Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Duke
By Ty Duffy
The Combatants: Cincinnati went 9-3, were fun to watch and did not beat anyone of note. Their best win, probably, was beating Syracuse 35-24 at home. Butch Jones left. Tommy Tuberville came straight from the dinner table. Duke went 6-6, earning their first bowl trip since 1994. David Cutcliffe finally had the depth to have his team compete in ACC games for four quarters.
Hype: The Cincinnati Bearcats will be wearing some snazzy helmets. These tickets were in higher demand than the Orange Bowl.
Recreational Prediction: Cincinnati [-9]. Duke relies on a high-volume passing attack. Cincinnati ranked 17th in passer rating against and finished in the Top 30 nationally in both sacks and interceptions per game.
[Photo via USA Today Sports]