PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Is it a bowl game or a boring game?
ESPN.com ranks Miami’s upcoming game against Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl as the fifth-least entertaining bowl game of the season.
Here’s how ESPN reporter David M. Hale describes the matchup:
“The thing about the day after Christmas is that it’s always so depressing. People are returning all the junk they didn’t want. You feel bloated from all the overeating. There’s discarded wrapping paper and batteries everywhere. The magic of the holiday season is over. And that’s how it has felt to watch Miami all season, so this should fit right into your schedule.”
The only games that rank worst on the list -- Liberty vs. Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl, Utah State vs. Kent State in the Frisco Bowl, Ohio vs. Nevada in the Potato Bowl and Wyoming vs. Georgia Southern in the Arizona Bowl.
There are a total of 40 bowl games this season, excluding the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Miami's game in Shreveport, Louisiana, will be played Dec. 26.
Boring or not, the Hurricanes (6-6) will need a win to avoid their first losing season since 2014. That’s probably not the way head coach Manny Diaz envisioned his first season -- or the destination.
Recent history hasn’t been kind to the Hurricanes come bowl season. Miami has lost eight of its last nine bowl games.
Here’s some good news for Miami fans, though. The Hurricanes are 4-0 all-time against Louisiana Tech.