We ain't goin' nowhere, we ain't goin' nowhere, we can't be stopped cuz it's Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl for life.
It's a bowl game with my favorite sponsor and name combination of all time, and it features Temple and Florida International. And it needs to have Puff Daddy perform at halftime or else I'm not sure what the purpose of life is.
If all of that isn't a strong enough sell for you, what if I told you that this was the first time in college football history that Temple and FIU were playing one another? That's right; it's the matchup you've waited your entire life for. You don't want to miss this because you were spending time with your family or something. That would be tragic.
Viewing information
Date: Thursday, Dec. 21 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Tropicana Field -- St. Petersburg, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Watch ESPN, Watch ESPN apps
Storylines
Temple: The Owls needed to win three of their last four games to reach the magical mark of six wins and get to a bowl game this season, and that's precisely what they did. The Owls offense came to life over the last month of the season, as they scored 32.75 points per game over their last four. This after scoring only 20.88 points per game over the first two months of the season.
Temple will be playing in its third-consecutive bowl game -- a program record -- and while it can thank its offense for the help late in the year, do not overlook a defense led by Jacob Martin (eight sacks) and Sharif Finch (7.5 sacks).
FIU: Butch Davis' first season at FIU has been a rousing success. The former Miami coach took over a program that hadn't reached a bowl game since 2011 -- winning only 17 games the last five years -- and went 8-4 in his first season with the Panthers. A win over Temple in this game would be a fantastic way to finish the season, but it would still only be icing on the cake.
The Panthers offense is led by QB Alex McGough, who has thrown for 2,791 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing over 65 percent of his passes this season. If McGough throws for 209 yards or more against Temple, he'll become the first 3,000-yard passer in school history.
Prediction
It's hard to pass up on underdogs during bowl season, and it's even more difficult to do so when that dog is playing in its home state. While it won't be monumental, I expect the Panthers to have a bit of a homefield advantage in this game. Even if the Panthers don't win this game, I believe their offense is potent enough to keep them within a score of the Owls, so that hook on the touchdown-sized spread makes it difficult to take Temple. Pick: FIU +7.5
So what side do you need to be all over in the Gasparilla Bowl? Visit SportsLine now to get a strong pick for Temple vs. FIU from insider Emory Hunt, who's on a 13-5 run in college football against the spread picks.
