Godaddy.com Bowl

Sun Belt takes on the MAC

Formally known as the GMAC Bowl, the 13th annual GoDaddy.com Bowl is set to take place January 8, 2012 at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The final college bowl game of the season prior to January 9th BCS National Championship Game, the game features an intriguing matchup between Sun Belt Champion Arkansas State Red Wolves and the MAC Champion Northern Illinois Huskies. While the two teams may not be among the more well known in the country, it is a matchup that pit's the high scoring offense of the Huskies against one of the best defensive teams in the country with the Red Wolves.

The Northern Illinois Huskies are coming off a huge come from behind victory in the MAC Championship Game. Down 20-0 at halftime, the Huskies scored 23 unanswered points on the Ohio Bobcats, culminating in a 33-yard game winning field goal in the final seconds. The Huskies went 7-1 in the MAC, with only a shootout loss to Central Michigan spoiling a perfect conference record. Overall, the Huskies finished 10-3, losing a close game to a (fairly unimpressive) Kansas squad, as well as a 49-7 drubbing at the hands of then #7 Wisconsin team. The Huskies come into the GoDaddy.com bowl winners of eight straight, and featuring the #13 offense in the country. With that said, they are recognized as one of the worst defensive teams in the country (ranked #90 in points allowed).

The Arkansas State Red Wolves come into the GoDaddy.com Bowl as the winners of nine-straight games, including an undefeated conference schedule. The Wolves went 2-2 in out of conference matches, winning games against Memphis and Central Arkansas, and losing to Illinois and then #13 Virginia Tech. Offensively the team is led by quarterback Ryan Aplin, who passed for over 3,000 yards this season and led the Red Wolves to the #19 passing ranking in the country. In addition, the team is currently ranked #15 in points against per game, giving up an average of less than 20 per game.

In a way, the matchup is going to come down to whether the Huskies offense or the Red Wolves can prevail. The Huskies can put 40, 50 or even 60 points on the board, which means that they can run away with a game if the Red Wolves aren't able to stop quarterback Chandler Harnish. What makes Harnish so dangerous is the fact that he is able to both run and pass the bowl. In fact, while his passing yards are fairly middle of the road, he leads the team in both rushing yards and touchdowns.

If it comes down to a shootout, Alpin could have a big passing day. The Red Wolves try to have a balanced offense and defense, meaning that while they can score some points if needed, they try to shut the opposing offense down. The Huskies, on the other hand, in the great tradition of other MAC schools, will put up big numbers on offense, while making defense an afterthought. The 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl has the look of a shootout.

Godaddy.com Bowl formerly known as the GMAC Bowl Overview

Each year, the most successful college football teams in the country are awarded by being invited to play in one of various college bowl games. These bowl games are full of tradition and often come with very exciting matchups. One of the most competitive bowl games each year is the GMAC Bowl, which is played each year at Land Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL. Historically, the GMAC bowl was played around Christmas, however in recent years the game has gained notoriety for being the last game played prior to the BCS National Championship Game.

Of all bowls with Division 1 football tie-ins, the GMAC Bowl is one of the newest. The GMAC Bowl was first established in 1999, however for the first two years, the game was known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl. It wasn't until 2001 that it received full sponsorship from GMAC Financial Services, which was formerly part of General Motors.

Thanks to the pass-first offensive strategies used by teams in Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference, the GMAC Bowl has frequently seen many high scoring games with much offensive prowess. In fact, in 2001 the Marshall Thundering Herd and the East Carolina Pirates put together one of the highest scoring Bowl games of all time when they scored a combined 125 points. That game took 2 overtime periods to complete as Marshall eventually outlasted East Carolina and won by a score of 64 to 61. In this game, future NFL Quarterback led Marshall back from a 38 to 8 deficit while throwing for 567 yards.

Marshall went on the following year to win the GMAC Bowl again. This time they beat Louisville by a score of 38 to 15. Marshall, who is 2 and 0 in GMAC Bowls, is tied with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Tulsa Golden Hurricanes for most GMAC victories. East Carolina and Louisville, on the other hand, have the worst overall GMAC Bowl record with a record of 0 wins and 2 losses.

While the game is not played between traditional college football powerhouses, the game has featured many great players. In the game's 11 year history several future NFL players, including Byron Leftwich, have won the game's MVP trophy. These players include current Oakland Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski, former, NFL MVP Ladanian Tomlinson and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In the sportsbook as part of our college football betting lines for the bowl season, you'll be able to place wager on the MVP awards along with individual player performances as well. This is also an opportune time to place your wager on the NFL MVP as well.

Beyond playing in front of a live national TV audience, teams that play in the bowl game are each awarded a payout of $750,000. There is also much fund raising and charity events that surround the game as well.

The GMAC Bowl or Godaddy.com game preview, the GMAC Bowl Odds and many GMAC Bowl betting options are posted when the final game of the regular NCAA Football season is completed and college football teams from different divisions are granted their bowl berths.