sunday confirmed that Arkansas will be the Southeastern Conference team playing two-time Conference USA champ East Carolina. It is a return to the postseason for the Razorbacks (7-5), who lost to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl in January 2008 and missed out on a bowl in Petrino's first season when they went 5-7.
Petrino coached Louisville in the 2004 Liberty Bowl when his team held off Boise State in a thrilling 44-40 victory.
"I've had the pleasure of coaching in it before, and had a great experience ... We're looking forward to everybody coming down and filling up the stadium. I'm excited about the preparation for the game and our team learning how to prepare for a big bowl game. We've got a tremendous amount of respect for East Carolina," Petrino said.
East Carolina wrapped up a second straight visit to Memphis by upsetting No. 18 Houston 38-32 in the C-USA championship on Saturday. The Pirates (9-4) are the first C-USA team to win consecutive league titles since the conference split into divisional play in 2005, and this will be their fourth trip to the Liberty Bowl since 1994.
"Having the chance to return to Memphis after our experience a year ago makes this trip even more special," coach Skip Holtz said.
"We're looking forward to the challenge of playing Arkansas, a program with a great tradition and history out of a conference which certainly speaks for itself. I know all of us are excited to be in this position again with another opportunity to perhaps accomplish something distinctive for this senior class."
The Razorbacks have a strong SEC tradition to uphold. The conference has won the bowl three straight times with Kentucky downing East Carolina 25-19 most recently.
Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long estimated ticket sales at probably more than 15,000 already for the Razorbacks' fourth trip to this bowl and first since 1987.
"Fans throughout the state of Arkansas can drive to Memphis and be a part of the bowl game experience," Long said. "Many times if we're flying off to Florida or other locations, many of our fans aren't able to travel to be with us."
This may not be what Arkansas wanted in a season that ended with a 33-30 overtime loss at LSU.
Senior defensive end and captain Adrian Davis said he feels good about the Razorbacks fulfilling their goal of earning a bowl invitation.
"Speaking for the team, we're excited about the challenge of playing East Carolina. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go to the Liberty Bowl and to end my college career on a good note with the program heading in the right direction."
Quarterback Ryan Mallett said the Razorbacks will be excited.
"And I know our fans will be there to support us. Our goal now is to take the next few weeks to focus on preparing for this game and then go to Memphis to win it. When I was kid, I watched Arkansas play in big bowl games, and I'm excited to be a part of that tradition," Mallett said.
UConn, South Carolina headed to PapaJohns.com Bowl
STORRS, Conn. — The University of Connecticut football team, which finished a season marred by tragedy with three straight wins, accepted a bid on Sunday to play in its third consecutive bowl.
The Huskies (7-5) will take on South Carolina (7-5) in the PapaJohns.com Bowl on Jan. 2 in Birmingham, Ala.
"It gives us another opportunity to play a game, which I think this team richly deserves after being 7-5 and having gone through all of the things that we went through this year," UConn coach Randy Edsall said.
Connecticut lost three games in a row in the wake of the Oct. 18 stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard. It lost its games this season by a total of 15 points.
Edsall said the team knew it was good and was eager to play.
"We just had to get out there and get a win to give us the kind of confidence you need," he said.
UConn finished the season by beating Notre Dame, Syracuse and South Florida. Saturday's 29-27 win over the Bulls came when Howard's roommate, Dave Teggart, hit a field goal on the final play.
This will be Connecticut's fourth bowl appearance. The Huskies are 2-1 in bowl games. They beat Buffalo in January's International Bowl and won the 2004 Motor City Bowl over Toledo. They lost to Wake Forest in the 2007 Meineke Bowl.
South Carolina has been bowl eligible in all five of coach Steve Spurrier's seasons. The Gamecocks defeated Clemson 34-17 last week in their final regular-season game.
"It should be a heck of a game," Spurrier said. "They're a good team and our guys will be ready. We played well our last game to win, but it certainly wasn't a perfect game. We've some plays here and there we can improve upon."
It will be the first meeting between the schools in football.
-- Pat Eaton-Robb
USC to play Boston College in Emerald Bowl
SAN FRANCISCO — Southern California will face Boston College in the Emerald Bowl.
The bowl announced Sunday that the Trojans (8-4) will play the Eagles (8-4) on Dec. 26 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. This marks the first time USC has played in the bowl.
The Trojans had played in a BCS game the past seven years and had hopes to make it back there again this season. But they dropped three of their last five games, including Saturday's 21-17 loss to Arizona. USC fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in eight years after the loss to Wildcats.
"We're disappointed with the way we played the last half of this season, so the Emerald Bowl gives us a chance to finish the year on a positive note," coach Pete Carroll said. "We'll work hard to send our seniors out in the fashion they deserve. And it'll give our younger players some extra practice time that will pay off in the future.'
Boston College is making its 11th straight bowl appearance. The Eagles are the first team to play in the Emerald Bowl twice, beating Colorado State 35-21 in 2003. Boston College is 8-1 in bowl games this decade.
"We could not be happier with this matchup," bowl director Gary Cavalli said. "In USC, we have one of the great brands in college football and a program that is almost always in the national championship hunt. In Boston College, we have one of the nation's premier academic institutions and an overachieving team that overcame a lot of adversity this season."
S. Miss New Orleans-bound again, to play M. Tenn.
Southern Miss is headed back to the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight season and will face one of the nation's hottest teams, Middle Tennessee.
Coach Rick Stockstill's Blue Raiders (9-3) reached nine wins for the first time since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1999, tying the conference record for total wins, and enter the postseason on a six-game winning streak.
"One of our goals entering the season was to play in a bowl game and I am extremely proud of our team and coaching staff for accomplishing this," Stockstill said. "It has been a great year and to win nine games with our schedule is a testament to our players. This team is very deserving of a 13th game."
The Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl's Sun Belt Conference slot typically goes to the champion, but Troy headed to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., instead, opening the opportunity for Middle Tennessee. It will be the Blue Raiders' second bowl appearance in Stockstill's four seasons.
Larry Fedora's Golden Eagles (7-5) fell a game shy of playing for the Conference USA championship this season. They beat Troy 30-27 in an exciting 2008 installment of the New Orleans Bowl that was decided in overtime. This will be their eighth straight bowl and the 12th in 13 years.
"We are extremely excited about going back to New Orleans," Fedora said. "Last year, the bowl did a great job of taking care of our football team. Our guys had a great time while we were down there and our fans did a great job of coming to the game. We know that we will have another great crowd this year."
-- Chris Talbott
Temple advances to first bowl game in 30 years
WASHINGTON — Temple's 30-year wait for a bowl game is over.
The time it took to find out where the Owls will play in the postseason only seemed like it took that long.
Players and boosters closely watched the crawl on the bottom of a giant TV screen inside the Liacouras Center on Sunday night and waited for Temple's name to flash, signifying the Owls' return to the postseason.
"We've waited 30 years. What's another 30 minutes?" joked athletic director Bill Bradshaw.
Rumors circulated throughout the room, as players received congratulatory texts from friends. Finally, about 20 minutes after the NCAA's news release, the room erupted when Temple appeared on the big screen and the Owls learned they will play either Army or UCLA at the second EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington on Dec. 29.
Who Temple faces is contingent on Saturday's Army-Navy game, which will be played at Temple's home stadium, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. If Army (5-6) upsets its fiercest rival, the Cadets will get the nod. Should Navy win, then Temple will play UCLA (6-6, 3-6 Pac-10).
Temple beat Army 27-13 in October.
"Either way, it'll be a great team," said coach Al Golden, the MAC coach of the year, who went 1-11 in 2005, his first year in the job. "It's the best fit for us," he said.
"It feels good because of where we were."
The bowl bid capped a stunning turnaround for what once was one of the worst programs in college football.
Temple's last bowl season in 1979 (10-2), and 1984 (6-5) and 1990 (7-4) were its only winning records in the past 30 years until this year.
The Owls were in football's scrap heap after they were forced out of the Big East and had to play a year as an independent. They went 0-11 in 2005.
Golden went 1-11 in 2006 and the Owls started 0-5 in 2007. Now they're playing a meaningful game in late December.
Senior defensive back Dominique Harris says playing his final game in Washington will be especially meaningful. He grew up not far from RFK Stadium.
"It'll be great having all my friends and family from home to see my last game," said Harris. "It�’s a great opportunity for us.
"Instead of sitting home and watching all the bowl games, I'll be playing in one."
"It was great just being here watching our name come up," said tight end Steve Maneri. "It's nice to have a destination and a goal.
"UCLA is a great team. If we play Army, we've had experience with them before. But it's close to home, so I'm sure we'll have a lot of support."
Note: Golden said he expects to have freshman running back Bernard Pierce back for the game. Pierce, who has rushed for 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, missed last week's 35-17 loss to Ohio that kept the Owls out of the conference championship game.
Idaho back in bowl for first time in 11 years
The turnaround season by coach Robb Akey at Idaho will be capped with the Vandals' first bowl game in more than a decade, and in their home state.
The Vandals (7-5) were invited Sunday to play Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise on Dec. 30. It's Idaho's first bowl appearance since beating Southern Mississippi 42-35 in the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl and just its second postseason trip since making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.
"I think it's a great place for us to be going," Akey said on a conference call Sunday night. "I can't think of a better place to be going than our state capital. I think there will be a lot of people excited about it."
The 2009 season has been about restoring excitement in Idaho football. The Vandals bolted to a 6-1 start, with their only loss coming at Washington, and taking advantage of a soft schedule to open the season. But they also picked up road wins at Northern Illinois and San Jose State and edged past Colorado State at home.
When the obstacles in Idaho's schedule arrived later in the season — road games against Boise State and Nevada, and home to Fresno State — the Vandals were already in position for bowl eligibility.
"Common sense told you probably where we were going to end up. All I was concerned about was were we getting invited," Akey said. "It's nice to know it is official. It's nice to know who your opponent is going to be. It makes it more of a reality and we can go to work on it."
Bowling Green, from the Mid-American Conference, fills a spot originally held for the Mountain West. But the MWC failed to get a sixth bowl-eligible team, and couldn't fill its reserved spot in Boise with TCU headed to the BCS — and a date in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State.
It's the ninth bowl appearance overall for the Falcons (7-5) and first since the 2007 GMAC Bowl where they lost 63-7 to Tulsa. Bowling Green has won four of its last five postseason games.
The Falcons started this season 1-4, including losses to Boise State and Missouri, before turning the corner at midseason. Bowling Green closed with six wins in its final seven games, the only setback coming against MAC champion Central Michigan. Two of Bowling Green's victories were by one point, while losing by seven points or fewer three times.
-- Tim Booth
Miami to face Wisconsin in Champs Sports Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. — Miami will face Wisconsin in the Dec. 29 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando with a chance for its first 10-win season since 2003.
The No. 14 Hurricanes (9-3) are hoping to use the game to propel themselves into next year and perhaps get a higher preseason ranking. Miami has improved in each of the three years under coach Randy Shannon, and next season's expectations will be even higher.
They can get a head start with a win over the Badgers.
No. 24 Wisconsin (9-3) will be playing in their second straight Champs Sports Bowl. And they'll be looking for a better result after getting walloped 42-13 by Florida State a year ago.
Wisconsin will be Miami's first Big Ten opponent since the Hurricanes lost to Ohio State in the 2002 BCS national title game.
Rutgers to face Cent. Fla. in St. Petersburg Bowl
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers has accepted a bid to play in the St. Petersburg Bowl against Central Florida, the Scarlet Knights' fifth consecutive bowl appearance.
The game will be played on the night of Dec. 19 at Tropicana Field.
Rutgers finished 8-4, losing its last game to West Virginia on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights will be facing Central Florida (8-4) for the first time.
Rutgers will be making its fifth straight bowl appearance after not playing in a bowl game from 1979 to 2005.
The Scarlet Knights are one of nine BCS teams to win a bowl game in each of the last three seasons.
UCF has played in a bowl twice, the last time in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.
Central Michigan-Troy to play in GMAC
MOBILE, Ala. — No. 25 Central Michigan and Troy will meet in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 6, the eve of the national championship game.
It will be the only non-BCS game to match two conference champions.
Troy (9-3) collected its fourth straight Sun Belt title, while Central Michigan (11-2) won the Mid-American Conference for the third time in four years with a victory over Ohio.
The Chippewas are ranked for the first time in 35 seasons as a Division I, or FBS, team.
This is the first GMAC Bowl appearance for both teams.
MAC representatives are 5-3 in the game but have lost three straight.
Wyoming to play Fresno State in New Mexico Bowl
LARAMIE, Wyo. — First-year head coach Dave Christensen has Wyoming in a bowl game.
The Cowboys will play Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 19 in Albuquerque, N.M., in a matchup of teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.
Christensen says the team is excited to be playing in the postseason.
Wyoming, 6-6 overall, finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference this season. The Cowboys were last eligible for a bowl in 2006, but didn't receive an invitation. The last time Wyoming went to a bowl was the Las Vegas Bowl in 2004.
Fresno State (8-4) finished third in the Western Athletic Conference.
The two teams have met six times, with each team winning three times. The squads have never met at a neutral site.
The game is being televised on ESPN and ESPN-HD.
Marshall, Ohio paired up in Little Caesars Bowl
DETROIT — Marshall and Ohio will renew an old rivalry when they meet in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26.
Marshall (6-6) will be preparing for the bowl while looking for a new coach. Mark Snyder resigned Nov. 29 after five seasons with the Thundering Herd. Rick Minter is Marshall's interim coach.
Ohio (9-4) won the Mid-American Conference's East Division this season and lost to Central Michigan in the conference title game. That game also was at Ford Field, home of the Detroit bowl.
Ohio is making its first appearance in the Detroit bowl. Marshall is now in Conference USA but is a former member of the MAC. The Thundering Herd will be playing in the contest formerly known as the Motor City Bowl for the fifth time.
Marshall and Ohio last played in 2004. The Bobcats lead the series 29-17-6.
