Boise State vs. Northern Illinois, 2015 Poinsetta Bowl results: Broncos made the MAC look like the WAC

Team sports can be maddening, especially at the college level. When we see a team playing its best, we forget anything else is possible. We are seduced by brilliance. And then the next week, the team lays an egg.

Playing great, then playing poorly is something we’re used to in college football. But it’s still difficult to comprehend this: Boise State and Georgia Southern lost eight games this year. Boise State lost at home to New Mexico. Georgia Southern got run out of its own building by Georgia State.

Boise State outgained Northern Illinois by 621 yards in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl, winning by the fifth-largest bowl margin ever, 55-7.

The Broncos trucked NIU’s ancestors into the void, made the MAC look like the WAC (and not the 2010 WAC, which was bad, but the current WAC, which does not play football) and ladled the classic Kellen Moore finger guns GIF onto NIU’s forehead for three merciless hours.

Some bowl games are good because they’re close. The 2015 Poinsettia Bowl was good because it was a dang destruction. Boise State dominated Northern Illinois, 55-7, in San Diego, for the fifth-largest bowl win ever.

It was one of the worst beatdowns ever, from a yardage standpoint. The Broncos outgained the Huskies BY 621 YARDS!

Two of the most recognizable names in the group-of-five ranks are dealing with a decent amount of disappointment at the moment. One just missed out on a fourth MAC title in five years, in part because of impressive quarterback injuries. The other had dreams of 12-0 and finished 8-4. This is a motivation bowl: who has it?

Full-season averages are incredibly useful when it comes to getting a read for a game, making projections, etc. But sometimes they’re less useful than others.

_{Confused? Check out the advanced-stats glossary here.}

_{Statistical profiles index.}

The 11th edition of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl will again feature the Mountain West runner-up in a game at Qualcomm Stadium.

Mountain West teams have been featured in every Poinsettia Bowl and have dominated the history books of the game, posting a 7-3 record. The most appearances all-time belong to the Navy Midshipmen, though, including a trip to the game in 2014 in which they came away victorious.