Click here to read the 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Weekly Release – Week 8 – October 20 (PDF)
PASSPORT STAMPED (BOWL-ELIGIBLE TEAMS): C-USA (1): North Texas (6-1); MAC (1): Buffalo (6-1). AT CUSTOMS (ONE VICTORY SHY): C-USA (1): UAB (5-1); MAC (1): Western Michigan (5-2).
WEEK 8 PREVIEW: East Division rivals Florida Atlantic and Marshall will open the seven-game Conference USA schedule Saturday. Charlotte will make the short trip to Middle Tennessee in another East Division matchup. UTEP returns from its bye week with a trip to Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss will host UTSA. The third and final East Division game this week has WKU welcoming Old Dominion. Rice goes to FIU in the lone cross-division contest. North Texas and UAB meet in Birmingham .
In the MAC, Week 8 features five league contests and one non-conference game. A key crossover game features Buffalo at Toledo. In non-conference play Miami will travel to Army. The MAC has seven FBS wins this year. The 90th meeting between Central Michigan and Western Michigan will showcase the “Battle of the Victory Cannon”. Another rivalry is the 61st meeting between Akron and Kent State, the Zips and Golden Flashes will play for the “Wagon Wheel Trophy”.
IN THE POLLS: Buffalo (6-1, 3-0 MAC), North Texas (6-1, 2-1 C-USA) and UAB (5-1 overall, 2-0 C-USA) are all receiving votes in the Amway Coaches Poll.
SMITH NAMED HONORARY AMBASSADOR: Ed Smith, who was a college All-American, the first native Bahamian drafted by an NFL club and played two seasons for the Denver Broncos (1973-74), will serve as the 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Honorary Ambassador. A native of Nassau, Smith went to school at St. Augustine’s College and moved to the US in 1965. He became a three-year starter at defensive end at Colorado College, and he was selected by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as a 1972 College Division I Kodak All-America. Smith was selected in the 13th round (No. 319 overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Broncos. The 6-5, 241-pound defensive end played in five games as a rookie. In 1974, Smith saw action in 13 games with three starts as he played on the defense alongside a pair of future Broncos Ring of Honor members in Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson with Lyle Alzado, who would all be cornerstones of the Broncos late-1970s famed Orange Crush units.
WEEK 8 SCHEDULE
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Oct. 20
* Florida Atlantic at Marshall (CBSSN/FB)
* Charlotte at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
* UTEP at Louisiana Tech (ESPN)
* UTSA at Southern Miss (ESPN+)
* Rice at FIU (ESPN+)
* North Texas at UAB (beIN)
* Old Dominion at WKU (ESPN+)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 20
* Buffalo at Toledo (ESPN+)
Miami at Army (CBSSN)
* Bowling Green at Ohio (ESPN3)
* Eastern Michigan at Ball State (ESPN+)
* Western Michigan at Central Michigan (ESPN+)
* Akron at Kent State (ESPN+)
* – conference games
WEEK 7 RESULTS
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Oct. 13
* UAB 42, Rice 0
* North Texas 30, Southern Miss 7
* Louisiana Tech 31, UTSA 3
* Marshall 42, Old Dominion 20
* FIU 24, Middle Tennessee 21
* Charlotte 40, WKU 14
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 13
* Buffalo 24, Akron 6
* Eastern Michigan 28, Toledo 26
* Miami 31, Kent State 6
* Ball State 24, Central Michigan 23
* Western Michigan 42, Bowling Green 35
* Northern Illinois 24, Ohio 21
* – conference games
WEEK 7 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
CONFERENCE USA
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Marshall RB Tyler King: The sophomore rushed 22 times for 195 yards and two TDs in a 42-20 victory over Old Dominion.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
UAB WR Xavier Ubosi: The senior had four receptions for 196 yards and two TDs in a 42-0 victory over Rice.
Defensive Player of the Week
Charlotte LB Juwan Foggie: The senior had two interceptions, eight tackles and a sack in a 40-14 victory over WKU.
Special Teams Player of the Week
FIU K Jose Borregales: The sophomore made three field goals and a pair of PATs in a 24-21 victory over Middle Tennessee.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Miami RB Kenny Young: The senior had 137 scrimmage yards and a TD in a 31-6 victory over Kent State.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Buffalo LB Khalil Hodge: The senior had 12 tackles (1.5 for loss) and a quarterback hurry in a 24-6 victory over Akron.
East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Ohio P Michael Farkas: The junior averaged 39.8 yards on five punts in a loss to Northern Illinois.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Western Michigan RB Jamauri Bogan: The senior scored four TDs on 15 carries in a 42-35 victory over Bowling Green.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Northern Illinois LB Sutton Smith: The junior had five tackles, two sacks and fumble recovery in a 24-21 victory over Ohio.
West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Ball State K Morgan Hagee: The senior made a game-winning 36-yard FG in a 24-23 victory over Central Michigan.
WELCOME MAKERS WANTED
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, using its business slogan – Makers Wanted – was announced July 31 as the title sponsor of the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.
The tagline Makers Wanted is Elk Grove Village’s slogan and serves a call-to-action for a thriving community and the thousands of businesses based there. It is home to the largest contiguous industrial park in the United States, featuring six square miles and 62 million square feet of inventory. Over 5,614 businesses, including 300 manufacturers specializing in metal, plastic, rubber and food manufacturing, call Elk Grove Village their home. It is also a top national destination for data centers in the U.S. with two million square feet.
For more information, visit www.makerswanted.org.
C-USA VS. MAC
The 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl will be contested between Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference for the fifth-straight year. C-USA won the 2018 season series over the MAC 2-0.
Sept. 1
Marshall (C-USA) 35, Miami (MAC) 28
Sept. 22
WKU (C-USA) 28, Ball State (MAC) 20
The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl is tied 2-2 all time between C-USA and the MAC.
2014
WKU (C-USA) 49, Central Michigan (MAC) 48
2015
Western Michigan (MAC) 45, Middle Tennessee (C-USA) 31
2016
Old Dominion (C-USA) 24, Eastern Michigan (MAC) 20
2017
Ohio (MAC) 41, UAB (C-USA) 6
“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES
A list of C-USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC).
Team (Conference) – Opponent: Score
Sept. 8
Eastern Michigan (MAC) – Purdue (Big Ten): 20-19
Sept. 15
Akron (MAC) – Northwestern (Big Ten): 39-34
North Texas (C-USA) – Arkansas (SEC): 44-17
Sept. 22
Buffalo (MAC) – Rutgers (Big Ten): 42-13
Old Dominion (C-USA) – Virginia Tech (ACC): 49-35
MAKERS WANTED BAHAMAS BOWL PARTICIPANT SELECTION
The highest-ranked conference champion by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West or Sun Belt will play annually in one of the College Football Playoff bowls (PlayStation Fiesta Bowl or Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the 2018 season) if it is not selected for the Playoff Semifinals.
Conference USA has secured guaranteed commitments with six bowl partners for the 2018 season, as well as two secondary agreements: The Makers Wanted Bahamas, Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton, Gildan New Mexico, Hawai’i, R+L Carriers New Orleans and either the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla or the SERVPRO First Responder Bowls are primary agreements. The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., is a secondary agreement (should the ACC or SEC not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team), as is the DXL Frisco Bowl. There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners.
The MAC has 2018 primary bowl tie-ins with Makers Wanted Bahamas, Dollar General, DXL Frisco, Famous Idaho Potato, and Raycom Media Camellia Bowls. The MAC has secondary 2018 bowl agreements with the Quick Lane Bowl (should the ACC or Big Ten not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team) and other ESPN owned-and-operated bowl games.
The 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl participants – selected from among bowl-eligible teams in Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference – will be announced by the bowl, ESPN Events and conference partners once finalized.
SATURDAYS TO SUNDAYS
A total of 13 former student-athletes who played in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl have played for NFL clubs in 2018.
S Kevin Byard – Tennessee (Middle Tennessee)
WR Corey Davis – Tennessee (Western Michigan)
S Kavon Frazier – Dallas (Central Michigan)
TE Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams (WKU)
WR Richie James – San Francisco (Middle Tennessee)
G Taylor Moton – Carolina (Western Michigan)
T Chukwuma Okorafor – Pittsburgh (Western Michigan)*
CB Darius Phillips – Cincinnati (Western Michigan)*
QB Cooper Rush – Dallas (Central Michigan)
WR Taywan Taylor – Tennessee (WKU)
DE Leterrius Walton – Pittsburgh (Central Michigan)
CB Darious Williams – Baltimore (UAB)*
T Andrew Wylie – Kansas City (Eastern Michigan)*
* – made NFL debut in 2018
MAKERS WANTED BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: Predicted Matchup
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Oct. 17: Florida Atlantic vs. Akron
10th Year Seniors (John Marc Nutt) – Oct. 17: Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Oct. 17: Florida Atlantic vs. Ohio
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Oct. 16: Florida Atlantic vs. Toledo
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller) – Oct. 16: FIU vs. Ohio
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – Oct. 16: FIU vs. Buffalo
Sports Illustrated (Eric Single) – Oct. 15: Florida Atlantic vs. Western Michigan
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Oct. 14: Middle Tennessee vs. Northern Illinois
ESPN.com (Kyle Bonagura) – Oct. 14: FIU vs. Eastern Michigan
ESPN.com (Mitch Sherman) – Oct. 14: Marshall vs. Toledo
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Oct. 14: FIU vs. Eastern Michigan
CollegeFootballNews.com (Staff) – Oct. 14: Marshall vs. Buffalo
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Oct. 14: Florida Atlantic vs. Northern Illinois
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Oct. 13: Marshall vs. Toledo
The Athletic (Stuart Mandel) – Aug. 23: Southern Miss vs. Buffalo
ESPN EVENTS
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program
Collegiate Football
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); DXL Frisco Bowl (Texas); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta)
Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); Charleston Classic (South Carolina); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (South Bend, Ind.); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)
Collegiate Softball
St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.)
