USA Today: CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP

[Harry]

Marshall (9-3) at Rice (9-3), 12 p.m. ET | ESPN2

How they got here: Both divisional races came down to the wire. In the East, Marshall's 59-28 win against East Carolina the most impressive Conference USA win of the season gave the Thundering Herd the East Division. In the West, Rice won the division outright by defeating Tulane 17-13 on Nov. 30. Rice will host the conference title game by virtue of being ranked higher in the final BCS standings.

Postseason implications: Both teams seem locked into Conference USA's top two bowl tie-ins. The league's champion goes to the Liberty Bowl, where it would face a team from the SEC. Conference USA's second pick goes to the Hawaii Bowl. One reason why Rice could lose to Marshall and fall to the third slot with East Carolina taking the Hawaii Bowl is that the third pick heads to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, played in the school's general backyard.

Stat to know: Rice has not claimed an outright conference title since 1957, when the Owls were part of the Southwest Conference.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/12/06/championship-preview-acc-big-ten-cusa-mac-mwc-pac-12-sec/3875431/

[DallasGreen]

So should we root for Marshall or Rice so we get Heart of Dallas Bowl?

[ragpicker]

Marshall (9-3) at Rice (9-3), 12 p.m. ET | ESPN2

How they got here: Both divisional races came down to the wire. In the East, Marshall's 59-28 win against East Carolina the most impressive Conference USA win of the season gave the Thundering Herd the East Division. In the West, Rice won the division outright by defeating Tulane 17-13 on Nov. 30. Rice will host the conference title game by virtue of being ranked higher in the final BCS standings.

Postseason implications: Both teams seem locked into Conference USA's top two bowl tie-ins. The league's champion goes to the Liberty Bowl, where it would face a team from the SEC. Conference USA's second pick goes to the Hawaii Bowl. One reason why Rice could lose to Marshall and fall to the third slot with East Carolina taking the Hawaii Bowl is that the third pick heads to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, played in the school's general backyard.

Stat to know: Rice has not claimed an outright conference title since 1957, when the Owls were part of the Southwest Conference.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/12/06/championship-preview-acc-big-ten-cusa-mac-mwc-pac-12-sec/3875431/

Nice trivia, Harry. Come back Jesse Neely, Frank Ryan, Dickie Moegle etc. where ever you are.

[Mean Green Matt]

So exciting...