2007 International Bowl Preview, College Football Bowl Games

Game Preview
CFP Staff (with excerpts courtesy of the International Bowl)

You may not consider Toronto, Canada to be a prime place to travel in winter, but if you're looking for a different bowl destination in an interesting city, the International Bowl has a lot to offer. In fact, as the bowl points out in its own propaganda, when you combine all of the great reasons to attend this year’s International Bowl and add-in the relatively low price of admission, it adds up to one of the best entertainment values around. Ticket prices start at only $15 the highest-priced ticket is only $40. At many college venues, those prices are far below the cost of a regular season seat.

This season's matchup features two of the nation's top offensive players - one that you've heard a lot about, and another who may not even be a household name in Indiana.

RB Ray Rice of Rutgers was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and turned in another stellar year. Though you didn't seem to hear much about him this season in the national media, Rice rushed for 1,787 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He enters the postseason with a streak of seven consecutive games of 110-plus yards on the ground.

The junior RB was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award presented annually to the top collegiate running back in the NCAA.

The name you probably don't know is that of Ball State QB Nate Davis.

The Mid-American Conference has been referred to as the Conference of Quarterbacks, producing NFL stars such as Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington and Bryon Leftwich. Davis continues the tradition.

In 2006, Davis topped the league charts with a rating of 147.3, throwing for 1,975 yards and 18
touchdowns. In 2007, Davis threw for 3,376 yards and 27 touchdowns and also ran for 307 yards and another 5 touchdowns. At the start of this year, Nate Davis was included on the Manning Award watch list, which award is given to college football’s top quarterback.

Davis' favorite targets include WR Dante Love (1,229 receiving yards, 9 TD’s) and TE Darius Hill, another NFL prospect who uses his 6-foot-6 height to his advantage.

Rutgers is appearing in a third consecutive bowl game after making just one postseason trip in its first 135 years of playing the game. Ball State is in a bowl game for the first time since 1996, and is also appearing in just its fourth bowl game over-all. The Cardinals are still looking for their first bowl victory while the Scarlet Knights beat Kansas State in last year's Texas Bowl for their first bowl win ever.