College football bowl season—what should normally be the most wonderful time of the year is overshadowed by a cloud of pandemic-induced cancellations, teams like Army Black Knights being left out so 2-8 South Carolina can fulfill the SEC’s bowl contracts, and continued charity toward Iowa State for...beating Texas, I guess?

Regardless, the first bowl game of the season kicks off in a little over an hour. We’ve got what to expect—along with the day’s sporting elsewhere!—below.

Make your College Bowl Pick’em selections in the time remaining, if you want a shot at full credit, whatever corporate prize is promised, and an early subscription to another email list:

Onto the game, along with other sports viewing.

What’s on today?

Football: Myrtle Beach Bowl

Appalachian St. Mountaineers (8-3) vs. North Texas Mean Green (4-5)

Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC (Coastal Carolina)
1:30pm | ESPN | App -21 | O/U 67

No, you don’t need to adjust your TV, that’s just a teal field. Don’t act like this is weird.

Names to Know:

• Zac Thomas (QB, App State)
• Camerun Peoples (RB, App State)
• Jaelon Darden (WR, UNT)

Darden grabbed four touchdown receptions in the Mean Green’s curtain-dropper at UTEP...to bring him to a total of nineteen on the year. Unfortunately, the quarterback who threw those TDs, Austin Aune, will miss the Myrtle Beach Bowl. In steps Jason Bean, the lanky passer who, in his best showing of the year, threw for 2 scores and added three more on the ground in an October romp over Middle Tennessee State.

The problem? Appalachian State is not Middle Tennessee State.

Hell, they’re not even a “throw-away bowl” mid-major this year—the Mountaineers, led by QB Thomas and anchored by sack master Demetrius Taylor, weigh in at 26th in S&P+, 27th in F+, and 28th in FEI. The Mean Green, by comparison? 106th, 117th, 121st.

And Army sits at home.

beez, when reached for comment: “Why?”

Or: “If ever you needed a game to highlight the absurdity of playing bowl games in 2020, this is a good starting point. Oh and by the by, the Sun Belt didn’t have a champion this year. Why? It got canceled for COVID.”

I know nothing about the game. I found out at about 10:00 that they played today. The defense is really good. The offense is about to get the coordinator fired.

App is a way way way better team than “first bowl game out of the gate,” though.

NFL: Bad Football!

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-10-1)

7:15pm | ESPN | Pit -14 | O/U 40.5

Shootyhoops

VMI Keydets at George Mason Patriots

12pm | ESPN+ | GMU -8.5 | O/U 141.5

Or you could read this article about how a VMI cadet threatened with lynching during a “Rat Week” hazing was expelled for [/waves hands] reasons.

Bryant Bulldogs at Massachusetts Minutemen

3pm | ESPN+ | Mass -9.5 | O/U 163.5

Saint Joseph’s Hawks at #10 Tennessee

5pm | SECN | Tenn -22 | O/U 146.5

Belmont Bruins at Evansville Purple Aces

6pm | ESPN+ | Bel -9.5 | O/U 137.5

Tulsa at Memphis

7pm | ESPN2 | Mem -9.5 | O/U 137.5

Murray State Racers at Austin Peay Governors

8pm | ESPNU | Murray -3 | O/U 144

Here’s your open thread for the day’s games. Enjoy!