The Sun Bowl

Yellow Jackets draw the Utes

The 2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl will feature a match up between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the ACC and the Utah Utes of the PAC-12. This game will be between two teams looking to finish off fairly mediocre seasons with a strong win to give them confidence heading into the off-season.

The Yellow Jackets looked like they were going to have a strong year, winning their first six games in a row. This early fortune was not to last though as they went on to lose four of their last six games, including disappointing losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia towards the end of the season. Georgia Tech's quarterback Tevin Washington performed particularly poorly in the loss to Georgia, struggling to get his team going and failing to provide any type of competent passing game. Coach Paul Johnson gave quarterback Synjyn Days an opportunity towards the end of the Georgia game and the freshman provided a spark with a much more accurate looking arm on display. Look for Days to get more opportunities in the bowl game as the Jackets finished the year 112th in passing yards, averaging just 142 yards a game. The running attack of the Yellow Jackets has proven to be one of the best in the game and they rely on it heavily. With Paul Johnson's triple option offense, Tech went on to finish 3rd overall in rushing yards averaging 316 a game. Tevin Washington tops the rushing chart for the Jackets with sophomore David Sims a close second. Look for running back Roddy Jones to have an impressive game as he fights to put up good numbers in his final game as a Yellow Jacket.

The Utes have had a fairly strong finish to the year having won four of their last five games of the year. However, their schedule has not been impressive and they were beaten solidly by Arizona State, their only ranked opponent. They finished third in the PAC-12 south behind UCLA and USC and only a loss to Colorado at the end of the year stopped them for challenging for the PAC-12 championship. The defense of the Utes has had an impressive year, allowing opponents only 19.7 points per game. The rushing defense of the Utes has been particularly impressive which bodes well for them as they head up against a team that struggles to do much other than run the football. Junior quarterback John Hays and junior running back John White IV head up Utah's offense. White IV is the team's touchdown leader, having rushed for 14 of them this year while putting up an impressive 1404 yard season. Hays has been slightly less impressive, throwing for only 9 touchdowns while putting up 7 interceptions. Kyle Whittingham is in his seventh year with the Utes and looks to continue the teams impressive bowl record which currently stands at 8 and 1.

The New Year's eve match-up between these two teams is sure to be a solid match-up. The rush defense of the Utes is sure to have difficulty with the triple option offense, but if they are successful in stopping it they stand a good chance of coming away victorious. This should be a fantastic game between two evenly matched teams.

Rich in History, the Sun Bowl Scores Big

Nestled on the border of Texas and Mexico, El Paso is allegedly the birthplace of the Margarita, and its streets have been walked by names like General John Pershing, Pancho Villa, Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen. As a sort of icing on the cake, however, El Paso is also home to the Sun Bowl, an annual college football classic.

Hosted by The University of Texas at El Paso, the Sun Bowl is one of the longest running college football bowl games in history. Although the first collegiate game was played in 1936, the Sun Bowl officially marked its beginning by hosting two high school teams the previous year. The local El Paso High School All-Stars defeated visiting Ranger (Texas) High School with a final score of 25-21. The collegiate start of the Sun Bowl pitted New Mexico State against Hardin-Simmons, ending with an anti-climactic tie score of 14-14.

Beginning in 2010, team selection for the modern-day Sun Bowl, known as the Hyundai Sun Bowl through 2013, draws its competitors from the Pac-12 and ACC conferences. The Sun Bowl picks fourth behind the BCS from the Pac-12 and third behind the BCS from the either the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game runner-up or any eligible ACC team. To date, Texas Tech holds the title of most Sun Bowl appearances (nine), accompanied by a dismal 1-8 record.

The Sun Bowl recognizes athletic excellence by awarding four game trophies: the Sun Bowl Championship Team Trophy, C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player Trophy, Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman Trophy and John Folmer Most Valuable Special Teams Trophy. All trophy namesakes have held a presidential or committee member role with the Sun Bowl Association. All bowl games awards, and MVP trophy will be available to bet on in our college football lines for the bowl season. NFL MVP is another bet that is interesting around the holiday season in our NFL odds.

The MVP trophy is named to honor the first president of the Sun Bowl Association, and it holds the longevity record, having been awarded since 1954. The Most Valuable Lineman trophy, awarded since 1961, recognizes Jimmy Rogers, Jr., who served as president of the Sun Bowl Association from 1970-71 and is chairman emeritus of the football committee. The special teams award was first handed out in 1994 and it honors the 37-year service record of Sun Bowl Football Committee member John Folmer.

Although there have been many games and notable plays over the years, one interesting almost prophetic - instance truly stands out. In 1994, the local favorite Texas was matched up against North Carolina, seeing Texas take the win with a final score of 35-31. Interestingly, the head coach of North Carolina was none other than Mack Brown, the future head coach and lifeblood of Texas Longhorn football. To date, Brown is among the highest paid college football coaches and boasts a respectable 216-101-1 record.

While the Sun Bowl may not draw the largest publicity or host the top college football teams like the Bowl Championship Series, it does hold a rich history and charm that many other bowl games lack. The next time you're in El Paso, slow down a bit, enjoy a Margarita and ask a local about the Sun Bowl. I'm sure they will have quite a story to tell.

Raiders vs Broncos, Chiefs vs Chargers, Colts vs Texans and all the hottest NFL game previews are available in the sportsbook as well if you are enjoy the college football game preview. The Sun Bowl Preview will be available with our Sun Bowl Odds, Sun Bowl options and other Sun Bowl lines that are released in the beginning of December.