The college football bowl lineup tends to get shuffled year to year, as games are arranged and reconfigured based upon how the calendar happens to fall. One destination, however, has been fairly constant on or about Dec. 24. The pandemic interrupted this holiday tradition in the islands for a couple of years, but thankfully it’s back on the postseason schedule.
It’s the lone contest on the Tuesday college football lineup, and hopefully it will provide a little evening entertainment in addition to visions of sugarplums and all the other celebratory anticipations. Here’s a quick look at the participating teams, representing both mainland coasts.
Time/TV/location: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, Honolulu.
Why watch: There are worse ways to spend the holidays than a trip to Hawaii. The Bulls couldn’t keep up with the top finishers in the American Athletic but won enough games down the stretch to earn this bid, while the Spartans and coach Ken Niumatalolo have both established new identities. South Florida QB Bryce Archie had an up-and-down season after replacing injured starter Byrum Brown, but he’ll need to be sharp to keep pace with SJSU’s productive aerial attack. WR Nick Nash, who led the nation in receiving for much of the campaign, will not participate, but secondary target Justin Lockhart should be available for QB Walker Eget.
Why it could disappoint: We should learn from the Bulls’ first few possessions if they’ll be able to move the ball consistently enough to keep pace with the Spartans. At least there will be some warm-weather images to help you forget that it’s colder where you are.
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