Hawaii Bowl: San Diego State vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Sheraton Hawaii bowl returns with its 14th edition at Aloha Stadium. The Hawaii Bowl was conceived in 2002 to ensure the Mountain West’s Hawaii Warriors have an automatic bid to a bowl game. However, due to losing seasons the Warriors haven't played in it since 2010 and the Mountain West has had to field other bowl-eligible teams to face-off against an at-large team.

Date and time: Thurs., Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET

TV channel: ESPN

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Stadium: Aloha Stadium, 50,000

Last year's score: Rice 30, Fresno State 6

Last year's attendance: 25,365

San Diego State Aztecs (10-3, 9-0 MW)

The Aztecs claimed their first outright Mountain West Championship against the Air Force Falcons. In what was a down year for the West-division of the Mountain West, the Aztecs broke a school record by going undefeated in the conference.

Led by junior running back Donnel Pumphrey, the Aztecs ran over their opponents and their nationally ranked defenses kept offenses in check. The Aztecs are hungry for a victory in the Hawaii Bowl after losing a heart breaker in the 2014 Poinsettia Bowl.

Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5, 4-4 AAC)

The Bearcats finished their regular season on a mediocre note, despite winning their final conference game, they had lost horribly at South Florida 27-65. They also were the media’s favorite to win the AAC and hopefully have a shot at a New Year’s Day bowl.

Quarterback Gunner Kiel and wide receiver Shaq Washington look to take their air show tandem under the sunshine of Honolulu. Kiel has provided the Bearcats with 2,777 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, enough offense to cover a vulnerable defense. The Bearcats are still looking for their first bowl win under Tommy Tuberville and hope the Hawaii Bowl is their ticket.