Hilltopper return man/running back Antonio Andrews will be gunning for some guy named Barry Sanders’ all-purpose yards record when WKU plays on Wednesday.

Little Caesars Bowl: WKU Hilltoppers (7-5) v Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6), Wednesday, 7:30ET

In their sixth season at the FBS level, WKU get its bowl game cherry popped in Detroit against a Chippewa squad that was 3-6 at one point this season. The Hilltoppers will be without its head coach,, Willie Taggart, who is off to USF, and Sun Belt Defensive POY Quanterus Smith, who has a bum knee. Central Michigan, who played in this bowl game three strait years from 2006-’08, is led by a high powered offense and an awesomely named running back Zurlon Tipton, who had 19 TDs this season. WKU has a stud RB of its own, however, as Antonio Andrews is 274 all-purpose yards short of Barry Sanders’ NCAA record for a season (3,250).

Military Bowl: San Jose State Spartans (10-2) v. Bowling Green Falcons (8-4), Thursday 3PM

The Military Bowl in DC features two teams with zero military history, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a good one for the military personnel in attendance. Two years ago, Mike MacIntyre was 1-12 in his first year with the Spartans, but he closed out this year with six consecutive Ws to get the Spartans their first ever top-25 ranking in the AP poll. MacIntyre has since left to become the Colorado coach, but his club will take on a Falcons squad that also put together a six-game winning streak. Both teams feature their conference’s Defensive POY, as Spartan DL Travis Johnson won the WAC Award after putting up 12 sacks and 19 TFL. Bowling Green’s DT Chris Jones had 12.5 sacks, and helped the Falcons finish in the nation’s top-10 defensively.

UC’s Ralph David Abernathy IV is built like Darren Sproles, and sometimes shares the same explosiveness.

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) v. Duke Blue Devils (6-6), Thursday 6:30

Despite dropping their last four games, Duke makes history with their first bowl since 1994, and will get to travel just down the road to Charlotte in a bowl game named for a Kohl’s-like department store. It was another successful year and another coach leaving town for the Bearcats, as UC went 9-3 to earn a share of the Big East Title, but then saw Butch Jones leave for the bright orange of Knoxville, Tennessee. If Duke wants to win their first bowl game since a 1961 victory over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, they will have to corral the Big East’s leading rusher, George Winn, and a Cincy defense that gave up less than 12 points a game over the last month of the season.

Baylor WR Terrance Williams led the nation in receiving yards.

Holiday Bowl: Baylor Bears (7-5) v. UCLA Bruins (9-4), Thursday 9:45

One year after Baylor took part in the highest scoring bowl game of all-time, the scoreboard figures to light up again this year in San Diego, as the Bears will take on a Bruins squad that nearly upset Stanford in the Pac-12 title game. Even without RGIII, Art Briles’ offense was one of the nation’s best this year, leading the NCAA in yards behind QB Nick Florence and WR Terrance Williams. Baylor’s bowl hopes were still bleak, however, until catching fire in November and ruining Kansas State’s title hopes, then earning victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to close the season. The Bruin running combination of QB Brett Hundley and RB Jonathan Franklin are probably licking their chops at the opportunity to get on the field against a Baylor defense that gave up at least 34 points on eight different occasions.

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Western Michigan QB Alex Carder hopes the 3rd time is a charm against a Big 1G(?) foe.

Tuesday, Dec. 27:  Little Ceaser’s Bowl, 4:30PM
Western Michigan (7-5) v. Purdue (6-6)

$5 Hot and Readys for both teams as they face off at the Little Ceaser’s Bowl in Detroit.  Nothing says college life like some freshly-delivered pizza, so why shouldn’t this franchise sponsor a bowl game pitting a Big-10 squad against a MAC foe.

How WMU Got Here: In their first bowl appearance since ’08, the Broncos get to stay within state lines after going undefeated at home. All-American WR Jordan White was one of the nation’s leading receiver, putting up 127 catches and 16 TDs. After going toe-to-toe in losses with Big-10 Big-1G foes Michigan and Illinois this September, QB Alex Carder and the Broncos should be ready for the Boilers.

How Purdue Got Here: 3rd-year coach Danny Hope gets his first bowl appearance at Purdue thanks to a pair of November victories that got the Boilers to .500 in the conference. Four years ago, Purdue went to this same bowl game, winning a crazy 51-48 thriller over Central Michigan.

Tuesday, Dec. 27: Belk Bowl, 8PM
Louisville (7-5) v. North Carolina State (7-5)

StraitCards.com is all over this preview. Read up here.

Wednesday, 12/28: Military Bowl, 4:30PM
Toledo (8-4) v. Air Force (7-5)

Played at RFK Stadium in DC, this game has only been around four years, and was known as the EagleBank Bowl up until this season. Tim Beckman, who has been head coach at Toledo the last three years, is nowhere to be found, as he has accepted the head job at Illinois.

How Toledo Got Here: An offense that averaged over 42 points/game, including 53+ in November, will try to put an  exclamation point on a season that saw the Rockets go 7-1 in MAC play. Excitement hasn’t been a problem this year for Toledo, as the Rockets played games over the last month that have ended in scores of 63-60 and 66-63.

How Air Force Got Here: One of the nation’s last triple option offenses, the Falcons averaged over 320 yards/game on the ground this year while winning four of their last five. Air Force finds themselves in their fifth strait bowl under Troy Calhoun, but failed to beat any FBS teams with a winning record in 2011.

Cal LB Mychal Kendricks is not a fan of Bevo.

Wednesday, 12/28: Holiday Bowl, 8PM
California (7-5) v. Texas (7-5)

The Longhorns have came to San Diego and conquered the Holiday twice in the last 10 years, but this year Mack Brown meets Jeff Tedford in a match-up of coaches that have lost some of their auras of invincibility over the past few seasons. The Golden Bears were also a part of the Holiday Bowl in 2004 and ’06, beating Texas A&M in 2006 when Marshawn Lynch wore a Cal uniform.

How Cal Got Here: Three November wins put Cal back on track after a 4-4 start, giving Tedford his 8th bowl in 10 seasons at Cal. LB Mychal Kendricks was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, helping the Bears hang tough after a rough mid-season stretch that saw them lose four of five.

How Texas Got Here: You knew the Longhorns weren’t going to go two strait years without a bowl, but the 7-5 finish has to be modestly disappointing to a fan base that has been used to consistent BCS berths. Late-season attrition at the running back position was one reason for Texas losing three of their last four, but an anemic passing offense also played a part, and Texas will play their first bowl game since losing in the national title game two years ago.

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