Bowl game predictions for all 41 bowls and College Football Playoff
Bahamas Bowl
Ohio vs. UAB
Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Date: Friday, Dec. 22
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Ohio (8-4) was looking like the team that would represent the MAC East in the conference title game against Toledo, but the Bobcats melted down in the final two games of the year. They traveled to Akron and lost by a field goal and then lost by a touchdown at Buffalo to end the year. Can the Bobcats rebound for a Bahamas Bowl win?
One of the best feel-good stories of the 2017 season, UAB (8-4) went from not having a football program to making a bowl game. The Blazers, led by surprising junior quarterback A.J. Erdely, won four of their final five games and went 6-2 in C-USA play. They don’t have a remarkable offense nor top-notch defense, but they wore teams down late in the year.
It’s going to be a relatively low-scoring affair in the Bahamas. The Blazers get rewarded for reaching their first bowl since the reinstatement of the program with a trip to paradise and Ohio gets a chance to win a ninth game. Ohio’s offense will be just too much for UAB to handle as this one goes down to the wire but a late Nathan Rourke touchdown pass seals it.