College Football: Poinsettia Bowl Preview; TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Instead of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl you can call this the Aretha Franklin Poinsettia Bowl.

TCU wants to show that they belonged in the BCS, while Louisiana Tech is trying to establish themselves as the next TCU-esque program.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect.

TCU went through a perceived down season by finishing 10-2 and running the table in the Mountain West. Their two losses came by a combined nine points (one in OT), and they were able to do something no team had done in 10 years—beat Boise in Idaho.

Louisiana Tech has quietly won seven games in a row, earning an outright WAC championship. They only lost four games total, which included an overtime loss at Mississippi State, a one-point loss to Houston and a two-point loss to Southern Miss.

The game will be only one of four bowl games to feature two conference champions, something the national championship cannot say (the other three games are the Rose, godaddy.com and Orange). As it turns out, it could be a shootout as well.

While it may be that TCU is historically a defensive powerhouse, this year, they got it done on offense, averaging 41.7 points per game.

It starts with the three-headed monster at running back. Waymon James, Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley all have rushed for over 600 yards. Meanwhile, Casey Pachall has replaced Andy Dalton well, throwing for 2,715 yards with a 24-6 TD-to-INT ratio.

The balance on offense can create havoc on opposing defenses, something that is not lost on Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes. "It's a tough challenge," said Dykes. "They can pound you, they can 'big play' you. They are very diverse in what they do schematically."

Louisiana Tech has a well-rounded defense that has only allowed only 22.5 points per game. They were able to hold offensive juggernauts Houston and Southern Miss to 35 and 19 points respectively.

Will TCU be able to establish their dominant running game? Don't consider it a sure thing. Louisiana Tech ranks No. 25 in the nation, allowing only 122 yards per game on the ground.

"They are very physical," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "They don't allow a lot of points and they stop the run."

On the other side of the ball, Louisiana Tech uses a balanced attack to average 30.6 points per game. While the offense struggled early in the season, they have really taken off since switching to quarterback Colby Cameron, averaging 34.8 points per game in his five starts.

"They're very diversified in personnel and formations," said Patterson. "They can throw the ball all over the field."

While TCU's defense hasn't been lights out, it can still pack a punch. They allow only 21.3 points per game and have not allowed more than 28 points only once since the first of October (35 points to Boise State). If they are susceptible, it's through the air. The Frogs allow 220.3 yards through the air.

The final component of the game is special teams, something both coaches admire from their counterpart.

La. Tech finished fifth in the nation with a 45.58 yard average per punt. Patterson noted that he could single-handedly "change the ball game." Meanwhile, Dykes was quick to point out that TCU is "going to be good on special teams, especially kick returns." He isn't imaging things, as TCU leads the nation in kick return average.

The game will be a matchup of two prolific offenses riding seven-game winning streaks. TCU wants to build off their momentum as they enter the Big 12, while Louisiana Tech wants to alert the nation that there's more than one team in the state of Louisiana. We should expect a great one tonight in San Diego.