The Poinsettia Bowl

TCU draws Louisiana Tech

Two lengthy winning streaks will be on the line when #18 TCU battles Louisiana Tech at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Each team comes into the game having won seven in a row and playing at an extremely high level. TCU ended the regular season by destroying UNLV 56-9 in their home finale. Louisiana Tech had an equally impressive showing, shutting out New Mexico St. 44-0 in a dominant performance. Although TCU is considered to be the clear favorite, this figures to be a hotly contested match up.

In past years, the TCU defense was touted by many as the driving force behind the team's success. However, there was a major decline in production on that side of the ball this season. In TCU's two losses this year, the defense gave up 40 and 50 points respectively, failing to hold the opposing offenses in key moments of games that were winnable until the end. In fact, this team lost these games by a total of nine points. Had defensive collapses not occurred, TCU would likely be playing LSU for the National Championship this season.

The Horned Frog offense, led by QB Casey Pachell, has exceeded all expectations this season. The unit has averaged over 440 yards per game and rank ninth in the country in points scored. An explosive running back tandem emerged, with Waymon James and Matthew Tucker anchoring a ground game that rushed for over 200 yards per game. The development of Pachell, a sophomore, has been another key ingredient to their offensive success. This young squad looks to have a bright future ahead of them.

Louisiana Tech shares a similar dynamic in that their offense has carried the defense at times this year. In three of their four losses, the defense squandered a fourth quarter lead in the final minutes of the game. The fourth loss was a 44-26 blowout loss at home to a below average Hawaii team. However, the Bulldogs showed much needed improvement on this side of the ball over the final half of the season. They will need to play their best ball in order to slow down an effective TCU offense.

The turning point in the Bulldog's season came when freshman QB Nick Isham was replaced by Colby Cameron in the sixth game of the year. Although Isham showed promise, he was prone to turnovers, as most freshman quarterbacks are. Cameron has shown an ability to pick up big yards while also protecting the ball. He has also proven himself to be capable of picking up yards on the ground, which keeps opposing defenses honest. Like TCU, Louisiana Tech relies on a running back tandem to pick up yards on the ground. Star receiver Quinton Patton has over 1100 yards receiving to go along with 10 touchdown receptions. He is a big play threat who can break a game wide open.

This showdown is likely to be an offensive shootout that remains competitive until the end. As always, winning the turnover battle is of utmost importance. The deciding factor will be the defense that rises to the occasion and makes the big play at key points in the game. The team that achieves that will carry the Poinsettia Bowl trophy and an eight game winning streak in the off season.

Poinsettia Bowl Overview

The Poinsettia Bowl is a fairly new college football bowl game. It started in 2005 and is played at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. The bowl game is organized by the same group that organizes the Holiday Bowl, also played in San Diego. It is sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union and is officially called the San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

The Poinsettia Bowl has several bowl tie-ins. It has agreements in varying years with both Navy and Army if those teams are bowl eligible. The bowl also has an agreement to take the second place team from the Mountain West Conference. The league also has a deal to invite a team from the Western Athletic Conference in upcoming years.

The past few seasons have included an invite for a lower finishing PAC-10 (now the Pac 12) team if they are eligible, however that has only happened one time when California reached the game last season. Each participant receives a payout of $500,000. That is an amount on part with most minor bowl games. The game is played annually a few days before Christmas and is part of Bowl Week on ESPN.

When the Poinsettia Bowl welcomed Navy in 2005, it was agreed that they would have Navy back in 2008, 2009, or 2010 if the Midshipmen are eligible for a bowl game. Since Navy hasn't played in a game there in 2008 or 2009, they are certain to accept a bid for the 2010 game. There are several ties to the Navy in the San Diego area, making the bowl game a great fit. Similarly, Army has accepted a bid to the 2013 game if they are bowl eligible.

The weather and beauty of the San Diego area make it a very appealing bowl destination. The teams get nearly a week to enjoy the area and take place in the festivities, including media days and a banquet. The winning team is awarded the Poinsettia Bowl Trophy, and one player is awarded the MVP award. Four of the five MVP winners have been quarterbacks. Reggie Campbell won the award for Navy in 2005 as a tailback. We'll have college football betting lines for bowl game MVP, fantasy matchup and much more for the bowl season. Placing a bet on the NFL MVP within our NFL odds is also interesting at this time.

The Poinsettia has been played only five times, with three different teams winning it. Navy won the first game with a 51-30 victory over Colorado State. Since then, TCU and Utah have each won twice in alternating years. Navy appeared in the game a second time in 2007, losing to Utah. In 2008, the game reached a new level when it landed two Top 10 teams in TCU and Boise State. TCU won the game against the unbeaten Broncos 17-16, making it one of the best bowl games of the season. Navy should return to the game for a third time this season. They would play a Mountain West team. If Air Force earns that bid, the Poinsettia Bowl would get a dream game between two of three major military academies in the country.

Check out our pro football game previews as well like the Giants vs Redskins, the Cowboys vs Eagles all of the matchups are ready for each week. We hope you have enjoyed our college football bowl game previews. The Pinstripe Bowl odds which include all of our Pinstripe Bowl betting options will be released in December. Our Pinstripe Bowl lines give you a chance to place a wager on almost any aspect of the game.