Appalachian State vs. Toledo, 2016 Camellia Bowl: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know

Appalachian State and Toledo both had nice seasons. The Mountaineers won a share of the Sun Belt title, and the Rockets came within one win, against Western Michigan, of catching the Cotton Bowl–bound Broncos in the MAC West. WMU, Houston, Navy, and Boise State spent the year battling to be considered the top Group of 5 team, but both the Mountaineers and Rockets were competitive behind them.

They are solid teams. Now they’re playing each other, in Saturday’s Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Las Vegas sees the game as a toss-up, as do computer projection systems. It should be a highly competitive game, matching Toledo’s really good offense with App State’s really good defense. Each team should have a clear type of game in mind to suit its interests, and the battle over who gets it will be fun to watch.

Both teams enter at 9-3. Someone’s going to post a quietly impressive 10-win season, and even the loser will have had a strong run in 2016.

TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. The announcers are Eamon McAnaney, John Congemi, and Lauren Sisler.

Radio: Appalachian State and Toledo

Online streaming: WatchESPN

Spread: Total toss-up. Toledo started the week favored by 2.5 and is now hovering around a 1-point favorite at most books.

Make friends: SB Nation’s Underdog Dynasty covers the Mountaineers and the Sun Belt at large, and Hustle Belt covers the Rockets and the rest of the MAC.

1. The Appalachian State defense is built on elite pass-stopping. The Mountaineers defended the air brilliantly, finishing the regular season in the top 15 in Defensive Passing S&P+. They get pretty good pressure and don’t allow many big plays, nor do they give up much easy stuff. That’s been helpful in an often pass-oriented Sun Belt. Teams ran the ball on just 52 percent of standard downs against App State, the ninth-lowest figure in the country. You’d think teams would try something different.

2. Where this gets fun: Toledo’s passing offense is also great. And that’s the matchup that’ll likely define the game. The Rockets have one of the country’s most prolific passing games, keyed by 43-touchdown junior Logan Woodside. He’s both hugely accurate (69 percent completions) and efficient (9.4 yards per attempt, sacks included), and he’s clicked well with a deep group of receivers. The best is fellow junior Cody Thompson, who has 10 scores and is approaching 1,200 yards.

3. Elsewhere, there’s a big drop in quality. Appalachian State’s offense is not especially good or exciting, although the Jalin Moore–led running game has been able to do some things. Toledo’s defense is also not great, mainly because it has serious problems with the big play. But App State’s offense isn’t especially explosive to take advantage of that shortcoming, so things are hard to peg. This game should be close and enjoyable, but the best time to watch is when Toledo’s on offense.