2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl: Western Michigan beats Middle Tennessee for first-ever bowl win

Honestly, a 6-6 cutoff for a bowl is pretty arbitrary. Going by F/+ ratings, your average 5-7 power-conference team is midway between your average 7-5 or 8-4 mid-major. The only reason we cut things off at 6-6 is to make ourselves feel better about not sending a team with a losing record to a bowl.

We learned this year that having 40 bowls is a tipping point. While there were plenty of scenarios that could make for 80 bowl-eligible teams, three 5-7 teams -- Nebraska, San Jose State, and Minnesota -- got postseason bids.

For a bowl game promoting spicy chicken, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl certainly went ham. Western Michigan and Middle Tennessee State combined for 76 points on 10 touchdowns, with the Broncos pulling away late for a 45-31 win. Just two touchdowns were from fewer than 15 yards out, and the median touchdown play went 45 yards.

The game went bonkers. There was enough spice in this game to season a 200-piece bucket of Popeyes Chicken. Here’s the spiciest of the spicy.

On Nov. 28th, Middle Tennessee won its fourth straight game and clinched a trip to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. As is tradition, the team celebrated with beach balls and giant boxes of fried chicken.

(photo courtesy of ESPN)

ESPN’s Mark May hates a lot of things: Ohio State. Boise State. Danica Patrick. The bosses of the NBA and NHL. Mark is a one-man media empire built on hating things, and that empire is not collapsing any time soon.

During Thursday’s Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, where May and Mack Brown are sharing a broadcasting booth, we finally learned about something that Mark May loves: Touching powerful, mature dolphins.

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.

TV: Dec. 24, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN. Steve Levy and Mack Brown will have the call.

The first ever Bahamas Bowl was one of the wildest of 2014’s bowl season. Western Kentucky bolted to a 49-14 lead, then gave up 34 fourth-quarter points, including an 80-yard Hail Mary hook-and-lateral at the buzzer ... and then stopped the two-point conversion pass to win anyway.

So that’s all you have to top, WMU and MTSU. Good luck with that.

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

_{Statistical profiles index.}