3 things to know for the Miami Beach Bowl

Need a brief primer before you attempt to watch all 40 bowl games this season? We’ve got you covered. Here are three things you need to know about the Miami Beach Bowl.

MIAMI BEACH BOWL
Central Michigan (6-6) vs. Tulsa (9-3)
Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m. ET
ESPN

— Central Michigan struggled to score in its final five games – just 21.2 points per game – but its passing game is one of the best in the country, averaging 276.4 yards per game. That should be a big advantage against a Tulsa passing defense that is allowing 248.3 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane have allowed 16 passing touchdowns this season, including four in its regular season finale against Cincinnati.

— As mentioned above, Central Michigan struggled to score late in the season and that’s going to be a problem against a Tulsa team that ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense with 41.4 points per game. The Golden Hurricane scored at least 40 points in five of its final six games. Luckily for Central Michigan, its defense has kept it in most games this season and the Chippewas suffered just one blowout to Western Michigan. But considering Central Michigan hasn’t scored more than 28 points in any of its last seven games, keeping Tulsa under 30 will be the challenge.

— Tulsa has long been known as a passing offense, but its rushing offense has been its strength in 2016. The Golden Hurricane rank eighth nationally averaging 261.8 yards per game. Running back James Flanders led the AAC with 1,529 yards and was second in rushing touchdowns with 17. His partner in the backfield, D’Angelo Brewer, had 1,320 yards and seven touchdowns. The Chippewas defense allowed 161.3 yards per game on the ground this season and have allowed 14 rushing touchdowns this season, including at least one in each of the last four games.

Mascot fight prediction: This is a weird mascot fight because it’s a person against a natural disaster. A hurricane, even a golden one, is a pretty scary prospect and it’s hard not to pick it against a Native American warrior, no matter how valiant he may be.

Real predictions:
Graham Watson: Tulsa 42, Central Michigan 31
Nick Bromberg: Tulsa 37, Central Michigan 34
Sam Cooper: Tulsa 38, Central Michigan 31
Chris Herbert: Tulsa 45, Central Michigan 28

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday