What college football bowl games are today? Hawaii Bowl Christmas Eve

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College football’s lineup tends to be shuffled year to year as games are arranged and reconfigured based on how the calendar happens to fall. However, one destination has been fairly constant on or around December 24th. The pandemic interrupted this holiday tradition on the islands for a few years, but thankfully it’s back on the postseason schedule.

It’s the lone contest on Tuesday’s college football, and hopefully it will provide some evening entertainment beyond visions of sugar plums and all the other festive expectations. Here’s a quick look at the participating teams representing both coasts of the mainland.

Time/TV/Place: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, Honolulu.

Why watch: There are worse ways to spend the holidays than a trip to Hawaii. The Bulls couldn’t keep up with the top players in the American Athletic, but won enough games to earn that bid, while the Spartans and coach Ken Niumatalolo have both established new identities. South Florida QB Bryce Archie had an up-and-down season after filling in for injured starter Byrum Brown, but he’ll need to be sharp to keep up with SJSU’s prolific air attack. WR Nick Nash, who led the nation in receiving for much of the campaign, will not participate, but secondary target Justin Lockhart should be available for QB Walker Eget.

Why it might disappoint: We should learn from the Bulls’ first few possessions if they are going to be able to move the ball consistently enough to keep pace with the Spartans. At least there will be some warm weather photos to help you forget it’s colder where you are.

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