Five reasons to watch the Military Bowl

Okay, listen, we get it. Most likely, you think bowl season starts on New Year's Eve. Maybe slightly earlier depending on when your team is playing. But regardless of whether or not you're aware of them, the bowls have already started, and there's plenty of college football action to get you through to the main event around New Year's.

The Temple Owls and Wake Forest Demon Deacons aren’t schools that usually show up for late December, but they earned their way to the Military Bowl this year.

While matchup might not be what you would expect in a college bowl game, here are five reasons to watch the Owls and Wake Forest battle it out in Annapolis.

Military Bowl
Temple (10-3, American Athletic Conference) vs. Wake Forest (6-6, Atlantic Coast Conference)
Location: Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

• Wake Forest quad getting rolled. There are many grand college traditions across the country, but Wake Forest’s might be the most college of them all. After big wins or upsets, students flood the main quad at Hern Plaza and toilet-paper the trees. The tradition dates back to when the school moved from Wake Forest to Winston-Salem, N.C. At the old university, they used to ring a bell for big wins, but when they moved there was no bell to ring that was available to the public. Naturally, they started TP-ing the trees. Wake Forest celebrated its bowl-eligible season by streaming bath tissue all over the trees. You could expect a similar celebration if it actually wins the Military Bowl.
• Wakey Leaks. What is bowl season without a little controversy? Well, in this case, a lot of controversy. It was discovered that radio analyst and former Wake Forest player and coach Tommy Elrod was leaking confidential game plan information to opposing teams beginning in 2014. An investigation was launched after Wake Forest plays were found in the Louisville locker room after the Cardinals trounced the Demon Deacons 44-12. Louisville and Virginia Tech were named as teams that received information from Elrod, who has since been fired from his analyst position and banned from the Wake Forest campus. Aside from the incredible name this scandal has received, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to this news. Do the Deacons fold, or do they rally and shock the college football world with a win?
• Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead. Temple has had a successful season, and it can thank the efforts for its two stud running backs. Thomas was an all-around threat, gaining 1,344 yards from scrimmage and scoring 19 touchdowns. When Thomas needed a break, Armstead took over in the backfield with similar success, rushing for 918 rushing yards on 149 carries, hitting pay dirt 14 times. They will be tested against a Wake Forest defense that has allowed 155.9 rushing yards per game, but this two-headed monster will be the key to Temple’s success.
• Interim head coach Ed Foley. For smaller programs like Temple, success often means turnover for coaching staffs. After building the Owls up from a two-win team to a 10-win team, head coach Matt Rhule is leaving Temple for the vacant Baylor head coach position before the Military Bowl. Associate head coach Ed Foley took over in the interim with a 7-15 record as a head coach. Wake Forest is dealing with its own issues, but so is Temple with the head coaching leaving before the biggest game of the season. Owl fans are anxious to see if Foley can keep them running on all cylinders or if they fall apart.
• Temple defense. Raise your hand if you thought Temple would have a top 10 defense at this time this year. Put your hands down, liars. Temple has only allowed 17.2 points per game in 2016, good for seventh in the nation in scoring defense. Look for the Owls to smother a Wake Forest offense that was only able to generate 19.2 points per game.