Watch the Nevada vs. Colorado State Arizona Bowl online: Time, TV schedule, live stream, 3 things to know
It’s a rare in-conference showdown in the 2015 Arizona Bowl when Colorado State and Nevada face off.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Even though both teams play in the Mountain West, Colorado State and Nevada weren’t scheduled to face each other in 2015. Fortunately for them, the Arizona Bowl took care of things.
The Rams and Wolfpack will meet in the first bowl game since 1979 that will feature two conference opponents battling it out. The curious matchup drew the ire of MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson, who called the bowl scheduling a “travesty” and “broken.”
It is a travesty the Mountain West has been forced into this situation. Clearly, the system is broken. There is an excess of bowl games due in part to a disparate allocation of openings vs. conference bowl histories. The result is teams with sub-.500 records participating in bowl games. There is consensus change is needed and this year’s outcome must not be repeated.
Even worse, the game will be the first bowl since 1994 not to be televised on national television. Let’s hope you’ve got the American Sports Network hidden somewhere in the recesses of your cable box if you want to watch some Tuesday night football.
Thompson’s concerns aside, Colorado State-Nevada is the latest incarnation of a recent rivalry that has favored the Rams. CSU is 11-2 against the Wolfpack all-time, including wins in 2013 and 2014. They’ll enter Tuesday’s game as the favorite after a four-game winning streak closed out their season and pushed them into the postseason. Nevada’s momentum is running the opposite direction. They’ve lost two straight after a 6-4 start.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET, American Sports Network and various local channels
Radio: Colorado State, Nevada
Streaming: ASN, Campus Insiders
Spread: Colorado State is favored by 3.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Mountain West Connection (for Colorado State and Nevada fans).
Three big things to know
1. The Rams finished their season on a high note, but that four-game winning streak came against a fairly weak slate of teams. CSU’s final four opponents finished the season with a combined 15-33 record. Only two of Colorado State’s seven wins came against bowl eligible opponents.
2. Nevada only had one win against an opponent with six wins or more, but they also boast something few FBS teams can -- a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. James Butler and Don Jackson combined for 2,181 yards this year, 660 of which came in a three-game winning streak that secured a Wolfpack postseason bid. If CSU can't stop those two, it'll be a long night in Tuscon.
3. The spread may only by 3.5 points, but the S&P+ prediction likes the Rams to win this by a touchdown and more. The advanced stats metric forecasts a 34-26 Colorado State win in the Arizona Bowl thanks to Nevada’s relative weaknesses on both sides of the ball.
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