Virginia Tech is heading to Annapolis to face Cincinnati in the Military Bowl. The game will be played on Saturday, December 27, and it will be televised by ESPN at 1pm. The bowl will be held in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which seats 34,000 people.
The game is being dubbed the Babcock Bowl, because Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock left Cincinnati for Blacksburg back in February. The Bearcats are coached by Tommy Tuberville, who Babcock hired at Cincinnati. Frank Beamer and Tuberville faced each other in the 2005 Sugar Bowl, which was won 16-13 by the undefeated Auburn Tigers.
The Bearcats went 9-3 this season. They had a three-game losing streak against Ohio State, Memphis and Miami back in late September and early October, but overall they are a good team that won a lot of games this year. They defeated East Carolina, who beat the Hokies, 54-46 in a Thursday night game in November. They earned a share of the AAC Championship thanks to their win over Houston this weekend.
Cincinnati is led by Notre Dame transfer quarterback Gunner Kiel, who put up big numbers this season: 219-of-364 (60.2%) for 3,010 yards, with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. They also averaged 157 yards per game on the ground. Here's a quick look at the Bearcats' efficiency numbers...
FEI Offense: #38
S&P Offense: #26
FEI Defense: #89
S&P Defense: #69
As you can see, Cincinnati has a very efficient offense, but a very questionable defense. We'll have more on this game in the coming days.
Military Bowl official web site