New Years Eve Bowlgasm: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Liberty Bowl.

Do you enjoy car crashes? This has been dubbed “the Interim Bowl” as both teams will rely on temporary coaching staffs after firing their head coaches. These, undoubtedly, were seasons worth commemorating. The coin toss will be performed with an Oreo. Organizers should have gone all in and had the captain settle it Double Stuff Racing League style.

Illinois Fighting Illini [SRS 53]
Best Wins: Arizona State (25), Arkansas State (54), Northwestern (58)
Losses: Wisconsin (7), Michigan (9), Penn State (29), Ohio State (34), Purdue (71), Minnesota (83)
Famous Alum: Hugh Hefner

Illinois won six straight and then lost six straight and got Ron Zook fired. Much of this was the offense’s fault. They fell from 45th in yards per play in September, to 70th in October, to 118th in November. Most of this was their offensive line being ineffective at pass protection and getting downfield to establish their zone read running. The Illini were, however, 8th in yards per play defense, Top 20 against the run and Top 10 against their pass. They are led up front by the disruptive and aptly named Whitney Mercilus, who led the nation with 14.5 sacks.

UCLA Bruins [SRS 64]
Best Wins: Arizona State (25), California (30),
Losses: Oregon (4), Stanford (5), USC (10), Houston (13), Texas (21), Utah (40), Arizona (61)
Famous Alum: Jaleel White

The Bruins were plagued by consistency issues, as well as size, speed and coaching concerns. Pistol Rick spoke of having closed the gap with USC, and then lost 50-0. Losing 48-12 to an Arizona team that had just fired its coach was a particular low-point. UCLA’s offense was decent on aggregate. They will need to get the Pistol going as Kevin Prince is not equipped to handle Illinois’ pressure and break down disguised coverages. Their defense was awful, ranking 92nd in total yards per play defense and 109th against the run.

For Recreational Purposes: Illinois (-2.5)

This game could be competitive. Not aesthetically pleasing, but competitive.

Cincinnati Bearcats [SRS 35]
Best Wins: Pittsburgh (50), South Florida (51), Louisville (59)
Losses: West Virginia (32), Tennessee (43), Rutgers (52)
Famous Alum: Jerry Rubin

The key to the Bearcats is their underrated defensive line. They led the country with 44 sacks. They were fourth against the run, limiting opponents to just 2.62 yards per carry. Their offense isn’t super explosive, but they can get consistent yards on the ground behind Isaiah Pead. They also have senior quarterback Zach Collaros back, who can make plays with both his arm and his legs.

Vanderbilt Commodores [SRS 33]
Best Wins: Wake Forest (72), Connecticut (73)
Losses: Alabama (3), Arkansas (12), Georgia (16), South Carolina (20), Florida (37), Tennessee (43)
Famous Alum: Buster Olney

First year coach James Franklin got them to a bowl game, which was impressive. They went 2-6 in the SEC, but were within a touchdown against Georgia, Arkansas and Florida and lost to Tennessee in overtime. They were very solid defensively, No. 21 overall. Though, their offense needs a big game from running back Zach Stacy (183 carries, 1136 yards, 13 TD). Vandy were 4-1 when Stacy ran for more than 100 yards. The loss was 31-28 to Arkansas, in a game they should have held on and won.

For Recreational Purposes: These teams are dead even. We’ll take the points. Cincinnati (+1.5)