Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
Conference matchup: Sun Belt vs. Mid-American
When: Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Spread: CMU -6.5; total at 63

Line movement: At many books, the line has jumped from 6.5 to 7, with the over/under also rising a half-point to a point from its opening.

Bowl history: It's the third straight Motor City Bowl for the Chips, who lost in a shootout to Purdue last year and beat Middle Tennessee State in 2006 - their only bowl win in four tries all-time. The Owls have been in one bowl in their history, beating Memphis in last season's New Orleans Bowl.

How they got here: CMU ended the season on a two-game losing streak, falling at Ball State in a result that wasn't surprising and then losing at Eastern Michigan in one that was a surprise. FAU won five of its final six games (against teams with a combined record of 18-42) to get bowl-eligible. Both teams allowed at least 50 points in their regular-season finales, although FAU won.

Key trends: The Chips tend to bounce back well from losses, going 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight-up loss. The under also looks good here, as it's 9-1 in CMU's past 10 games as a favorite of 3.5-10 points; the under also is 6-0 in FAU's past six games as an underdog. FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger is 5-0 in bowl games in his 24 seasons as a college coach.

Plenty of offense: Despite those under trends just above, it's hard to imagine these teams not putting up a lot of points. Behind QB Rusty Smith, the 2007 Sun Belt Player of the Year, FAU scored at least 40 points in three of its past four games. Smith (2,918 yards, 22 TDs, 14 INTs) led the Sun Belt in passing for the second straight season and will face a CMU pass defense, which is ranked No. 118 in the country. Owls running back Charles Pierre has been on a roll, averaging more than 103 yards per game in the last six. Incidentally, FAU offensive coordinator Gary Nord will be on the sideline for the Owls despite having already accepted the same position at Purdue.

CMU's offense ranks No. 24 in Division I by averaging 427.1 yards per game. QB Dan LeFevour, the 2006 Motor City Bowl MVP, finished third in the Mid-American Conference with 253.1 passing yards per game. He threw for 2,531 yards and 19 touchdowns and was the Chips' leading rusher this year with 536 yards and six scores. Sophomore WR Antonio Brown was the MAC leader in all-purpose yards. FAU's pass defense is 80th in the nation, giving up 219.1 yards per game.

Overview: This game looks like a bit of a mismatch for the Chips, and CMU certainly will have home-field advantage with FAU only expecting to bring about 1,500 fans from Boca Raton. The Motor City Bowl set attendance records the past two seasons with the Chippewas competing (the campus is about 150 miles from Ford Field) and it looks like Central Michigan might avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2004.