Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl

The Thundering Herd draws Florida International

When Florida International faces off against Marshall in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, the game appears to be a total mismatch on paper - statistically Florida International should easily win what seems to be a laugher. Often however, outcomes can change drastically in reality but no matter how you dissect this game Marshall will have to come up big to have any chance of winning. The seemingly singular advantage that Marshall has over Florida International lies in their strength of schedule, with Marshall having played and lost to three top 25 teams while Florida International played none of the top teams this season.

A close examination of the Florida International roster shows a team that is very talented both offensively and defensively, going 8-4 overall this season as a representative of the Sun Belt Conference. Three of those losses were by a total of only ten points, the only big loss coming at the hands of conference champion Arkansas State by a score of 34-16. From any vantage point Florida International plays hard and is competitive in every game, speaking volumes as to the mental toughness of the team and coaching staff.

Marshall on the other hand went 6-6 this year, with five of those losses being absolute embarrassments. Marshall lost to Virginia Tech by 20 points, to WVU by 21, to Houston by 35 points, to Ohio by 37 points and to Tulsa by 42 points. Overall, Marshall scores 22 points per game on average and gives up 30.2 points per game - not exactly a recipe for success. It would be a reasonable assumption that if Marshall falls behind early in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl a blowout is on the horizon, and the Thundering Herd fans will have to endure yet another beating.

This is not to imply that Marshall does not have a few weapons to counter Florida International, but the best offensive players for Marshall are very young in terms of experience. Quarterback Rakeem Cato is only a freshman and at times can be inconsistent, but has shown flashes of developing into a game-changer. Cato has completed 58.5 percent of his passes good for 1,833 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The two featured running backs for Marshall are sophomore Tron Martinez and freshman Travon Van, each have rushed for over 500 yards this year and average about 4 yards per carry.

Florida International is exceptionally talented on offense, led by senior quarterback Wesley Carroll who has thrown for 2,224 yards and 14 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions, Running back Kendrick Rhodes is only a sophmore but has emerged as a stud, running for 1,121 yards good for a 5.0 yards per carry average and 8 touchdowns. As though these two stars weren't enough, Florida International has two very good wide receivers in T.Y. Hilton and Wayne Times that between them have 115 catches, 1,481 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Realistically, Marshall can squeeze out a victory in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl if they can get a few timely turnovers and keep the FIU offensive unit on the bench through sound play selection and a ball control mentality.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St Petersburg, FL Overview

For college football fans fall is the best time of year. When you first feel that brisk breeze run down the back of your neck you know it is time for football season! College football is particularly exciting because every game has so much meaning. One loss in the regular season can eliminate a team from its dream of making it to a college football bowl game that year. At Allpro we share your enthusiasm and have all types of college football betting lines for you this bowl season.

The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl is a NCAA Division I FBS college football bowl game. Officially known as the St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef 'O' Brady;s, this game is played in St. Petersburg, Fl. The bowl game is played at Tropicana Field, primarily used for Major League Baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays. The Beef 'O' Brady's bowl was inaugurated in 2008 when it was known as the MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl.

The sponsorship changed between 2008 and 2009, when the restaurant Beef 'O' Brady's took over the sponsorship rights to the game. Beef 'O' Brady's is a restaurant chain that specializes in sports pubs for families. Their locations are primarily in the south, near where the annual Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl will be held.

The Beef 'O' Brady's bowl is a matchup between a representative of the Big East Conference and a representative of Conference USA. Both of these conferences produce very competitive teams on an annual basis. This bowl game will prove to be one of the most exciting bowl games in December every year.

If there are not enough bowl eligible teams from the Big East Conference or Conference USA to fill the game, a representative from the Sun Belt conference will fill in. In order to be bowl eligible under NCAA Division I FBS rules a team must win at least 6 regular season games in a 12 game season.

The inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl game was between the South Florida University Bulls and the Memphis University Tigers. Matt Grothe, the QB of the SFU Bulls, took home the very first MVP trophy of the bowl game. As there have only been two games played so far, the list is short of teams that have played. There is a four way tie for the most appearances at the bowl game. SFU, Memphis University, Rutgers, and University of Central Florida have all been invited to this bowl.

The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl is not the only post-season college football game to be played in a baseball stadium, although it is quite unique. St. Petersburg is an amazing town to have a December bowl game played in. The weather has an average high of 74 degrees, making it a perfect vacation spot for all of the loyal fans of the Big East and Conference USA representatives.

As the majority of those schools that could represent their conferences in the Beef 'O' Brady's bowl are from cooler climates, especially in December, there promises to be a large following to this bowl game every year.

Along with our college football odds for the bowl games we also have live NFL odds in the sportsbook right now. The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl preview and all types of Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl odds will become available as soon the teams are set for the matchup.