WKU Football: Tops Going To Cure Bowl, Will Face Georgia State

After last week’s disheartening defeat to FIU, WKU had to wait all week to see if they would get to extend their bowl streak and have a…

After last week’s disheartening defeat to FIU, WKU had to wait all week to see if they would get to extend their bowl streak and have a chance at their seventh-straight winning season. On Sunday, we found out that WKU will be heading to Florida for the third year in a row to take on Georgia State in the Cure Bowl.

The game is set for 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, December 16 and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. This is pretty much the dream scenario for WKU since they were eliminated from championship contention: Orlando is friendly for fans that want to travel by car or plane (10 hours and 45 minute from Bowling Green). Flights are also very affordable out of Nashville, Louisville, Lexington or Cincinnati (see Allegiant Air).

Georgia State went 6–5 this season. They are the perfect opponent for a Hilltopper team that has been very up and down themselves. The Panthers did not beat any bowl teams this season and closed out their year by losing by two touchdowns to a three-win Idaho team at home. They had a good rebound season in Shawn Elliott’s first season but this is definitely a very favorable match-up for the Hilltoppers

Besides the game itself, the biggest benefit will be the additional practice time that Mike Sanford and staff will get with the team. After the disappointing regular season Sanford could definitely benefit from the chance to have another game of experience under his belt heading into a crucial second season. Bowl practices are great times for the staff to come together and identify young players that will impact the following season.

With the game being in Orlando, the staff can also work on recruiting while on the trip. WKU currently has five commitments from the Sunshine State to go along with 13 active Floridians on the current roster. The December 16 date also gives the staff time a brief window after the game to sow up early signees before the new December 20th signing period the following week.

Overall it’s great to have another game to look forward to and we’ll all be happy to see Mike White, Deon Yelder, Joe Brown and all of the seniors get one last game in Hilltopper uniforms. Let’s hope they can come away from the game with a win and some much needed momentum heading into year two of the Sanford regime. We’ll be providing tons of coverage over the next couple of weeks but I for one am glad we can all exhale and have one more game this season.

What are your thoughts on the Cure Bowl? Are you going to travel to Orlando? How does WKU measure up with Georgia State ? Let us know in a comment below, via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.