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The 2023 76 Birmingham Bowl features a matchup between Troy vs Duke; two teams that have had relatively different fortunes this year. Further, their records hide far more from the naked eye than one might realize.
Troy is far from a household name in college football. But it would be disingenuous for anyone to discount the fact that they had an excellent season. They went 11-2 this year and ended winning the Sun Belt title.
But this great news is eventually balanced out by head coach Jon Sumrall, who is moving on to Tulane. Gerard Parker, a former offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, will be his replacement, but not until after interim HC Greg Gasparato finishes his Bowl coaching stint.
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As for Duke, their situation is a little bit bleaker. Head coach Mike Elko and QB Riley Leonard, who have been instrumental in their most recent successes, have both moved on. It's now more or less rebuilding season for the Blue Devils football team, and it is evident in how their depth chart has changed so much throughout the year due to injuries.
Because of this, Troy is favored to come out with a win. But stranger things have happened; this is college football, after all. So who's going to come out on top?
What Channel is the Birmingham Bowl on?
Live Stream: The Birmingham Bowl featuring Troy vs Duke will be live-streamed on Fubo TV. This service is one of the best out there for streaming college football today. Fans can try Fubo out as the service offers a free trial. Aside from that, all plans can be cancelled anytime so there's no obligation to stay.
TV Channel: Fans can catch the 2023 edition of the Birmingham Bowl live on ABC. This will be the 18th edition of the Bowl, which began on December 23, 2006 and featured South Florida and East Carolina. But neither Duke nor Troy have featured in this Bowl before, as it is the two teams' first-ever appearances at the Birmingham Bowl.
Aside from that, this Bowl game also features only the second-ever time that a team from the Sun Belt (Troy) is playing, with the first one being Coastal Carolina. On Duke's side, they will be the fourth team from the ACC to ever appear at the Birmingham Bowl. Sun Belt teams never won, while ACC teams have won once.
What time is the Troy vs Duke Birmingham Bowl Game?
Date: The Birmingham Bowl game featuring Troy vs Duke is scheduled for December 23.
Time: Fans can catch the 2023 edition of the Birmingham Bowl on 12:00 P.M. ET.
What to expect in the Birmingham Bowl game?
Some fans (possibly Duke fans) could point out that Troy's impressive record is not that impressive, given they played in the Sun Belt. However, a good amount of their team stats say otherwise.
For the year, the Trojans are 11th in opponent yards per play, sixth in opponent points per play (0.235), and sixth in opponent PPG. Their defense, at least against Sun Belt competition, is solid. But even if Duke struggled a bit this year, they still competed in a better conference and managed to come away with a record above .500. So that is not something to scoff at.
Speaking of the Blue Devils, it's worth noting that half of the unit that put up the team's great defensive numbers won't be playing. That's six players, all of whom played at least 350 snaps this season.
So they're playing with what's basically a skeleton crew on defense, which were already not good to begin with if they're compared to Troy's numbers-wise. But the Trojans aren't exactly a good team on offense per se, so they have that going for them.
Who will be the Starting QB for Troy in the 76 Birmingham Bowl?
Gunnar Watson is the guy for the Trojans in this Bowl game. With numbers like these (3,339 yards, 247-403 attempts, 27 TDs, and five interceptions), there's almost no reason for him not to be.
Duke's passing defense will absolutely have its hands full trying to contain him. So, if he manages to bring his A-game, then he will be critical for his team coming away with the win.
Who will be the Starting QB for Duke in the 76 Birmingham Bowl?
Freshman Grayson Loftis was thrust from the frying pan and into the fire with Riley Leonard out. Going up against Watson, his numbers will not look impressive by any means: 823 pass yards on 72-of-134 attempts, 8 TDs, and three interceptions.
But considering he's only played in five games, these numbers aren't that bad. His most recent game against Pitt, for one, saw him log his second-best performance with 248 pass yards on 20-of-37 attempts.
Troy 2023 Schedule before it faces Duke
Duke 2023 Schedule before it faces Troy
USC Trojans Fan? Check out the latest Trojans depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.
