TODAY’S BOWL GAMES AT A GLANCE

CELEBRATION BOWL

Who: Alcorn State (9-3, 6-1) vs. North Carolina A&T (9-2, 6-1).

Kickoff: Noon

TV: ABC.

Line: North Carolina A&T by 7 1/2.

Series record: Tied 1-1.

What’s at stake: North Carolina A&T is playing for its seventh Historically Black Colleges and Universities national title and third in four years. Alcorn State is looking for its sixth national title and first since 2014.

Key matchup: Alcorn State QB Noah Johnson vs. North Carolina A&T defense. Johnson is the SWAC offensive player of the year after throwing for 2,079 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushing for 960 yards and nine TDs. The Aggies are second in the Football Championship Subdivision in total defense and have been one of the top units in the nation over the past seven years.

Players to watch: Alcorn State — DB Javen Morrison leads Alcorn in interceptions for the third consecutive year. He has 10 on his career with four this season, including one in the SWAC championship game. North Carolina A&T — RB Marquell Cartwright is a 1,000-yard rusher who has provided consistency to an offense run by injury-plagued QB Lamar Raynard.

CURE BOWL

Who: Tulane (6-6) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6).

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m.

TV: CBSSN.

Line: Tulane by 3 1/2.

Series Record: Tulane leads 22-6.

What’s at stake: Tulane won four of five down the stretch to become bowl eligible and is looking for its first postseason win since 2002. Louisiana-Lafayette is completing its first year under coach Billy Napier. A win would give the Sun Belt Conference runnersup their first winning season since going 7-4 in 2014.

Key matchup: Green Wave RBs Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine against a Louisiana defense that allowed 225 yards rushing during an 11-point loss to Appalachian State in the Sun Belt championship game. Bradwell is 16 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season, and Dauphine is closing in on 800. They’ve teamed to score 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Players to watch: Tulane — Graduate transfer QB Justin McMillan is 4-1 since becoming starter, throwing for 1,159 yards and accounting for 13 TDs — nine passing, four rushing — vs. three interceptions. WR Darnell Mooney has eight TD receptions and needs 13 yards receiving to reach 1,000. Louisiana — Ragin’ Cajuns have a nice one-two rushing punch themselves in RBs Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell. Ragas has seven 100-yard games and averaged nearly six yards per carry while gaining 1,141 yards and scoring eight TDs rushing this season. Mitchell needs 41 yards to give the team a pair of 1,000-yard runners and has 12 TDs rushing and three more receiving.

NEW MEXICO BOWL

Who: North Texas (9-3) vs. Utah State (10-2).

Kickoff: 2 p.m.

TV: ESPN.

Line: Utah State by 71/2.

Series record: Utah State leads 4-3.

What’s at stake: Utah State is making its seventh postseason appearance in eight years but hasn’t won a bowl game since its 21-6 victory over UTEP in the 2014 New Mexico Bowl. The Aggies’ 10-1 start this season was the best in school history. However, Utah State enters the New Mexico Bowl with an interim coach and an ad hoc of graduate assistant coordinators after head coach Matt Wells left to take a job with Texas Tech. Meanwhile, North Texas head coach Seth Littrell announced last week he was staying with the Mean Green and put down rumors he would take a coaching job at Kansas State. The Mean Green are 23-16 under Littrell but are 0-2 in bowl games. This year marks the second time North Texas has won nine games in back-to-back seasons.

Key matchup: Utah State and North Texas both have offenses that can score a lot of points in a hurry. The Aggies set a school record this year with 72 touchdowns and 566 total points. Utah State’s average margin of victory is 24.2 points, the third-highest in the country behind Alabama and Clemson. North Texas is ranked 21st in the nation in average points per game with 36.4. The Mean Green have scored 40 point six times this season and are set to break their school record with 316.2 passing yards per game.

Players to watch: Utah State — Sophomore quarterback Jordan Love has passed for 3,208 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Savon Scarver leads the nation in kickoff returns with 34.2 yards per return and is tied for second nationally with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. North Texas — Junior quarterback Mason Fine is eighth in the FBS averaging 311.2 passing yards per game and ranks eighth nationally in total passing yards with 3,734. Fine’s favorite weapon is junior wide receiver Rico Bussey Jr., who leads the Mean Green with 68 catches. Bussey has 1,017 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.

LAS VEGAS BOWL

Who: Arizona State (7-5) vs. No. 19 Fresno State (11-2).

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m.

TV: ABC.

Line: Fresno State by 5.

Series record: Arizona State leads 3-0.

What’s at stake: The Mountain West Conference champion Bulldogs look to set a school record for wins in a season by knocking off their second Pac-12 opponent in 2018. Having already won at least 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1988-89, a bowl victory would all but assure Fresno State ends the season ranked for the third time in school history. The Sun Devils will try to cap off coach Herm Edwards’ first season with a bowl victory, which would mark the first time Arizona State has defeated Southern California, UCLA and rival Arizona and won its bowl game all in the same season. Upsetting the Bulldogs would also position the young Sun Devils as intriguing contenders in the muddled Pac-12 South going into 2019.

Key matchup: Arizona State RB Eno Benjamin vs. Fresno State’s run defense. Benjamin has rushed for 1,524 yards as a sophomore and needs 42 yards to set the school single-season record. Averaging 28 carries for 154.2 yards rushing over the final five games, Benjamin showed he could be the Sun Devils’ workhorse. However, he will have to contend with a stout Bulldogs front that has allowed 3.6 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns, tied for the fewest in the FBS.

Players to watch: Arizona State — QB Manny Wilkins has accomplished plenty for the Sun Devils, but a bowl win has eluded him. Wilkins rushed for 14 yards in a Cactus Bowl loss to West Virginia as a redshirt freshman and threw for 352 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions with a rushing touchdown in the Sun Bowl defeat to North Carolina State last season. The redshirt senior will be playing without his top target after junior wide receiver N’Keal Harry declared for the NFL draft in November. Fresno State — DE Mykal Walker was the most disruptive force for the Bulldogs, leading the team with 131/2 tackles for loss and 41/2 sacks .Walker was at his best in the Mountain West championship game against Boise State with a career-high 12 tackles, including 21/2 tackles for loss, to help Fresno State to its first conference title since 2013.

CAMELLIA BOWL

Who: Georgia Southern (9-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5).

Kickoff: 5:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN.

Line: Georgia Southern by 2.

Series record: First meeting.

What’s at stake: Georgia Southern is seeking its first 10-win season at the FBS level, though the program managed it 14 times as an FCS power. Eastern Michigan is trying to pick up the second bowl win in program history.

Key matchup: Georgia Southern’s running game vs. Eastern Michigan’s defense. Led by RB Wesley Fields (959 yards) and QB Shai Werts (829 yards), Georgia Southern is averaging 260.8 yards a game on the ground with 33 touchdowns. Eastern Michigan has been giving up 192.9 yards rushing on average while allowing 17 touchdowns.

Players to watch: Georgia Southern — Werts has passed for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. He’s also second on the team with 829 yards, including 13 scores. Eastern Michigan — DL Maxx Crosby is an All-Mid-American Conference performer with 62 tackles. He has 181/2 tackles for loss, 71/2 sacks and four forced fumbles.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Who: Middle Tennessee (8-5) vs. Appalachian St. (10-2).

Kickoff: 9 p.m.

TV: ESPN.

Line: Appalachian State by 61/2.

Series record: Middle Tennessee leads 2-1.

What’s at stake: Appalachian State is representing the Sun Belt Conference as league champion and interim coach Mark Ivey, a former Mountaineer player, is getting perhaps his only shot to coach his alma mater after taking over when Scott Satterfield left for Louisville. Appalachian State has announced its next permanent coach will be North Carolina State offensive coordinator Eli Drinikwitz. Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill is playing his final game under his father, head coach Rick Stockstill. The Blue Raiders QB says he wants to celebrate one more triumph with his father and finish on a winning note after losing the Conference USA title game.

Key matchup: Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill against an Appalachian State defense that has kept opponent scoring low all season. Stockstill is the Blue Raiders’ all-time leader in touchdown passes with 105 and has completed 70 percent of his passes this season. App State is allowing just 15.7 points and 279.3 yards per game, including just 148.1 yards passing per game.

Players to watch: Middle Tennessee — DB Wesley Bush has intercepted a six passes this season and returned two for touchdowns, and his 147 return yards are the third most in Blue Raider history. Appalachian State — QB Zac Thomas was the Sun Belt’s offensive player of the year. He passed for 1,862 yards and 18 TDs while throwing just four interceptions. He also rushed for 476 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Associated Press