Participating in the postseason for the 10th straight year, the Boise St. Broncos find themselves locked up against the Arizona St. Sun Devils in the 20th annual Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Sin City.
Already 1-0 in this particular bowl, the Broncos had hoped for a better placement in the postseason seeing as how they finished with a record of 11-1, are ranked eighth in the AP poll and seventh in the BCS standings, but once again Boise State had to bow to the powers that be and accept an invitation to a game that doesn't truly reflect their accomplishments on the field in 2011.
Over on the other side, a team like the Sun Devils has to be happy just to be asked to participate in the postseason, given what has gone on in Tempe during the course of this season.
Arizona State appeared to be well on its way to making a big splash during 2011, winning six of the first eight games on the schedule, but then the bottom fell out and the squad limped to a mediocre 6-6 finish following four consecutive defeats to Pac-12 Conference opponents. Playing in their 25th bowl game since 1940 and sporting a record of 12-11-1 after losing the most recent postseason outing, 52-34 to Texas in the 2007 Holiday Bowl, the Sun Devils are trying to close out the campaign on a positive note and send head coach Dennis Erickson, who was fired at the end of November, out with one last victory.
Game date, time: 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, December 22nd
Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: ESPN
Odds: Boise St. favored by 11.5
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