While Toledo and Central Michigan are laser-focused on Saturday's match-up, both programs also are harboring some hope that a win could result in a bowl appearance.
The coaches at both the Mid-American Conference schools said the thought of a potential bowl appearance is not at the top of their priorities.
Toledo and Central Michigan, who play at 3 p.m. at Toledo's Glass Bowl, both enter the game with 3-2 records.
“That stuff will all work itself out at the end of the deal,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We'll see on Saturday where it lays.”
The winner of Saturday's regular-season finale will finish in second place in the MAC West Division.
Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain, whose team blasted Toledo 49-7 in the meeting last season, said he is aware that the MAC has tie-ins with several bowls.
“I have no idea,” McElwain said at his weekly press conference of the bowl possibility for his team. “That would be a great question for the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference [Jon Steinbrecher]. They did a great job working on those bowl tie-ins for our league.”
The MAC has tie-ins with seven bowls.
In October, the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee waived all win requirements for bowl eligibility. Due to the uncertain number of games that each team would be able to play because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA is allowing all 127 teams to be eligible to participate in the postseason.
Toledo sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley said he has not talked to his teammates about the prospects of making a bowl appearance.
“I have not looked past today. I can't give an answer about a bowl game,” Bradley said. “We're so locked in on Central Michigan. But that would definitely be the cherry on top. Unfortunately, we wish we could be in that MAC championship game. But that's life. We have to keep going. We have to keep trying to be our best.”
Traditionally, only teams that win six or more games are bowl eligible — though exceptions have been made to that rule as well.
There were a total of 39 bowl games originally scheduled to be played this postseason, but several have already been canceled.
The website collegefootballnews.com is projecting that Toledo could earn a spot in the Camellia Bowl on Christmas Day with a win on Saturday. The bowl, which will be held in Montgomery, Ala. on Dec. 25, has tie-ins with the MAC and Sun Belt conferences. Toledo would play against Georgia Southern, according to the website.
“I don't know where all of that is at,” Candle said. “I can't get 10 feet from what's in front of my face on what is going on. I have to just stay right here and stay in the moment. We have to keep going to meet the challenges that we face every day.”
The website yahoo.com predicts that Central Michigan will play Fresno State in the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 31.
Toledo junior wide receiver Isaiah Winstead agreed that the team is focused on the Chippewas.
“We'd love to play in a bowl game to get another chance to showcase our abilities and just play football. But we don't talk about it too much,” Winstead said. “We are focused on one game at a time. In order to get to a bowl game, we'd have to get through this last game anyway. We are worried about this game. And if coach tells us we're playing in a bowl game, we'd be ready for that, too.”
Eleven bowl games have already been canceled due to the pandemic, including two with MAC ties (Bahamas Bowl and Quick Lane Bowl). On Thursday, the Boston College program (6-5) announced it was opting out of playing in a bowl game this postseason.
“They kind of keep dropping them bit by bit,” McElwain said. “Some of the ones that are out there … it's an open field.”
The coronavirus created a season of uncertainty with positive tests leading to cancellations and postponements. In September it looked as though no season would be played at all.
“When this started, we all begged to play,” Candle said. “We wanted to go out and compete and be together and work together. Now we got this opportunity and it's coming to the end of the road. My gosh, if you go back to spring practice … there wasn't anything going on football-wise. With all the things going on in the world, let alone our football team, it brought this team close together and made a very strong bond. We weren't going to allow the virus to derail our opportunities to be together. And that took a strong commitment from the players. Now we are here at the finish line and we want to finish it off the right way.”
Last season, Toledo posted a 6-6 record, but the Rockets did not receive a bowl bid. Toledo was 6-3 before losing its final three games of the season. The Rockets were the only bowl-eligible team not to receive a bowl invite.
RUSH ATTACK: Toledo enters Saturday with the eighth-ranked rushing offense in the MAC. The Rockets are averaging 176.6 yards per game on the ground. Buffalo leads the MAC with 324.5 rushing yards per game, and Central Michigan is third (222.4).
“It would be awesome to get the running game going a little bit,” Candle acknowledged.
Toledo junior running back Bryant Koback ranks ninth in the conference in rushing. Koback, a Springfield graduate, has rushed for 399 yards on 99 carries (4.0 per tote) with four touchdowns. He is averaging 79.8 rushing yards per game.
“I still think Koback has a big game in him. I'm still waiting for that,” Candle said.
The Rockets have endured injuries along the offensive line, but Candle would not use that as an excuse.
“We've had guys banged up. But I'm not going to say we aren't playing well on the offensive line because our running game is not going well,” he said.
Instead, the UT coach said the Rockets' last two opponents have stacked the box, forcing his team to throw the ball. Bradley, who stepped into the starter's role last Saturday for the injured Eli Peters, threw for a career-high 432 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rockets to a 41-24 victory at Northern Illinois.
“We've had two weeks in a row now where we've thrown for over 400 yards because the defense consistently lines up in an eight-man front,” Candle said. “Pounding the football into eight, nine guys at the line of scrimmage is the definition of stupidity. So if they are going to give you those throws … We had a back-up quarterback in and credit Northern. They stacked the box and were going to make us throw it to beat them. Credit Carter for being able to hit those throws.”
The Toledo passing attack leads the MAC with 1,690 passing yards (338.0 per game) and 15 touchdowns. Central Michigan has the worst pass defense in the league, allowing 303.6 passing yards per game. Peters ranks fifth in the MAC in passing yardage per game (276.5), while Bradley ranks seventh (228.8).
“If I could give you a blueprint and script it, yes, we want to be as balanced as we can,” Candle said. “We'd like to be a run-heavy team. That sets the table for everything else. That allows the offense to get in the rhythm a little bit.”
The Rockets rank second in the conference in total offense and first downs.
On the other side of the ball, Toledo leads the MAC in total defense (362.2 yards per game) and is third in scoring defense (24.6 points against per game).
Toledo leads the conference in five categories: rush defense, passing offense, total defense, third-down conversions, and time of possession.
First Published December 11, 2020, 10:34 p.m.
