MPC Computers Bowl
Date: Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location:Boise, Idaho
The line: Miami -3 1/2, total 41 1/2
It's hard to choose the biggest surprise among the ACC bowl participants. Wake Forest winning the conference and playing in the Orange Bowl is indeed a shocker. But who called the Miami Hurricanes needing a win in their final game just to become bowl eligible?
The 'Canes will thus find themselves in unfamiliar territory this New Year's Eve. Instead of playing a major bowl in a warm, southern city against another elite school, Miami travels to Boise, Idaho, to play a WAC opponent on the "Smurf turf" at Bronco Stadium. The average high temperature in Boise on New Year's Eve is 35 degrees.
The Hurricanes' descent began with early games against Florida State and at Louisville. The preseason thinking was "win both and a national title is possible" or conversely, "split the games and see what happens." Miami lost both key games and then spoiled one of its few dominating wins with an ugly brawl against Florida International.
The 'Canes were dismissed by many as overrated thugs before the tragic death of defensive lineman Bryan Pata turned much of the scorn into sympathy. The firing of head coach Larry Coker was a foregone conclusion, despite Miami's stirring win over Boston College to close out the regular season.
Despite the hiring of defensive coordinator Randy Shannon as the school's new coach, Coker will lead Miami into Boise for a final go-round on the sideline. And as mortifying as the team's 6-6 record was for supporters accustomed to double-digit wins, the 'Canes will be dangerous if they can match the effort they put forth against Boston College.
The offense wasn't nearly as explosive as past Miami teams, topping 20 points only once over its final six games. The defense is still capable of dominating games, however, especially against the run. The 66.0 yards per game the Hurricanes allowed this year ranked third in the nation, behind only Michigan and Texas.
Assuming the defense shows up to play in Boise, the keys for Miami success may be the play of freshman running back Javarris James and sophomore quarterback Kirby Freeman. The pair started the last three games together with mixed results, though Freeman's mobility gives Miami a more dangerous look than they had with Kyle Wright behind center.
Casual football followers might assume that Miami enters the MPC Computers Bowl as the more emotionally fraught team, but anyone who watched Boise State demolish the Nevada Wolf Pack at home knows there will be issues to overcome in the Nevada camp as well.
All the good vibes from opening the season 8-3 were possibly undone by the 31-point loss as visiting Boise State supporters rained chants of "BCS, BCS" at the Wolf Pack players. Head coach Chris Ault admits motivation is an issue and the promise of a celebratory New Year's Eve in Idaho might not cut it for a team from the "anything goes" state.
Senior quarterback Jeff Rowe had a solid season running Nevada's "pistol" offense, in which Rowe lines up a few yards behind center, though not as far as a normal shotgun formation. The Wolf Pack weren't as explosive offensively as they were in 2005, winning games with clock management and defense more than anything else.
It's hard to pinpoint Nevada's best win this season since it beat the teams it was supposed to beat but failed to deliver an upset victory. Nevada played some weaker teams, but usually beat them with style, delivering five wins by 27 points or more.
While the WAC is often viewed as a home to wide-open football, the Wolf Pack had its best results when the defense shone. Nevada won five conference games and held its opponents to single-digit scores in each of those wins.
If the Hurricanes need motivation for the MPC Computers Bowl, they could simply flash back to last year's Peach Bowl in which LSU trounced them 40-3. Facing weaker competition under a less glaring spotlight might be just what Miami needs to end a negative season on a positive note.
As for Wolf Pack, perhaps they will look to exact revenge for their home loss to Boise State by winning on the Broncos' home turf, albeit against a complete stranger of a team.
In any case, both teams will count on stronger defensive performances than they gave in last year's bowl season, when both lost and gave up 40 points or more. While only one can avoid a bowl losing streak, this year's numbers suggest a low-scoring affair to ring in the New Year in Boise.
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