Could Miami and USC be headed to the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl? That's one possibility
The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl likes to grab national big names when it has the opportunity, and Sunday they could end up with two of those in Miami and USC.
That's one possible matchup of many in a muddled bowl picture that still doesn't have much clarity and it's one the Sun Bowl, which is on Dec. 29 this year, would cherish.
"I don't think we could ask for a better matchup than that this year," Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said. Miami is"a very desirable team, they are a good brand."
There are a lot of moving parts that have to slide into place for that matchup to come true, as the Sun Bowl will have to wait for other bowls with higher selections to make their picks.
"There's a good possibility it could be Utah, there's a good possibility it could be Southern Cal, it could be Oregon State, and now you can throw Cal in there after their big win over UCLA," Olivas said.
"On the ACC side, Miami, Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech."
The concern with Duke and Oregon State, Olivas said, is that both are going through a coaching change and there is a fear there could be a transfer portal exodus, but Olivas pointed out the Sun Bowl has often had interim coaches before and ended up with good games.
The scenario that would land USC here involves the Alamo Bowl taking Arizona, the Holiday Bowl selecting Oregon State and the Las Vegas Bowl taking Utah. Miami could land here if the Pinstripe Bowl takes Boston College and the Duke's Mayo Bowl grabs Duke.
As for projections, they are all over the place. Of seven prominent projections, four have Miami and four have USC, though only two have them playing each other.
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura has North Carolina vs. USC; ESPN's Marh Schlabach has Duke vs. USC; USA Today has Miami-Oregon State; CBS Sports has Miami vs. Utah; FOX projects Cal-Georgia Tech; and 247Sports and the Actionnetwork have USC vs. Miami.
All will be known Sunday at some point between 1 and 2 p.m. with an announcement event at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino that will be open to the public.
The one guarantee Olivas made is that the Sun Bowl will have an attractive matchup.
"Any of those possibilities are pretty good," he said.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl 2023: Could Miami, USC be headed to game?
