Five reasons to watch the Cactus 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.

This bowl game features two high-powered offenses, but the teams going in the opposite direction. Baylor can’t seem to get out of its own way on and off the field while Boise State keeps chugging along as one of the country's best mid-major programs.

Here are five reasons to watch the Cactus Bowl.

Cactus Bowl
Boise State (10-2, Mountain West Conference) vs. Baylor (6-6, Big 12)
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix
Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

• Jeremy McNichols. One of the best all-around players in college football will be in action in the Cactus Bowl. McNichols torched opponents with 2,113 total yards and 27 touchdowns this year. With Baylor’s defense giving up over 210 rushing yards a game, you can expect him to have a big game.
• Bryan Harsin's quest for three straight bowl wins. There is no doubt Bryan Harsin walked in to a good situation when Chris Petersen left Boise State in 2013, but he has made the most of it guiding the Broncos to three straight bowl berths and two straight bowl wins. Overall, Harsin is undefeated in bowl games at 3-0. Talk about starting your career on the right foot.
• How will Baylor play for lame duck interim coach Jim Grobe? There aren’t many situations worse than being a lame duck anything. Even the name makes you slump your shoulders a bit. Jim Grobe did the best he could under the circumstances Baylor found itself in, but the university is bringing in Temple head coach Matt Rhule to take over the program. Whether the team will give Grobe a victorious send-off is another story.
• Can Baylor get out of its rut? After winning their first six games, the Baylor Bears have been freefalling faster than that guy in the Tom Petty and the Heartbeakers song. They have lost six straight games to end the regular season, giving up 43.7 points per game in those losses. They will need to wake up facing the aforementioned Bronco running back Jeremy McNichols and quarterback Brett Rypien.
• What’s Baylor’s next violation? The Bears played with a sexual assault scandal hanging over their heads the entire year and ended the season getting cited for a recruiting violation. At this rate, the Bears will get pegged for something in the middle of the Cactus Bowl that will have the administration scrambling for answers.

Mascot edge: Bears are ferocious while Broncos are fast. I have a feeling the horses would run away from the bears, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Boise runs away from Baylor.