2014 BITCOIN Bowl coverage and schedule: NC State vs. UCF

Yes, that’s what the Tropicana Field turf at St. Petersburg’s bowl looks like. Football teams are playing on that nonsense.

Here are various things people think that turf looks like:

We only got one Bitcoin Bowl. The 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl will not carry sponsorship from BitPay, according to CoinDesk, meaning the game’s online currency branding only lasted one season.

BitPay had signed up to sponsor the game for three years, but apparently came to a mutual decision with ESPN to end the sponsorship after just one game. The game’s website no longer includes any references to Bitcoin, and the logo, which had featured the word “Bitcoin” above a bridge and a Bitcoin logo in Tampa Bay, now features a blank space where the wordmark was and a setting sun where the coin was. And the bowl’s Twitter account has reverted to “@StPeteBowl.”

Here are the big numbers from Friday’s bowl wins by NC State, Louisiana Tech, and Rutgers.

So how did the Illini lose by 17 points? Blown opportunities. Illinois created nine scoring opportunities (first downs inside the opponent’s 40), scored two touchdowns, settled for four field goals (missing two), lost a fumble, turned the ball over on downs, and punted once. Points per opportunity: a ghastly 2.0.

Year 2 of the Dave Doeren era at NC State ends at 8-5 thanks to a 34-27 survival of UCF in St. Petersburg, completing an instant turnaround from a 3-9 debut.

This game also featured the ugliest turf in the world, as is custom, and bizarre Bitcoin stuff, such as Mr. Bitcoin. It was about as bowl game as a bowl game can be.

Bitcoin, an invisible money that you can read articles about how to understand, is the new sponsor of St. Petersburg’s college football bowl game, which is Friday night between NC State and UCF.

Since Bitcoin is a college football thing, Bitcoin needs a mascot. Fortunately, it already has one. Or BitPay, the company that paid for the Bitcoin Bowl in Bitcoin, does. I don’t know. It’s a mascot dressed up as a cookie with a pimp hat, and it has a small face in its midsection, like Krang. We’ll figure out who’s responsible for it later.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack take aim at their first bowl win in three years when they play UCF in the St. Petersburg Bowl on December 26. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN.

Friday’s game will mark the eighth playing of the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, and the first to feature a power conference team since 2010. N.C. State is making its first appearance in the Trop, while UCF played in the 2009 and 2012 games and holds a 1-1 record in the bowl.

Boxing Day represents the true beginning of the power conferences’ bowl schedule. Utah was the only power team to play before Christmas; four play among today’s three bowls. Let’s take a look at the key questions for each game.

One of the primary purposes of the stats I create for Football Outsiders is the separation of efficiency and explosiveness. We measure efficiency with Success Rate and the magnitude of the successful plays with IsoPPP. Both the Illinois and Louisiana Tech offenses rank better in IsoPPP than success rate, and both defenses rank better in success rate than IsoPPP.

The St. Petersburg Bowl was first known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. Then it was renamed to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl in 2009 when sponsorship changed, making it an instant favorite of the Internet with all of its apostrophes. It should remain an Internet favorite going forward, as cryptocurrency BITCOIN has moved in as the new title sponsor. This year, it will be UCF vs. NC State, according to ESPN.

Here is everything you need to know about this year’s game: