Armed Forces Bowl 2020: Southern Miss vs. Tulane TV Schedule, Time and Odds

Saturday's Armed Forces Bowl produces a rare rivalry matchup in the college football postseason. 

The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Tulane Green Wave have played in the "Battle for the Bell" on 30 occasions, with the last edition taking place in 2010. 

Southern Miss leads the series 23-7 and owns a six-game winning streak over the Green Wave. 

The old rivals enter Fort Worth, Texas on losing streaks, with Southern Miss losing its last two regular-season games and Tulane falling in its previous three contests. 

Armed Forces Bowl Information

Date: Saturday, January 4

Start Time: 11:30 a.m. ET 

TV: ESPN 

Odds (via Caesars): Tulane (-7); Over/Under: 56.5

Preview

Both the Golden Eagles and Green Wave struggled with defensive consistency in their respective losing streaks to close out November. 

Southern Miss allowed 62 points to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Florida Atlantic Owls, and in all five of its losses, it conceded at least 28 points. 

In defeats to the Temple Owls, UCF Knights and SMU Mustangs, Tulane allowed 100 points. 

In fact, the Green Wave defense has been awful dating back to October 19, as it gave up 37.6 points per game in its previous five defeats. 

Despite that poor form, the 6-6 team from the American Athletic Conference is favored by seven points, partly due to playing in a tougher league than Conference USA. 

Tulane owns five double-digit victories, but it may be hard to trust with seven points in its favor. 

Quarterback Justin McMillan is Tulane's top offensive threat, as he owns 2,229 passing yards, 704 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns.

Nine of the senior's 14 passing scores have come in victories, and he is facing a Southern Miss passing defense that concedes 238.5 yards per contest. 

Darnell Mooney and Jalen McCleskey are McMillan's top targets, as they combined for 1,164 receiving yards and eight scores. If the duo breaks free from the Southern Miss secondary, the Green Wave may find a ton of scoring success. 

If the Golden Eagles focus on stopping the pass, McMillan could hurt them with his legs, and that may be a difference-maker to keep drives alive in certain situations. 

Jack Abraham, who has the 21st-most passing yards in the Football Bowl Subdivision, will try to match his counterpart's production, but he has had trouble with turnovers. The Southern Miss junior was picked off six times in the last three games, including on four occasions by Florida Atlantic November 30. 

Twelve of his 15 interceptions have come in Southern Miss defeats, so if Tulane forces a few mistakes, it is likely to come out on top. 

However, if Abraham remains clean in the pocket, he may be able to match McMillan and produce a high-scoring affair, which would be a nice appetizer to Saturday's NFL playoff slate. 

Each of the previous five Armed Forces Bowls have produced at least 65 points, and the victor has eclipsed 40 in the last four iterations of the contest. 

If that trend carries over into Saturday, the over may be one of the easier wagers of bowl season.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com