Watch the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl: Rutgers vs. North Carolina game time, TV schedule, live online streaming
Can Rutgers build on its surprise season? And can UNC salvage something from a disappointing year?
The Quick Lane Bowl, back when it was the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl, used to be a fringe bowl game that held a Big Ten team every few years when the conference had enough teams to fill out their bowl lineup. No longer. The bowl at Ford Field has stepped up its game (a little) and will now host teams from the Big Ten and the ACC.
This year, it’s Big Ten newbie Rutgers and sometimes good, sometimes terrible North Carolina, which has been puzzling to figure out this season. The Scarlet Knights were a surprise this season, going 7-5 in their first year in the Big Ten, while the Tar Heels were all over the map, beating both Georgia Tech and Duke, and getting blown out by East Carolina and NC State.
This might not be the biggest matchup of bowl season, but given the 2014 that both of these teams have had, it’s impossible to know what will happen. That’s reason enough to tune in, right?
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Online streaming: WatchESPN.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked. Rutgers is 7-5, while North Carolina is 6-6.
Vegas: North Carolina is a three-point favorite. The over/under is 66.
Weather forecast: In Detroit? Probably miserable. Inside Ford Field? Perfectly comfortable and domed.
Two things at stake
If Rutgers wins, the Scarlet Knights would have some serious momentum heading into 2015 with an 8-5 record in what was already a surprise season.
North Carolina was supposed to have a bit of a breakthrough in 2014. A bowl loss would make the year an even bigger disappointment.
One big matchup
North Carolina defense vs. Rutgers offense: North Carolina has had a pretty terrible defense for much of this year, but it has been unfathomably terrible in some games. This can’t be one of those games if the Tar Heels are going to win. The offense is strong enough to score points against an average Rutgers defense, but if quarterback Gary Nova has a big day for the Scarlet Knights, then UNC could be in trouble.
Further reading
For more on Rutgers, head to On The Banks. For coverage of North Carolina, check out Tar Heel Blog.
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