Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Latest News and Notes for UCLA vs. Illinois

We're less than 24 hours away from the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, California. Two storied programs are set to square off in "Rose Bowl North."

The two teams have had their ups-and-downs this season, and will oddly enter the game with a combined 12-13 record.

Despite winning the Pac-12 South, UCLA decided to fire coach Rick Neuheisel. Despite starting 6-0, the best start in 60 years, Illinois fired Ron Zook after an 0-6 finish.

Here are the latest news and notes to come out from San Francisco.

Ineligibilities

Illinois RB Jason Ford is academically ineligible and will not play. He is the Illini's leading rusher, but both Troy Pollard and Donovonn Young (maybe, more next slide) have seen their fair share of touches, so it won't be as if the Illini will be totally inexperienced at back.

UCLA back-up QB Richard Brehaut has been suspended for the game for a violation of team's rules. Those who have followed the Bruins the past couple of seasons realize that Brehaut has played more than just a back-up role.With Brehaut out, look for Nick Crissman to serve as back-up.

Additionally, UCLA safety Tony Dye and offensive lineman Albert Cid will be ineligible due to not making their grades.

Injuries

Illinois will get a couple of boosts from players returning from injury. Donovonn Young missed the game against Minnesota with an ankle injury but has practiced all week.

Even better, Trulon Henry, who was shot in the hand in early November, has been practicing with a large cast on his hand. He too is expected to contribute.

There's worse news on the UCLA side of the ball. UCLA's leading tackler, Pat Larimore, will be out due to a thumb injury. Couple this with the ineligibility of Tony Dye, and an already suffering unit could get worse.

Less Than Capacity?

Bowl games with less than a capacity crowd have been the trend this season. Look for it to continue this weekend in San Francisco.

Despite being played in a big city with two huge alumni bases, there are still plenty of tickets available on stubhub.com.

But that only tells half the story. According to Illinois' fan website, the Illini sold only 1,800 of their 8,000 allotted tickets. Despite sending out mass emails to alumni on the West Coast, most Illini fans have decided to buy their tickets directly from the stadium.

With UCLA, it's anyone's guess. They're a 6-7 team that usually has trouble selling out their home stadium of the Rose Bowl (although the Rose Bowl holds over twice as many people as AT&T Park).

These two factors, combined with it being New Year's Eve (but early in the afternoon on the West Coast), and we may see around 70 percent max of the 40,000 seats full.

Las Vegas Information

Apparently the public drubbing against USC and Oregon is too much for bettors to ignore, as nearly 65 percent of bettors are favoring the Illini on covers.com.

Most casinos opened the spread at Illinois -2.5 but all have been bet up to Illinois -3. If it were to move any further, expect it to do so right before kickoff. Otherwise, Illinois -3 is the spread.

The over/under is currently 47. Most books opened the o/u at either 46.5 or 47, so not much movement here.

The Coin Flip

In the bigger games of the season (Super Bowl, National Championship), you can bet on the coin toss. It's a terrible bet and is offered for squares to have something to cheer for at their super bowl party.

If you can find a prop bet on the coin toss for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, be weary. Instead of flipping a traditional coin they will flip an Oreo Cookie.

I wish I was making this up. Not only is it dumb, but how does this solve a hunger problem? We have a hunger problem, so we're going to waste an Oreo Cookie by throwing it in the air and having it land on the ground? Even if we had food to give to starving families, would we really give them Oreo Cookies and all the nutrition they have to offer?