There is one more Northwestern football game left to play this season- the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Central Michigan. It’s the second year of this specific branding for the Detroit bowl game, which began its life at the Motor City Bowl in 1997.
It was renamed the Pizza Bowl for 2009-2013 (they shoud have kept this, it’s by far the best name that this bowl has ever had) and then the Quick Lane Bowl 2014-2023.
GameAbove Sports Bowl FYIs
Northwestern Wildcats vs Central Michigan Chippewas
Kickoff: Boxing Day, December 26, noon CST, ESPN
Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Spread: Northwestern football -10.5, -426 on the money line, o/u 43.5
Only Previous Meeting: 2010 Northwestern football won 30-25
So if you have trouble remembering what bowl this is, or where it’s being played, you’re not alone.
Corporations need to realize this, the next time they think about getting egregiously obnoxious again with naming rights.
Northwestern Wildcats Preview
Left tackle Caleb Tiernan and edge rusher Anto Saka, both of which are solid NFL Draft prospects will play. So Northwestern has no major opt-outs or transfer portal exits so far.
Northwestern football coach David Braun has said he hopes to have running backs Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II fully healthy and ready for this game.
That is especially crucial, given how they were down to their fourth string running back (Robby Preckel) in the 20-13 Land of Lincoln Hat trophy loss at Illinois.
Cam Porter saw his college career end, due to injury, in week two.
Komolafe missed the rivaly clash in Champaign while Himon exited early. Elsewhere edge rusher Aidan Hubbard is an injury doubt for this one.
Braun was thrust into leading the Northwestern football program under the most extreme of circumstances. Yet here he is having led the Wildcats to bowl appearances in two of his first three seasons.
He’s fired up for this one!
“In a landscape and a world where there’s teams opting out, there’s individuals opting out, we understand those things happen,” Braun said.
“But here at Northwestern, this is an opportunity that we take really serious. … Playing in a bowl game is a big deal.”
He’s done it by recruiting guys that fit his system well. It’s kind of like what Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum accomplished at Drake, and then brought with him to Iowa City.
“It’s a testament to the relationship we have with our players,” McCollum said to RG.org at Big Ten Media Day.
“They wanted to be a part of our program, they wanted to be with our staff still, and play in our system.”
Central Michigan Chippewas
Led by senior quarterback Joe Labas, 126-of-183 passing, 1,676 yards,12 touchdowns, six interceptions, CMU went 7-5 this season. The Chippewas basically won and lost the games that they should have, en route to a fifth place finish in the MAC. Junior QB Angel Flores also played substantially this season, but only completed just 18 passes.
He’s basically just a runner, as he racked up 519 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs.
Flores got hurt against UMass (given how horiffically awful UMass was this past season, I’m surprised they even had the ability to hurt anybody) and missed the last four games of the season after that.
His status for the bowl game is in doubt, and that’s a huge x-factor. CMU averages 201.6 rushing yards per game (4.4 yards per carry) with him compared to just 102.3 (2.7 ypc) without Flores.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.