It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest providing some tropical vibes:
2025 Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans
Matchup: Louisville Cardinals vs. Toledo Rockets
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025
Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET
Stadium: Flagler Credit Union Stadium — Boca Raton, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The Boca Raton Bowl didn’t always have a ridiculous name, but has historically provided one of the better atmospheres of the… less meaningful bowl games.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson, Cleveland Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe and Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair are some of the more notable names to win the bowl’s MVP. Is it possible that we could see another notable name take home the award?
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Team Overviews
Louisville Cardinals
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm
Record: 8–4
Louisville had all the pieces in place to make a run in the ACC in 2025, though they fumbled away any and all hope at a conference championship with avoidable conference losses to the likes of Virginia, Cailfornia and Clemson.
Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown and Duke Watson combined to account for 1,532 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns out of the backfield this seasons, though none of them are guaranteed to play in this game. Chris Bell — who finished with 72 receptions and 917 receiving yards — will miss the game after suffering an ACL injury against SMU.
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Miller Moss, the club’s shaky starting quarterback, could be left to go at it without all of his top weapons — which might not be great news for the Cardinals.
Toledo Rockets
Conference: MAC
Head Coach: Robert Weiner (Interim)
Record: 8-4
Toledo isn’t at full strength, either.
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Jason Candle, the head coach, departed prior to the game to take the same job at UConn. Tucker Gleason, the starting quarterback, is also expected to miss this game with an injury. Vince Kehres, Ross Watson and Stanton Weber, three assistant coaches, have also departed after taking jobs elsewhere.
It’s pretty thin in the glass capital of the world…
The Rockets are expected to have top running back Chip Trayanum (1,157 all-purpose yards, 13 total touchdowns) and top wide receiver Junior Vandeross III (75 receptions, 947 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns), however.
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Players to Watch
Louisville
QB Miller Moss
WR Caullin Lacy
DL Clev Lubin
DL Wesley Bailey
LB TJ Quinn
DB Antonio Watts
Toledo
QB Kalieb Osborne
RB Chip Trayanum
RB Kenji Christian
WR Junior Vandeross III
DL Malachi Davis
LB K’Von Sherman
S Braden Awls
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Key Notes
Toledo will make its third appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl, the most in game history.
Mercer’s Mike Jacobs will take over as head coach for the Rockets in 2026.
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Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: Louisville -7 | O/U 44.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Louisville -6.5 | O/U 44.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Louisville -6.5 | O/U 44.5
The Pick: Toledo +7
Featured image via Matt Stone/Courier Journal/Imagn Images
