Date: Saturday, December 21, 2013

Where: Las Vegas, Nevada

When: 5:30 PM Eastern Time

TV: ESPN

Line: Buffalo -2.5, Over/Under is at 51.5

Buffalo Bulls (8-4 Overall, 6-2 in Mid-American, Finished 2nd in East Division)

This game will be Buffalo's 2nd appearance in a bowl game. The Bulls started off the season with two blowout losses to Ohio State and Baylor. Buffalo then reeled off 7 straight victories before losing 2 of their last 3 games. One of those two late season losses was to the MAC Champions, Bowling Green, in the season finale. Here are some season stats for Buffalo:

Last Bowl Game: 2009 International Bowl vs. Connecticut (38-20 Loss)

Passing Offense: 229.9 yards per game (67th in the FBS)

Rushing Offense: 171.9 yards per game (66th)

Points Scored per Game: 30.8 points per game (58th)

Passing Defense: 216.6 yards per game (38th)

Rushing Defense: 159.8 yards per game (T-58th)

Points Allowed per Game: 22.3 points per game (27th)

Player to Watch: Linebacker Khalil Mack. This guy is rocketing up the draft board with his play this season. He has 94 total tackles, including 19 tackles for loss. In addition, he has 10.5 sacks and is the all-time NCAA leader in Forced Fumbles with 16. Mack finished 2nd in the Butkus Award, which honors the nation's top linebacker.

San Diego State Aztecs (7-5 Overall, 6-2 in Mountain West, Finished 2nd in West Division)

With the way this season started, it was nearly impossible to envision the Aztecs making a bowl game. They opened the season with a blowout loss to FCS Eastern Illinois at home, 40-19. The followed that up with losses to Ohio State and Oregon State to fall to 0-3. Their season changed after that as they rallied to finish 7-2 in the last 9 games. The Aztecs have played in 4 overtime games, going 3-1 in those contests. Their lone overtime loss was to the Mountain West Champions, Fresno State.

Last Bowl Game: 2012 Poinsettia Bowl vs. BYU (23-6 Loss)

Passing Offense: 262.3 yards per game (35th in the FBS)

Rushing Offense: 159.8 yards per game (74th)

Points Scored per Game: 28.2 points per game (71st)

Passing Defense: 259.7 yards per game (103rd)

Rushing Defense: 132.9 yards per game (T-22nd)

Points Allowed per Game: 32.3 points per game (97th)

Players to Watch: This will actually be two players to look. Running backs Adam Muema and Donnel Pumphrey have combined for 1,765 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season for the Aztecs. Muema is averaging 4.5 yards per rush while Pumphrey is averging 6.1 yards per rush.

Prediction

On paper, this game is pretty evenly matched. The only real edge that is apparent is Buffalo has a slightly better defense than San Diego State. This game could go either way, but let's go with Buffalo to win by a field goal, 24-21.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Matthew Dixon
I follow College Football at all levels; FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III. In addition, I am a horse racing enthusiast.