Middle Tennessee and Western Michigan weren’t powerhouse football programs in 2015, but they may have drawn the best postseason destination of them all. The Blue Raiders and Broncos will compete in the second-ever Bahamas Bowl on Christmas Eve.
Watch the MTSU vs. WMU Bahamas Bowl online: Time, TV schedule, live stream, 3 things to know
Football in paradise: Western Michigan and Middle Tennessee look to bring an offense-powered shootout to the Bahamas.
Western Michigan rode a high-powered offense to a spot at the top of the MAC West (alongside three other teams) thanks to a 7-5 record. Zach Terrell has been their engine at quarterback after throwing for more than 3,200 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2015. They'll have to hope that his passing attack is enough to lead the Broncos to their first-ever bowl victory. The team is 0-6 in postseason games in their 54 years of Division I membership.
Middle Tennessee's drought doesn't stretch nearly as far -- only to 2009, when quarterback Dwight Dasher was turning heads in Murfreesboro. Rick Stockstill has done a tremendous job of building his Blue Raiders up into a consistent winner, but as he wraps up his 10th season with the program, he's only 1-3 in postseason play. He'll rely on a top-20 passing offense to light up the scoreboard in what is primed to be a shootout in Nassau. Quarterback Brent Stockstill will have an outside chance at cracking the 4,000 passing yard barrier on Thursday, and a high-scoring WMU team may be just the opponent he needs to get him there.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Dec. 24, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN. Steve Levy and Mack Brown will have the call.
Radio: Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Western Michigan is favored by 3 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Hustle Belt (for Western Michigan fans) and Underdog Dynasty (for Middle Tennessee fans).
Three big things to know
1. If Zach Terrell throws an interception, this game’s as good as over. If he doesn’t, then the Broncos win. Well, it may not be that cut and dry, but that’s been the pattern so far in 2015. He’s thrown picks in five games this season, and WMU is 0-5. He’s gone without an interception in seven games, where his team is 7-0.
2. Middle Tennessee has done a great job of beating up cupcakes this season (including a 73-14 win over Charlotte), but they’ve struggled against bowl-eligible and Power 5 conference opponents. In six games against those teams, the Blue Raiders are just 1-5 and have scored only 19.8 points per game. Against everyone else, they’re 6-0 and have put up 48.7 points per contest. With Western Michigan fit squarely in the former group, expect some offensive struggles for MTSU.
3. The S&P+ prediction goes above and beyond the oddsmakers’ three-point spread in WMU’s favor. The advanced stats suggest an eight-point Bronco win when these two teams meet in paradise. Western Michigan’s offense, which averaged 38 points per game in the latter half of the season, should prove to be the biggest factor in Thursday’s game.
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