2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan: Date, time, location and more

No bowl game had a more exciting finish in 2014 than the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, which finished its first-ever game with a dramatic comeback spoiled by a failed two-point conversion.

Cooper Rush led the Central Michigan Chippewas back from a 49-14 deficit with five touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 75-yard pass that was half-Hail Mary, half-school-yard laterals with no time left on the clock. However, instead of sending the game to overtime with an extra point, CMU instead threw a fade route, which fell incomplete, giving the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers the win.

The Bahamas Bowl is the only college bowl game played outside of mainland North America and was the first since the 1937 Bacardi Bowl between Auburn and Villanova in Havana, Cuba.

Here is everything you need to know to get ready for this year’s Bahamas Bowl:

Date and time: Thursday, Dec. 24, Noon ET

TV channel: ESPN

Location: Nassau, Bahamas

Stadium: Thomas Robinson Stadium, 25,000

Last year’s score: Western Kentucky 49, Central Michigan 48

Last year’s attendance: 13,667

Last year’s TV rating: 1.1

Last year’s payout for each school: $450,000

Team with the most all-time appearances: Western Kentucky and Central Michigan, 1

Team with the most all-time wins: Western Kentucky, 1

After a slow start to the season that included three losses to power conference opponents (Alabama, Illinois and Vanderbilt) and two blowout losses to conference favorites Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee recovered for one of the strongest finishes in C-USA. The Blue Raiders won their last four games in a row, including an upset of Marshall, to finish third in the C-USA East.

Middle Tennessee has a strong passing attack led by QB Brent Stockstill, the son of head coach Rick Stockstill. The younger Stockstill has thrown for 27 touchdowns and run for two more this season, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 7.6 yards per attempt. Top targets Richie James (100 catches, 1,220 yards, six touchdowns) and Ed’Marques Battles (77 catches, 960 yards, 13 touchdowns) give both Stockstills plenty to choose from in the Blue Raiders’ attack.

The defense struggled early in the year, but rebounded with a strong group of performances in Middle Tennessee’s winning streak. The Blue Raiders held North Texas and UTSA to a combined 14 points, and are led by senior linebacker T.T. Barber (11.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, three passes broken up).

Last bowl game: 2013 Armed Forces Bowl (24-6 loss to Navy)

All-time bowl record: 1-3

Head coach’s bowl record: Rick Stockstill has been the head coach for all four MTSU bowl games, and is 1-3.

P.J. Fleck is one of the youngest and most exciting coaches in all of college football, and his Western Michigan program will be making its second straight bowl berth in 2015 -- the first back-to-back bowls in program history.

The Broncos got here by rebounding after a rugged non-conference schedule in which they lost to both Michigan State and Ohio State to go 5-2 in the MAC, knocking off ranked Toledo in their regular season finale. A balanced offense that features underrated quarterback Zach Terrell (3,225 yards, 25 touchdowns) and three players with at least 420 rushing yards has paced Western Michigan, which has scored 40 or more points five times in 2015.

Last bowl game: 2014 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (38-24 loss to Air Force)

All-time bowl record: 0-5

Head coach’s bowl record: P.J. Fleck is 0-1 in bowl games in his young career.