Military Bowl 2014: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech TV Info, Spread, Time and More

The Cincinnati Bearcats have finished their season on a tear, and look to go through Virginia Tech in Saturday's Military Bowl to put a bow on a gift-wrapped 2014 season.

Tommy Tuberville led his Bearcats to a share of the AAC title in his second season at the helm, and he could get them to 10-3 with a win in Annapolis, Maryland. It'll have to come through a Hokies team that sputtered to 6-6, needing a close win over Virginia in the season finale to even become bowl eligible.

Along with wanting to dispel the troubles of this season and last year's 42-12 bowl loss to UCLA, Virginia Tech can also avenge a 2012 defeat to Cincinnati should it win.

Let's get down to business and break down everything you need to know for the 2014 Military Bowl.

When: Saturday, Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Spread (via Odds Shark): Cincinnati -2.5

Battle of Strengths

Al Behrman/Associated Press

If Cincinnati is going to keep its longest winning streak in five seasons intact through the start of 2015, it will come through the air.

Former prized recruit Gunner Kiel has finally found his niche in Cincinnati, as the sophomore quarterback has exploded for 30 touchdowns on 3,010 passing yards amid multiple injuries. He leads an offense that puts up 35.4 points per game.

To show you how much superior the Bearcats offense is to Virginia Tech's, take this into consideration—Cincinnati hung 34 on Miami, while the Hokies put up a grand total of six points on that same team.

But defensively, though, Frank Beamer's crew can get it done. 

The Hokies rank 18th in points against per game, which is all the more impressive considering they lost half their games. They also track down the quarterback superbly, sacking signal-callers 46 times in 2014.

Cincinnati has the big arm in Kiel to take the top off Virginia Tech's defense, but it's the weapons on the outside that put the Bearcats over the top. Five different receivers have four or more touchdowns and 430 or more yards on the season.

The sophomore passer gave all the credit to his teammates, per Cincinnati Enquirer's Tom Groeschen:

"I've got good guys behind me," Kiel said. I've got great wide receivers that are going to catch the ball, and the offensive line has done an incredible job just giving me all the time in the world to throw the ball. We've got a heck of a run game with Mike Boone and Rod Moore."

Kiel has weapons in droves, but a stout Hokie secondary with ball-hawking defensive backs like Kendall Fuller and Kyshoen Jarrett is used to closings things down on the outside. They have combined for four interceptions this season, helping to make up for the loss of star corner Brandon Facyson.

The Bearcats will come into this one expecting to toss the ball around the yard. The Hokies come in expecting to shut it down, and pin their ears back rushing the passer. 

It's likely only one of the two will happen.

With or Without You

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

When it comes to Virginia Tech and bowl games, practically all the school knows is going there with Beamer.

The long-time Hokies coach has headed the sidelines for 22 straight bowl games, which is all but five of the program's bowl appearances in its history. That made the preparation for this year's Military Bowl all the more weird.

It's weird because after more than two dozen years, Beamer hasn't been with the team during much of bowl practice after throat surgery. He's expected to join the team Friday—the day before the game—and coach from the press box, per The Roanoke Times' Andy Bitter.

Him coaching from the press box shouldn't have a huge impact—rest assured, Virginia Tech will have some very vocal coaches down there to speak for him. But it's fair to question if the team won't be as prepared as they should due to it.

Of course, it could have the opposite impact. Beamer has been the head coach for most of the Hokies' 10-17 all-time bowl record, so it's entirely possible the team could be preparing with a chip on its shoulder and galvanize around his return.

Prediction

This game is going to come down to Virginia Tech's ability—or lack thereof—to show some containment in stopping Kiel and Cincinnati's offense. And even if the Hokies' talented secondary stifles the Bearcats' passing, the duo of backs Mike Boone and Rodriguez Moore—who have combined for more than 1,200 yards—will take it to Virginia Tech.

It's just hard to see the Hokies' struggling offense showing enough danger to match Cincinnati on the scoreboard, and even harder to see a downtrodden Virginia Tech team get up for this one.

Prediction: Cincinnati 27, Virginia Tech 13