Champs Sports Bowl, No. 22 West Virginia Vs. NC State: ‘Pack Wins Sloppy Slugfest, 23-7

The line: The West Virginia Mountaineers opened as -2 Champs Sports Bowl favorites over the N.C. State Wolfpack, though the public has extended that margin as high as -3, depending on where you look.

Notable West Virginia units: The entire defense. Top ten in total, scoring, passing, and rushing defense, the Mountaineer D gave up fewer points this year than any defense besides TCU’s. Their weakness, as it were, is their passing defense, as they ranked a relatively squishy tenth in the nation. Minus ace cornerback Brandon Hogan, who’s out with a torn ACL, much will depend on whether the rest of the WVU secondary can carry the load.

The Smoking Musket does some math of its own, and finds several Wolfpack weaknesses to exploit, from the running game to special teams. However:

SB Nation Pittsburgh is concerned about West Virginia’s traditionally strong traveling presence and the distractions of playing a bowl in the middle of a coaching change, but foresees a Mountaineer win thanks to the defense taking its “last stand.”

To help prime you for Tuesday’s college football doubleheader, we’ve compiled this handy list of fun factoids concerning the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl.

Proper name: Champs Sports Bowl. Simple, direct, and understandable, right up until you start talking about the Champs Sports Bowl Champs. It’s remembering the current title that’s the real problem. Previous iterations of this particular postseason contest include the Blockbuster Bowl, Carquest Bowl, the MicronPC Bowl, the Mazda Bowl and the Tangerine Bowl. No, not the Tangerine Bowl that became the Citrus Bowl and then the Capital One Bowl. The other Tangerine Bowl. Got that?

Setting: Not Miami! Further compounding matters is the game’s former home in south Florida and current setting in Orlando, at the Citrus Bowl.

Traditional conference pairing: ACC versus Big East

2010 matchup: The No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3) versus the North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-4)

Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore, and Rob Stone. Tessitore will, at some point during the third quarter, put a scheme in motion to escape the broadcast booth and invade EPCOT to rifle through Spaceship Earth attendants’ unmentionables in a very special episode of Storm the Dorm. Do not attempt to detain him, and keep your fingers away from his teeth.

Neatest fact: This game’s MVPs, throughout its patchwork history, include noted crankpot Philip Rivers (twice), a punter (Graham Gano, then of Florida State), Steve Taneyhill’s mullet, and historically terrible Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball.

Closest finish: The Champs Sports Bowl has been decided by a field goal on two occasions, most recently in Boston College’s 24-21 win over Michigan State in 2007.

Most lopsided finish: The year was 1999. Britney Spears was enjoying the spoils of her debut hit single. And Illinois could still do things like beat Virginia 63-21 in a bowl game.

Tidbits of interest: The late, celebrated natural turf of the Citrus Bowl field, since replaced with sturdy plastic, will live forever in our hearts among the least helpful surfaces on which to play a game of football in recorded human history. No matter the weather, you’re going to get an earful about the poor field conditions contributing to the history of the game. The sorry state of that turf cannot be exaggerated by any means of hyperbole we currently possess: Bill Stewart could whittle a smoother plane out of a knotty piece of cedar, blindfolded. (Shortly before halftime, he will be spotted attempting to do just that, as Geno Smith attempts a swing pass to himself.)

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST, Tuesday, December 28. The game will be televised on ESPN. For a complete list of bowls, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.

The Champs Sports Bowl, jewel of the mighty Florida Citrus Sports cartel, will need all the excitement the surrounding Orlando metro area can provide to infuse life into the two milquetoasty teams the game itself will feature. Tom O’Brien versus Bill Stewart: Who you got?

The 8-4 Wolfpack, on offer from the ACC, reeled off a 4-0 start that included wins over a solid Central Florida team and outfits from Cincinnati and Georgia Tech that looked solid at the time, before losing three of their next five. This included the rare spectacle of a shootout defeat against Virginia Tech, a second high-scoring loss to East Carolina two weeks later, and a baffling 14-13 road defeat at the hands of Clemson.

The No. 22 Mountaineers, 9-3, are also emerging from a season in which they contended for a conference title down to the final week while also being beset on all sides by ridiculous losses. They played then-No. 15 LSU close in Week 4, but back-to-back trip-ups against Syracuse and UConn betrayed a laughably inept offense that couldn’t capitalize on talented personnel.

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 28. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with fans at SB Nation’s Backing the Pack and The Smoking Musket. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.