COASTAL CAROLINA vs CAMPBELL
When: 2:00 PM ET, Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -21
PREDICTION: COASTAL CAROLINA

Oddsmakers currently have the CAROLINA listed as -27 point favorites versus the CAMPBELL, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Overall Team Offense

• The Campbell Fighting Camels are ranked 0 on offense, averaging yards per game. The Fighting Camels are averaging yards rushing and yards passing so far this season.
• The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are ranked 99 on offense, averaging 353.0 yards per game. The Chanticleers are averaging 213.5 yards rushing and 139.5 yards passing so far this season.

Home and Away

• The Campbell Fighting Camels are 1-0 at home this season, 0-0 against conference opponents and 5165-5165 against non-conference opponents.
• At home the Fighting Camels are averaging 49.0 scoring, and holding teams to 26.0 points scored on defense.
• The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are 0-1 while on the road this season, 0-0 against conference opponents and 5165-5165 against non-conference opponents.
• On the road, the Chanticleers are averaging 15.0 scoring, and holding teams to 49.0 points scored on defense.

The post Coastal Carolina vs. Campbell 9/12/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

This is just a tough game to spot. The line has swung almost 11 points – and that is exactly the type of game that is opportune to pick.

Texas is +7 after opening at a +3. But Texans are not going to sit still for Charley Strong to do anything but win. His offense came out strong and gelled to score 42 points on Rice last week. And the defense side of the ball is a solid match for the Bears.

The Golden Bears are just 8-16 ATS as a road favorite the past decade.

TEXAS is 1-6 ATS(L7G) at HOME – As underdog

Time to turn it around Texas. Taking the Longhorns +7.

Winner: 45-44

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North Carolina Central at Duke
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 12, 2015
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: 41.5
PREDICTION: Duke 40, North Carolina Central 7
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Oddsmakers currently have the Blue Devils listed as 41½-point favorites versus the Eagles, while the game’s total has not yet been posted.

Part of the evaluation process for the Blue Devils this week was figuring out if the lopsided triumph in the opener was a result of them being great, or Tulane being poor. “We’ll know more as games progress,” Cutcliffe told reporters. “I think Tulane’s better … I hope we are. I thought going into the game that they were better – 10 starters returning on offense and defensively, I knew they were good. I think they’ll be fine.” Cutcliffe got his own 95-yard kick return TD in the opener from DeVon Edwards in addition to 530 total yards on offense.

Last time out for Duke, they were a 37-7 winner as they battled Green Wave on the road. Duke covered in the match as a -5.5-point favorite, while 44 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 1-0 SU,1-0 ATS
Duke is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Duke is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Duke’s last 10 games
Duke is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home

The Eagles dominated in all three phases of the game last weekend, piling up 447 yards of offense to go along with 304 total return yards. Senior defensive back Ryan Smith contributed to the fireworks with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown. North Carolina Central split time at quarterback between Malcolm Bell and Quinn Billerman in the blowout, and Bell is expected to be back in at starter on Saturday.

In their last action, N.C. Central was a 52-7 loser on the road against Pirates. They failed to cover the +39.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (59) was profitable news for OVER bettors.

Team record: SU, ATS
N.C. Central is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
N.C. Central is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road

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Ohio State at Virginia Tech
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, September 7, 2015
Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Ohio State -14
PREDICTION: Ohio State 26, Virginia Tech 24
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Oddsmakers currently have the Buckeyes listed as 14-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game’s total is sitting at 54.

Senior quarterback Michael Brewer is striving to be more consistent this season after throwing 15 interceptions to go with 2,692 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Senior running back J.C. Coleman (533 yards in 2014) won the starting gig and injury-prone junior Trey Edmunds will also get some work, while sophomore receiver Isaiah Ford (56 receptions, six touchdowns) and sophomore tight end Bucky Hodges (45 catches, seven touchdowns) are solid targets. The top player on the defense is junior cornerback Kendall Fuller (eight career interceptions), who is on his way to becoming the fourth brother in his family to be selected in the NFL Draft and each of them (Vincent, Corey, Kyle) also starred at Virginia Tech.

Last time out for Virginia Tech, they were a 33-17 winner as they battled Cincinnati on the road. Virginia Tech covered in the match as a 2-point underdog, while 50 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 7-6 SU,6-7 ATS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Virginia Tech’s last 8 games
Virginia Tech is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Virginia Tech is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

There are no questions at running back with title game MVP Ezekiel Elliott back for his junior campaign. Elliott rushed for 696 yards and eight touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ final three contests last season and totaled 1,878 rushing yards – second in school history behind Eddie George’s 1,927 in 1995 – and 18 rushing touchdowns. The defense absorbs a hit for the opener due to the suspension of 2014 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Joey Bosa (a junior end who had 13.5 sacks in 2014) but still has plenty of talent in senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington (10.5 tackles for losses), senior weak-side linebacker Joshua Perry (team-best 124 tackles), sophomore strong-side linebacker Darron Lee (7.5 sacks) and sophomore cornerback Eli Apple (three interceptions).

Ohio State won its last outing, a 42-20 result against Oregon on January 12. Ohio State covered in that game as a 6-point underdog, while the 62 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Team record: 14-1 SU,10-5 ATS
Current Streak: won 13 straight games.
Ohio State is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Ohio State’s last 14 games
Ohio State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road

The post Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Free Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards – including a dynamic 85-yard scoring run – and his 1,632 rushing yards rank fourth in Buckeyes’ history behind Eddie George (1,927 in 1995), Keith Byars (1,764, 1984) and Archie Griffin (1,695, 1974). Big play receiver Devin Smith caught his 30th career touchdown pass in the Sugar Bowl – a 47-yard catch – and is averaging 27.7 yards per reception this season while scoring 12 TDs on 32 catches. The defensive standouts include weak-side linebacker Joshua Perry (team-leading 118 tackles), safety Vonn Bell (86 tackles, team-best six interceptions), defensive end Joey Bosa (team-high 13.5 sacks), strong-side linebacker Darron Lee (7.5 sacks) and cornerback Doran Grant (five interceptions).

Mariota guided the attack to Rose Bowl records for points and yardage (639) while accounting for three scores (two passing, one rushing), passing for 338 and rushing for 62 more. The Ducks have two fine backfield options in Royce Freeman (1,343 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Thomas Tyner (511 yards, five touchdowns) while receiver Darren Carrington (37 catches, 704 yards) is emerging as a star after having seven receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. Defensively, free safety Erick Dargan leads the team with 90 tackles and seven interceptions and had one pick and one forced fumble in the Rose Bowl while outside linebacker Tony Washington (six sacks) was part of one of the memorable plays in the Rose Bowl when Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston lost a fumble and Washington returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.

The post Ohio State at Oregon Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

The Pirates racked up plays and yards but repeatedly stalled short of the goal line, including Carden’s late interception in the end zone, and ultimately lost 28-20 to Florida Saturday in the Birmingham Bowl. The result was a productive but disappointing day.

”We ran 101 plays, put up a ton of offensive yards, but we just needed to execute more,” Carden said. ”We should have had that touchdown, but an interception in the end zone can’t happen.”

Carden was 34 of 66 for 427 yards for the Pirates, but Vernon Hargreaves III’s pick with 1:20 left ended his day. It was a school record for passing attempts and the most thrown against Florida.

The Pirates scored just two touchdowns on seven trips inside the Florida 20-yard line.

Treon Harris threw an 86-yard scoring pass to Ahmad Fulwood for Florida (7-5) and Brian Poole scored on a 29-yard interception return. The Gators’ defense repeatedly turned East Carolina’s high-powered offense away from the end zone.

Florida redshirt freshman running back Adam Lane was chosen the game’s MVP after rushing 16 times for 109 yards and a touchdown with Matt Jones sidelined with a shoulder injury. He had only eight carries coming into the game, all in two lopsided wins.

Harris left late in the third quarter with what Durkin described as an elbow injury and was replaced by former starter Jeff Driskel.

Driskel ran for a first down on a third-down play on the final drive to allow Florida to run out the clock.

East Carolina came in averaging 37.2 points a game, but managed only a field goal in the fourth quarter and couldn’t cash in on a number of flirtations with the end zone.

”Coming into this game, people probably didn’t think it would be this close,” Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill said. ”We had opportunities that we just didn’t take advantage of.”

Justin Hardy finished with 11 catches for 160 yards and Cam Worthy gained 130 yards on eight catches.

Florida’s Harris was 5 of 11 for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including the play to Fulwood on a screen pass early in the third quarter. It was the Gators’ longest play from scrimmage this season.

Fulwood had just 113 yards receiving in the regular season. Driskel had 48 yards passing in what could be his final Florida game. McElwain said before the game Driskel had asked for a release from his scholarship.

Florida’s offense mostly sputtered without Harris, but the defense delivered.

Trying to expand the lead, Driskel led the Gators into East Carolina territory before Josh Hawkins forced a fumble by receiver Chris Thompson.

East Carolina drove to Florida’s 27 before getting forced back by a penalty and Dante Fowler Jr.’s third sack of the game in his Gators finale. Fowler has already said he’s skipping his senior season to turn pro.

The Gators took over with 4:21 left and went three-and-out. With two incompletions, Florida burned only 44 seconds off the clock before giving it back to Carden and the Pirates’ high-powered offense at their 42.

Carden completed three straight passes, including a nifty catch and run by Hardy for 24 yards.

Then East Carolina caught a momentary reprieve. Isaiah Jones fumbled at the end of a catch, the ball squirted away from a Florida player and Jimmy Williams dived on it at Florida’s 5.

Hargreaves, the Gators’ All-Southeastern Conference cornerback, picked off Carden’s pass two plays later.

The Pirates were playing without two of their three leading rushers, the injured Breon Allen and suspended Marquez Grayson. Chris Hairston gained 73 yards on 17 carries.

Carden and the other East Carolina seniors ended their careers on a difficult note.

”Losing is tough, but I am not going to look back on my career and think it was a disappointment just because we lost the last game,” Carden said. ”We have done a lot of good things together as a senior group.”

The post East Carolina fall short in 28-20 loss to Florida appeared first on IdealCapper.

The Huskies managed to rev up in the second half, but never could make it all the way back.

Washington fell behind by 17 points in a sluggish first half and had its second-half rally fall short in a 30-22 loss to Oklahoma State on Friday night.

”For whatever reason, we didn’t have it in the first half,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said. ”The second half they did, but it was too little, too late.”

Oklahoma State (7-6) needed a late rally over rival Oklahoma in the season finale to become bowl eligible and played the Cactus Bowl without its most dynamic offensive player.

The Cowboys closed out the season with a flourish behind freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph, with some offensive help from defensive lineman James Castleman.

A freshman making his third start, Rudolph kept his composure against Washington’s vaunted front seven, overcoming three turnovers to hit 17 of 26 passes.

Desmond Roland kept the Huskies off balance by tearing off big runs up the middle, finishing with 123 yards on 32 carries.

Then, there was Castleman.

Though he had never played offense before, the 300-pound defensive tackle lined up in the shotgun to score on a 1-yard run in the first half, helping Oklahoma State build a 17-point halftime lead.

Washington rallied to within a touchdown in the second half, but Castleman wreaked havoc again, catching a pass out of the backfield and rumbling down the sideline for a 48-yard catch that all but killed the Huskies’ hopes.

”Honestly, I’m like, `Why hasn’t somebody hit me yet?”’ Castleman said of his reception. ”Next thing, I look up to the screen, I see someone coming and I try jabbing inside trying to get him to miss. Once he hit me, the check engine light came on.”

Washington (8-6) stumbled out of the gate on both sides of the ball in the first half in the first half before finding a rhythm on offense in the second.

The hole proved to be too deep, ending coach Chris Petersen’s first season with a loss.

John Ross scored on a 96-yard kickoff return and Cyler Miles threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, but had an interception on Washington’s last-ditch drive.

”If we would have come out ready, it would have been a different outcome,” said Huskies receiver Jaydon Mickens, who scored two touchdowns.

The Cowboys pulled off a last-minute comeback to earn a spot in the Cactus Bowl, scoring two touchdowns in the final 8 minutes to knock off Oklahoma in overtime.

Tyreek Hill had the big play in that game, scoring on a 92-yard punt return with 45 seconds left, but he was dismissed from the team last month after being arrested on charges of choking and punching his pregnant girlfriend.

That left Oklahoma State without its most dangerous threat against a Washington defense that has three first-team All-Americans.

The Cowboys didn’t seem to mind.

They had no trouble against Washington’s ferocious front seven on their opening drive, confidently converting a midfield fourth-and-1 to set up Castleman’s 1-yard dive off left tackle.

Rudolph turned it over on the next two drives, losing a fumble when he was sacked, then on a one-handed interception by Budda Baker.

The freshman kept his poise, though. He caught a pass from receiver Brandon Sheperd on a trick play to set up a 28-yard touchdown pass to James Washington, who one-upped Baker with a one-handed catch in the end zone.

The Sheperd-Rudolph connection worked again just before the half, this time in reverse: Rudolph on the throw, Sheperd on the catch for a 47-yard touchdown that put the Cowboys up 24-0.

Washington had just as much trouble on offense, finishing with 113 total yards in the half.

”The first half was, obviously, on offense, still in practice mode,” Petersen said.

The Huskies finally showed signs of life on their opening drive of the third quarter, cutting into Oklahoma State’s lead on Mickens’ 31-yard reverse.

Washington got a bad break when a punt hit one of its players and Oklahoma State recovered, but held the Cowboys to Ben Grogan’s 27-yard field goal. Ross took the ensuing kickoff up the middle, made a couple of jukes and raced off to a 96-yard touchdown that cut the Cowboys’ lead to 27-14.

Miles followed with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Mickens, trimming the lead to 30-2 with 3 1-2 minutes left.

The Cowboys then turned to Castleman again and he played the receiver role well, killing off precious seconds that helped the Cowboys finish a difficult season on a positive note.

”This was a great finish for this team,” Gundy said.

They can thank their freshman quarterback and new – and big – offensive weapon.

The post Washington loses 30-22 to Okla St. in Cactus Bowl appeared first on IdealCapper.

”You want the bad news? Maryland and Minnesota come to mind right away,” Ferentz said.

Maryland’s C.J. Brown accounted for 219 yards, including 99 rushing, in a 38-31 victory over the Hawkeyes in October. Three weeks later, Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner threw for four touchdowns and ran for 77 yards in a 51-14 win against Ferentz’s team.

Now, the Hawkeyes (7-5) will try to deal with Dobbs in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Friday. Dobbs has won three of four games since taking over the starting job in November, helping the Volunteers (6-6) make their first bowl game since 2010.

”Hopefully we’ll do a little better job defending the quarterback,” Ferentz said.

Since coming off the bench against Alabama in late October, Dobbs has eight touchdown passes, six rushing scores and victories against South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Dobbs might not have the passing skills of injured starter Justin Worley, but he brings an added dimension to the attack. He has 91 carries for 393 yards in five games.

”All the other players have rallied around him,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. ”He has leadership characteristics, he has taken control and they believe in him. That’s the biggest thing: they believe in him.”

Although the Hawkeyes struggled to contain Brown and Leidner, they were considerably better against Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong Jr. in the season finale. Armstrong ran 11 times for 31 yards.

They can only hope for similar success against Dobbs.

”To me, their turning point this year was those last four games,” Ferentz said. ”I don’t think it was a coincidence a new quarterback took over and they’ve won three out of four games. They come into the game with an awful lot of momentum. He throws and runs. Anytime you play a dual-threat guy like that, it’s a unique challenge.

”We’ll have to be at our best defensively to have a chance here.”

Aside from Dobbs, here are some things to know about Iowa and Tennessee heading into the TaxSlayer Bowl:

—

FIRST-TIMERS: This is the first bowl game for every Tennessee player. The Volunteers finished 5-7 the three previous years, so they’re considering this a stepping stone to bigger things for one of the youngest programs in college football. ”It’s one thing to be a participant in the bowl,” Jones said. ”It’s another thing to win the bowl.”

DEJA VU: Jones felt a little nostalgic when he got to his hotel for the game. Working as West Virginia’s receivers coach in 2006, the Mountaineers played in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly known as the Gator Bowl. Jones is staying one villa down at the Sawgrass Marriott, where Central Michigan interviewed him and offered him its head coaching position eight years ago. ”It’s kind of been a stroll back memory lane,” he said.

NEXT STEP: It’s fitting that Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff is playing his final college game in an NFL stadium. After all, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior is widely considered a top-10 pick in the NFL draft. A finalist for the Outland Trophy, Scherff has a tough matchup in his finale. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett set a school record for true freshmen with 10 sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for a loss. ”I love competition,” Scherff said. ”It’s going to be a great challenge.”

NEW DATE: TaxSlayer Bowl officials believe playing on Jan. 2 – and in an afternoon time slot that has no competition – will boost TV ratings. ”Our ratings should be significantly higher,” TaxSlayer Bowl President Rick Catlett said. ”We feel like we’re separated from the post-New Year’s Eve games and get the benefit of having no one else in that time slot.”

TICKET SALES: Bowl officials expect about 60,000 in the stands. Most of those will be wearing Tennessee orange. The Volunteers sold their allotment of 8,000 tickets in hours. Iowa sold about half its tickets. ”I read something about ticket sales being a little slow. If they were slow, they were really slow in 2012,” said Ferentz, referring to his team missing the 2012 postseason.

The post Tennessee’s Dobbs poses problems for Iowa in TaxSlayer Bowl appeared first on IdealCapper.

”You want the bad news? Maryland and Minnesota come to mind right away,” Ferentz said.

Maryland’s C.J. Brown accounted for 219 yards, including 99 rushing, in a 38-31 victory over the Hawkeyes in October. Three weeks later, Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner threw for four touchdowns and ran for 77 yards in a 51-14 win against Ferentz’s team.

Now, the Hawkeyes (7-5) will try to deal with Dobbs in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Friday. Dobbs has won three of four games since taking over the starting job in November, helping the Volunteers (6-6) make their first bowl game since 2010.

”Hopefully we’ll do a little better job defending the quarterback,” Ferentz said.

Since coming off the bench against Alabama in late October, Dobbs has eight touchdown passes, six rushing scores and victories against South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Dobbs might not have the passing skills of injured starter Justin Worley, but he brings an added dimension to the attack. He has 91 carries for 393 yards in five games.

”All the other players have rallied around him,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. ”He has leadership characteristics, he has taken control and they believe in him. That’s the biggest thing: they believe in him.”

Although the Hawkeyes struggled to contain Brown and Leidner, they were considerably better against Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong Jr. in the season finale. Armstrong ran 11 times for 31 yards.

They can only hope for similar success against Dobbs.

”To me, their turning point this year was those last four games,” Ferentz said. ”I don’t think it was a coincidence a new quarterback took over and they’ve won three out of four games. They come into the game with an awful lot of momentum. He throws and runs. Anytime you play a dual-threat guy like that, it’s a unique challenge.

”We’ll have to be at our best defensively to have a chance here.”

Aside from Dobbs, here are some things to know about Iowa and Tennessee heading into the TaxSlayer Bowl:

—

FIRST-TIMERS: This is the first bowl game for every Tennessee player. The Volunteers finished 5-7 the three previous years, so they’re considering this a stepping stone to bigger things for one of the youngest programs in college football. ”It’s one thing to be a participant in the bowl,” Jones said. ”It’s another thing to win the bowl.”

DEJA VU: Jones felt a little nostalgic when he got to his hotel for the game. Working as West Virginia’s receivers coach in 2006, the Mountaineers played in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly known as the Gator Bowl. Jones is staying one villa down at the Sawgrass Marriott, where Central Michigan interviewed him and offered him its head coaching position eight years ago. ”It’s kind of been a stroll back memory lane,” he said.

NEXT STEP: It’s fitting that Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff is playing his final college game in an NFL stadium. After all, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior is widely considered a top-10 pick in the NFL draft. A finalist for the Outland Trophy, Scherff has a tough matchup in his finale. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett set a school record for true freshmen with 10 sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for a loss. ”I love competition,” Scherff said. ”It’s going to be a great challenge.”

NEW DATE: TaxSlayer Bowl officials believe playing on Jan. 2 – and in an afternoon time slot that has no competition – will boost TV ratings. ”Our ratings should be significantly higher,” TaxSlayer Bowl President Rick Catlett said. ”We feel like we’re separated from the post-New Year’s Eve games and get the benefit of having no one else in that time slot.”

TICKET SALES: Bowl officials expect about 60,000 in the stands. Most of those will be wearing Tennessee orange. The Volunteers sold their allotment of 8,000 tickets in hours. Iowa sold about half its tickets. ”I read something about ticket sales being a little slow. If they were slow, they were really slow in 2012,” said Ferentz, referring to his team missing the 2012 postseason.

The post Riley starts Huskers job without Abdullah, Gregory appeared first on IdealCapper.

”You want the bad news? Maryland and Minnesota come to mind right away,” Ferentz said.

Maryland’s C.J. Brown accounted for 219 yards, including 99 rushing, in a 38-31 victory over the Hawkeyes in October. Three weeks later, Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner threw for four touchdowns and ran for 77 yards in a 51-14 win against Ferentz’s team.

Now, the Hawkeyes (7-5) will try to deal with Dobbs in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Friday. Dobbs has won three of four games since taking over the starting job in November, helping the Volunteers (6-6) make their first bowl game since 2010.

”Hopefully we’ll do a little better job defending the quarterback,” Ferentz said.

Since coming off the bench against Alabama in late October, Dobbs has eight touchdown passes, six rushing scores and victories against South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Dobbs might not have the passing skills of injured starter Justin Worley, but he brings an added dimension to the attack. He has 91 carries for 393 yards in five games.

”All the other players have rallied around him,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. ”He has leadership characteristics, he has taken control and they believe in him. That’s the biggest thing: they believe in him.”

Although the Hawkeyes struggled to contain Brown and Leidner, they were considerably better against Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong Jr. in the season finale. Armstrong ran 11 times for 31 yards.

They can only hope for similar success against Dobbs.

”To me, their turning point this year was those last four games,” Ferentz said. ”I don’t think it was a coincidence a new quarterback took over and they’ve won three out of four games. They come into the game with an awful lot of momentum. He throws and runs. Anytime you play a dual-threat guy like that, it’s a unique challenge.

”We’ll have to be at our best defensively to have a chance here.”

Aside from Dobbs, here are some things to know about Iowa and Tennessee heading into the TaxSlayer Bowl:

—

FIRST-TIMERS: This is the first bowl game for every Tennessee player. The Volunteers finished 5-7 the three previous years, so they’re considering this a stepping stone to bigger things for one of the youngest programs in college football. ”It’s one thing to be a participant in the bowl,” Jones said. ”It’s another thing to win the bowl.”

DEJA VU: Jones felt a little nostalgic when he got to his hotel for the game. Working as West Virginia’s receivers coach in 2006, the Mountaineers played in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly known as the Gator Bowl. Jones is staying one villa down at the Sawgrass Marriott, where Central Michigan interviewed him and offered him its head coaching position eight years ago. ”It’s kind of been a stroll back memory lane,” he said.

NEXT STEP: It’s fitting that Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff is playing his final college game in an NFL stadium. After all, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior is widely considered a top-10 pick in the NFL draft. A finalist for the Outland Trophy, Scherff has a tough matchup in his finale. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett set a school record for true freshmen with 10 sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for a loss. ”I love competition,” Scherff said. ”It’s going to be a great challenge.”

NEW DATE: TaxSlayer Bowl officials believe playing on Jan. 2 – and in an afternoon time slot that has no competition – will boost TV ratings. ”Our ratings should be significantly higher,” TaxSlayer Bowl President Rick Catlett said. ”We feel like we’re separated from the post-New Year’s Eve games and get the benefit of having no one else in that time slot.”

TICKET SALES: Bowl officials expect about 60,000 in the stands. Most of those will be wearing Tennessee orange. The Volunteers sold their allotment of 8,000 tickets in hours. Iowa sold about half its tickets. ”I read something about ticket sales being a little slow. If they were slow, they were really slow in 2012,” said Ferentz, referring to his team missing the 2012 postseason.

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