Saturday College Football Bowl Game Weather: UAB-BYU, EMU-Liberty Hit by Rain, Wind
(Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
- Multiple bowl games are impacted by weather Saturday
- UAB-BYU and EMU-Liberty could have wind and rain
- Here's how the forecasts look later in the day
Rejoice: Today is the first big slate of the bowl season.
Most postseason-eligible teams get the luxury of playing their matchups in beautiful conditions or domed confines. However, a handful of games Saturday could see some weather on hand – wind, rain and other ugly stuff in the forecast.
Here's which bowls might be affected, beginning with the early game between Western Kentucky and Appalachian State.
Saturday's Bowl Games Impacted by Wind or Weather
Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State (-2.5, 66.5)
11 a.m. ET
FAU Stadium, home of the Boca Raton Bowl, can be finicky.
Florida Atlantic played a pair of home games this season with winds of 14 mph or greater, while the 2019 rendition of the bowl featured gusts up to 21 mph. It's just that time of year.
Saturday's forecast in the "Sunshine State" is calling for mild showers, but a bit later in the day. The only real obstacle hampering the offenses are some winds, which top out at 14 mph this afternoon.
It's shaping up to be a one-sided stance on the total, according to our PRO Report.
UAB vs. BYU (-6.5, 54.5)
3:30 p.m. ET
Things could get sloppy in Louisiana between UAB and BYU.
Shreveport's slated for rain all throughout the morning and it could bleed all the way into the Independence Bowl.
Winds are expected between 12 and 14 MPH, but both offenses would prefer to keep the ball on the ground the majority of the time anyway — the Cougars are 57th in the country in rush rate, the Blazers 11th.
However, the two offenses utilize the run to set up the big play through the air.
Both UAB and BYU rank inside the top-15 nationally in yards per pass attempt at 8.9 and 8.7 respectively.
Rainy conditions, however, could ultimately suppress chunk plays and the scoreboard from lighting up.
We've already seen a dip on the total, which is down off 55.
EMU vs. Liberty (-9.5, 57.5)
5:45 ET
It isn't much better in nearby Alabama, where the LendingTree Bowl between EMU vs. Liberty should see plenty of rain.
There's a 50% chance or better of showers from 11 in the morning to 11 at night. The game, naturally, is played smack-dab in the middle.
Winds, meanwhile, are more tame, peaking at around 9 MPH.
While most of the market's painted with 57.5's, bettors who like the under can find a 58.5 at BetRivers/SugarHouse.
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