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Temple opened spring practice Monday with its sights set on its first season in the Big East. I had a chance to catch up with quarterback Chris Coyer to talk about the offense, expectations and the challenges of moving to a new conference.

How does it feel going into the spring as the starter?

CC: It's definitely a different feeling than I'm used to. There hasn't been a set starter since I’ve been here for a spring. It's new, but it's a great feeling. It’s good to be set in the role and pushing our offense forward.

How does being the starter change your mind-set and preparation?

CC: In one sense, what I've been told since I got here is prepare to be a starter, whether I was or wasn't. So, there's really not much of a change because I've been trying to prepare to start every game. Where there has been a change is the leadership, knowing you’re the guy, having everybody looking to you for that. There is a little bit that I have to approach slightly differently. Of course, I don't mind. It's a great feeling.

How does the bowl victory against Wyoming give you momentum going into the spring and fall?

CC: It definitely left our team on a real positive note going into next year, and we've rolled with it. Our offseason program, everyone’s been working hard, and is real enthusiastic. We had a great workout in our first practice, so I'm excited, and I feel like we're really pushing and propelling forward as we move toward the season.

Why were you able to win once you were inserted into the starting lineup last season?

CC: I think a little part of it would have to be the system we run. It’s a system I've been running ever since I was in high school, so my style naturally fits the offense a little bit better than some. But just really the amount of seniors we had on the offensive line, the seniors were great and the running back play was outstanding, so it really took a lot off me to be able to step into a role with so many great players.

Speaking of the system, how are you adjusting now to a new offensive coordinator?

CC: A lot of things we’ve done in the past, we're going to keep doing. The system's not broken. There will be a few different changes in different schemes, so there will be a little bit of a learning curve in the spring, but I feel like we've got a good little bit of leadership on this offense.

You also mentioned the veteran offensive line. But you lose four of five starters. What do you want to see out of the new players up front?

CC: We still have a little bit of experience up front. We don't have the five seniors to play on the offensive line this year, but we've got young talent and leaders on the offensive line to bring them along. I have faith in Coach (Justin) Frye and our teammates to be able to bring that along. I don't think we're going to be hurt at all.

How does the team feel now about getting a shot to play in the Big East?

CC: The team as a whole, everyone's really excited. It's something that we've been striving for ever since all of us have gotten here, knowing as a school we were kicked out, what eight years ago? So we wanted to be a BCS team and be playing those big schools week in and week out. There's where I feel it may be more challenging, playing the type of quality opponents week in and week out is going to be different. But at the same time, nothing will really change in the way we prepare.

For those Big East fans who haven’t seen you play, what can they expect out of Temple?

CC: Our style is tough. We're a tough team, we fight. That's our style. We're going to fight and scratch for every inch. No doubt we'll be competing right away, and those are my expectations.

And what can they expect out of you? I know some have compared you to Tim Tebow. What type of quarterback are you?

CC: I like to run the ball, but I'm a quarterback first. I want to put the ball in the air, I like throwing the ball, that's what we do. But I like running the ball and don't mind taking a hit or two. I enjoy the contact and my style of play is our style of play: I like to play tough.

Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw shared the perfect anecdote when his Owls gained re-admittance into the Big East, the ultimate reward for the amazing rebirth of the football program.

It was 6:30 a.m. last Wednesday, the day Big East presidents would vote Temple in or out. Bradshaw was driving down the Schuylkill Expressway, east toward Temple.

"The sun is shinning and there is not a cloud in the sky and I turn my radio on, and it's Ruby and The Romantics from 1963, and the song is 'Our day will come,' and I said, 'This is going to be a special day,'" Bradshaw recalled during the introductory news conference last week.

The hard work that went into rejuvenating a laughingstock of a football program made March 7, 2012, a day that will always have a special place in Temple history. It was eight years ago that Temple played its last game in the Big East, following years and years of misery. Temple managed to win 14 league games in 14 years, never once finishing with a better overall record than 4-7.

There seemed to be a lack of commitment to football at the time, and that malaise translated on the field.

"It was dreadful several years ago," said Lewis Katz, a member of the Temple Board of Trustees and chairman of the athletic committee. "You know, we didn't deserve, truthfully, to be in the football competition in those years. But it's hard to get kicked out. And now, people don't realize it ... Penn State won in the last (two minutes last year). We're going to kick Notre Dame's butt next year. We have a football program. We have a real football program."

A real football program that has reeled off three straight winning seasons, including bowl appearances in 2009 and 2011. Of the eight incoming Big East members, only Boise State and Houston have won more total games than Temple from 2009-11. During that span, Temple has:

• won its first bowl game since 1979, beating Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl last season.
• beaten Maryland, UConn and Navy.
• produced a first-round pick in 2011 (Muhammad Wilkerson) for the first time in 25 years.
• had six players invited to the NFL combine in the past two years, including Bernard Pierce, Evan Rodriguez and Tahir Whitehead last month.

Former coach Al Golden had much to do with the transformation, instilling a disciplined, no-nonsense approach that got the Owls to where they are today -- worthy of inclusion back in the Big East. When Golden left, the Owls turned to Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, who guided Temple to a 9-4 record in his first year.

Interest is certainly up in Temple football, and that obviously comes with fielding a winner. In its final year of Big East play in 2004, Temple averaged 16,456 fans and ranked third-worst in the nation when it came to filling its stadium to capacity (24.7 percent). Last season, Temple averaged 28,060 fans and filled Lincoln Financial Field to 40.9 percent capacity.

That is obviously a huge increase, but it is also worth noting that as recently as 2008, Temple averaged 15,582 fans. That was its most recent losing season. In the past three years, Temple has an average attendance of 21,984. That would place the Owls last among the eight schools set to play in 2012.

Still, progress has been made. Now Temple has to keep building, while playing in a more difficult conference. The signs of support are there. Temple has undergone a $10 million expansion and renovation of its football facilities; fundraising is up; and increased dollars from a future Big East television deal will bolster the budget as well.

"I just want to make this point, where we are right now, we're not trying to fumble around and see if we can find our way into major college football," Addazio said. "This is a plan that's been going on for quite some time. It's an exciting time for Temple. It's an exciting time for the Big East. We're so happy to be a part of this Big East family. It's a special, special day. It's a landmark day. And we'll make you proud, I promise you that."

Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the league will hit the pause button on expansion now that Temple has been added for 2012.

But league expansion is not over. With the Owls in, the Big East will grow to 13 schools by 2015. So yes, the Big East wants to add one more team to get to 14. And ideally, that team would come from out west to help balance out that division with far-flung teams Boise State and San Diego State.

"It's our intention to obviously have equal divisions of seven moving forward, and over the course of the time between now and our television negotiations, as we better position ourselves to attract a quality 14th partner in football, we'll be looking to move forward in that direction," Marinatto said. "We want to get to even divisions, and I think we're looking specifically for a western partner to help us with that."

The Big East is set to begin negotiating a new TV deal Sept. 1. So it appears one more football-only school from the west will be added before September. BYU and Air Force are the most logical candidates, and perhaps the Big East tries to make a run at them a second time. Both turned away Big East overtures when the league was in negotiations with Boise State. At the time, the Broncos preferred adding one of those two schools.

Now that Navy is set to join in 2015, perhaps Air Force reconsiders. There is some uncertainty about the Falcons' future conference affiliation, since the Mountain West and Conference USA are going to form a new league.

As for other possibilities, nearly every school that has been added is in a major television market (San Diego, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore). So it would stand to reason the Big East would want another school in a big market that also has had football success. That does not leave a lot of options among the remaining non-AQ teams.

A few other notes from Marinatto's press conference on Wednesday:

• He said once again that the Big East would be open to allowing Pitt and Syracuse to leave one year early to join the ACC for the 2013 season. "We haven't actually had those conversations yet, but our membership is certainly willing to do that at this point given where we've landed," he said.
• Marinatto also said the league would focus on re-branding efforts now that it has undergone a radical makeover. "Re-branding the conference and taking a stand in regard to a little bit of pounding our chest as to where it is we've landed is going to take place, and we're going to get professional assistance with that, too, by hiring a firm that will assist us in doing all that in the in the upcoming months," he said.
• He also mentioned the possibility of a Big East championship game in 2013.

Was the love fest between Villanova and Temple on Wednesday afternoon happening in some parallel universe where lollipops fall from the sky and the sun always shines?

The two schools worked really, really hard to present a unified front when the Owls were introduced as the newest Big East member in New York City. They are cross-town rivals, separated by mere miles, but they sounded like they had have always held hands while singing kumbaya.

You understand why commissioner John Marinatto kicked off the news conference by making it a point to mention it was Villanova University father Peter Donohue who brought the motion to extend full membership to Temple, with football joining in 2012 and the rest of its sports in 2013.

Because adding Temple back into the mix could severely jeopardize any future decision for Villanova to move up to FBS. Remember, it was the Big East that approached Villanova last year about moving up a level and joining the league for football. After Villanova appeared ready to make a decision, the Big East backed off and said it needed more time to evaluate its expansion options.

Now here comes Temple.

So where does that leave Villanova? Well the door has not exactly been closed on a future invitation for football. Perhaps the most interesting development to come out of the news Wednesday was that the Big East would provide financial assistance to the school as it continues to study whether to move up to the FBS level.

If Villanova is admitted within the next three years, its entry fee would be waived.

"In terms of future conference expansion and where we are, as I said earlier, we're taking a pause right now," commissioner John Marinatto said. "We're going to continue to explore with Villanova regarding their FBS potential moving forward and we'll see where we ultimately end up. But for the meantime, as I said earlier, we've made a financial commitment, we've also devoted a lot of resources, and we're here to support all our member schools in terms of everything they want to do, and in this case the FBS possibility of Villanova moving forward."

More than that, Marinatto said the league was going to hire a consultant to determine how Temple and Villanova can retain their own individual basketball identity. Basketball poses the bigger threat right now. Temple has never been a Big East member in hoops, while Villanova is one of the founding programs in the Big East. How do two Big East schools so close to each other coexist?

"For the next 12 months, what we're going to do is explore how we best move forward in order to ensure that we accomplish that because it's in the best interest of the conference obviously for the two schools to coexist in a very, very positive way, and one of the things we want to do is ensure that's the case by doing this," Marinatto said.

For his part, Donohue said the Big East needed to bring Temple into the fold in all sports, to help the conference and the city of Philadelphia.

"It's critical that the conference and both universities succeed in Philadelphia, even as my loyalty and obligation is to Villanova, we recognized early on that we could not achieve  that we could achieve this winwinwin, which ultimately we did," he said. "We just needed time to work through all the issues together, and so to the Big East I want to say that we look forward to a very bright future."

1. Add Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez to the advocates of moving official visits back to May of a recruit’s junior year. As of now, by the time recruits take their visits, many of them already have committed. Rodriguez would pare the number of official visits a school may dole out from 56 to 45. But he also would invite the recruit’s parents or guardians to make the trip on the university’s dime.

2. The Big East invited Temple to return several years after tossing it out for not measuring up to the league standards. The Owls raised their game; the conference lowered its game, and all is forgiven. You have to think that Temple’s return means Villanova will never move up from the FCS to the Big East. If Villanova couldn’t find a way to make the numbers work before Temple came to league, what happens now that the Big East will have another Philly team in the fold?

3. Shane Beamer works for his dad at Virginia Tech. Monte Kiffin works for his son at USC. And now Brian Ferentz works for his dad at Iowa. I can think of a couple of reasons why there aren’t a lot of sons coaching for their fathers. One, it’s rare in today’s game that coaches last long enough to have a son become old enough and experienced enough to coach at the FBS level. Two, given how many hours a head coach works, how many spend enough time with their children to infuse them with a love of the game?

So this is what the final leg of expansion has come to for the Big East, welcoming back a team that was kicked out for terrible performance only eight years ago.

Well, eight years might as well be eight decades considering the way realignment has turned conferences into corporate raiders, all too eager to destroy each other to preserve themselves. At turns, expansion has been part "Lord of the Flies," part Generation Me. But it has completely taken the biggest toll on the Big East -- turning a conference that had already lacked national respect into one that is a collection of teams formerly known as non-automatic qualifiers.

As in most of its other moves in the past four months, the Big East adding Temple to the football fold immediately had a sense of desperation attached. The Big East appeared to have no plan once West Virginia bolted for the Big 12 to the tune of $20 million. Playing with seven members for 2012 was not feasible. The Big East called on Boise State to join a year early. The Broncos thought the financial price too steep.

So Temple became the only viable option. The Owls may have been tossed out of the Big East in 2004, but their football program has been rejuvenated and the school wanted desperately back into the Big East fold. Bygones should be bygones, right?

One-win seasons ended shortly after Big East membership ended. Joining the MAC and hiring Al Golden helped the program turn a necessary corner. Slowly but surely, the Owls began to win. The breakthrough came in 2009, when Golden led Temple to a 9-3 regular season and its first bowl berth since 1979. The following year, the Owls went 8-4 but were passed over for a bowl game.

When Golden left for Miami, the Owls went and hired one of the best assistants in the nation in Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio. He led the Owls to a 9-4 season -- Temple's third straight winning season -- and a win over Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl, which was just the second bowl win in school history.

So perhaps the story today should not be what expansion has done to the Big East. That storyline has been rehashed about as many times as John Marinatto has told us all about the value of expanding the league footprint from coast to coast. Losing Syracuse, Pitt, TCU and West Virginia painted the Big East into this corner. We could play Sunday Morning Quarterback about whether perceived passiveness or ineptitude got the Big East here. Bottom line: Adding Temple had to be done.

Therefore the story today should be the second chance that has been afforded Temple -- much in the same way TCU got its second chance in the Big 12. Like the Owls, TCU was the bottom feeder of the Southwest Conference for years before getting kicked to the curb in 1994. There was little need for yet another Texas school, especially one that had made a habit of winning only a handful of games a season.

TCU worked its way back up, making it to multiple BCS games and securing an invite to the Big East before its true love, the Big 12, came calling last year. Temple has yet to achieve the same success as TCU. For all its improvements, Temple is still in its infancy as a winning program, and never once played for the MAC title -- despite being favored to win its division in 2010.

An added bonus this time around is the inclusion of its entire sports program, giving the Big East a solid hoops power to help make up for the heavy losses it took in that sport. Remember, this is the Big East we are talking about, and basketball has absolutely played a role in the additions of Memphis and Temple.

No matter how this move is perceived on the outside, Temple -- perhaps more than all the others -- must show the Big East made the right call in re-extending an invitation. No more falling back into the 1-10 doldrums, the winless conference seasons. The Big East may look different, but the league is still a step up from the MAC. Have the Owls made enough progress in just a handful of seasons to be a legitimate contender? Or at least a team that can continue to go to bowl games?

The answer may very well depend on the Big East, the most unpredictable league in America. Adding eight new teams only adds to that unpredictability.

Temple has been granted its immediate release from the MAC and will pay a $6 million fee to leave for another conference, the school and league announced in a joint statement Wednesday.

The Owls are set to join the Big East, sources told ESPN.com. A Big East news conference to introduce a new member has been set for later this afternoon in New York. Temple coach Steve Addazio, athletic director Bill Bradshaw and Board of Trustees Chairman Lewis Katz are all scheduled to attend.

“Temple University requested to be released from its obligation, as a football-only member of providing two season’s prior notice before departing the Mid-American Conference," MAC commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher said in a statement. "As a result, the conference and its member institutions engaged in a dialogue with Temple regarding an appropriate resolution. We have come to an agreement that is fair to the parties involved.

“As a result, the Mid-American Conference has adjusted its football divisional alignment. Bowling Green State University will compete in the East Division that will consist of seven member institutions. The West Division will have six members. The eight-game conference schedule should be released within several weeks.”

UMass begins play in the MAC this season, so that means the league remains at 13 teams despite Temple's departure. The MAC has played with 13 teams since 2007., so it is used to an unbalanced divisional alignment. When asked about whether the MAC would try to get to 14 teams with Temple's departure, Steinbrecher said in a brief phone interview:

"It's too soon to make any determinations. We'll be very deliberate. There's no reason to rush into anything. We'll sit back and examine the landscape. We'll observe, we'll think strategically as a league and if there are moves that make sense that strengthen or improve us, we'll make those moves."

Bowling Green moves back to the East, where it has traditionally played. The Falcons were moved to the West to make room for UMass.

“We never left the East on the playing field so nothing changes from our standpoint,” Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said in a statement. “Regardless of division we still play eight MAC opponents, but all things being equal we would prefer to remain in the East with our traditional Ohio MAC rivals, as well as continuing the ‘Battle of I-75’ with Toledo.”

Here is the MAC divisional alignment:

East Division: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, UMass, Miami (Ohio), Ohio

West Division: Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan

The Big East has voted in Temple for the 2012 season, sources told ESPN.com.

The move was expected, as the league was in major need of adding another team for this upcoming season to make up for the departure of West Virginia. Temple, remember, was kicked out of the Big East back in 2004 because of under performance. During its time as a Big East member from 1991-2004, Temple won 14 total league games.

But the Owls have rebounded, first under Al Golden and now under Steve Addazio, making bowl games in two of the past three seasons.

A press conference is expected to be held later Wednesday in New York announcing the move.

Could Temple be the next program to join the Big East?

Sources confirmed to ESPN.com that the school is in discussions with the league about joining as early as 2012. The New York Times first reported the story.

The Big East is trying to add one more school for the 2012 season in order to get back to eight football-playing schools, following the departure of West Virginia to the Big 12. Getting another school in would alleviate major scheduling concerns with just seven schools in the league. Adding Boise State a year early had been an option, but it appears the Broncos are leaning toward staying in the Mountain West for one more year.

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti says he already has a short list of candidates to become the next head coach of the Scarlet Knights.

So what exactly is he looking for?

“I think there are a lot of criteria," he said Thursday. "No. 1, we want the right kind of person. Understanding and being able to have your arms around the culture of the tri-state area I think is critical to being successful at Rutgers. So much of it has been built around being able to recruit on a somewhat regional level, that I think not only having a great understanding, but having really deep and strong relationships in the tri-state area. I think those are two very critical factors in this whole thing.”

Who fits the description? Here are a few possibilities:

Temple coach Steve Addazio. In his first season as the head coach at Temple, Addazio went 9-4 and brought the Owls back to a bowl game. He has ties to the tri-state area, having grown up and coached in Connecticut. He also served as an assistant at Syracuse in the 1990s and he clearly has established ties in the past year in the Pennsylvania area. That state has been a huge recruiting area for Rutgers, particularly given what has happened to Penn State.

Florida International coach Mario Cristobal. One of the brightest up-and-coming coaches in the country, Cristobal has done for FIU what Schiano did for Rutgers. He completely resurrected a program mired in misery, taking it to its first-ever conference title and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time, too. FIU is obviously a much younger program, but Cristobal has got the coaching and recruiting chops. Plus, he worked under Schiano at Rutgers from 2001-03, so he has a familiar with the recruiting area. Cristobal was also a candidate for the Pitt job before ultimately deciding he wanted to stay in the South Florida area. What could Rutgers say to change his mind?

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. A defensive mastermind like Schiano (who also served as defensive coordinator this past season), Diaco is from Cedar Grove, N.J., and has some coaching experience in the Big East. He was an assistant at Cincinnati under then-coach Brian Kelly before leaving to join Kelly with the Irish.

Time to put a bow on non-AQ bowl season and look at what we learned.

1. Boise State should have been in a BCS game. We already knew that going into bowl season, but Boise State's 56-24 dismantling of Arizona State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas just served as a fresh reminder that the Broncos were done an injustice. Combine that with the mistake-filled Allstate Sugar Bowl between Michigan and Virginia Tech, and you get that "woulda, shoulda, coulda" feeling all over again. Playing in the Vegas bowl game was not only unfair to the Broncos, who had to bid farewell to Kellen Moore on a weeknight in December, it was unfair to the Sun Devils. Both teams deserved a chance to play a team more on their own level. Being paired up against San Diego State would have made a much better game for Arizona State; A Michigan-Boise State matchup would have been much more appealing as well. Instead, Boise State is left with an unsatisfying end to the season.

2. Houston was fired up. OK maybe that was an understatement. Houston came out with its full passing arsenal and completely obliterated Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl. It was a bigger rout than the 30-14 final score indicates, as Houston led 24-7 at halftime. Despite losing a shot to play in the BCS, and then losing head coach Kevin Sumlin, the Cougars clearly felt they had something to prove. Case Keenum threw for 532 yards and three touchdowns on a defense that was giving up an average of 162 yards through the air headed into the game. The bowl performance capped Keenum's NCAA record-breaking career, and also allowed Houston to complete the best season in school history at 13-1.

3. MWC not as dominant. Last season, the Mountain West rolled to a 4-1 bowl record and its fourth Bowl Challenge Cup. But the success was not replicated this year. The Mountain West went 2-3 in its bowl games, with two losses to the MAC (Wyoming to Temple, Air Force to Toledo) and one loss to the Sun Belt (San Diego State to Louisiana-Lafayette). If you fashion yourself as one of the top conferences in the country, you have got to win all your bowl games against non-AQ competition. Boise State and TCU once again held up their end of the bargain, but the story of this conference has been and will continue to be its lack of quality depth top to bottom. You can add in Nevada, which joins in 2012, and the Mountain West went 2-4 -- 1-4 against non-AQ competition.

4. MAC, C-USA shine. On the other end of the spectrum, bravo to the MAC and C-USA for putting together 4-1 marks during bowl season. C-USA went 2-0 against competition from the AQ conferences, with wins for Houston over Penn State, and SMU over Pitt. In the MAC, the Toledo-Air Force game was perhaps one of the best of the entire bowl season, with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun calling a fake extra point attempt to win the game instead of heading to overtime. Toledo was prepared, and the 42-41 win gave 32-year-old Rockets head coach Matt Campbell his first victory. Ohio pulled a come-from-behind stunner on Utah State to win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 24-23 -- the first bowl win in school history. Northern Illinois ended the season with its ninth straight win, and Temple cruised.

5. BYU ends with 10 wins. Closing Year 1 as an independent with a 24-21 win over Tulsa in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, meant the Cougars notched their fifth bowl win in the last six season and ended with 10 victories. How much fun was it to see Riley Nelson unleash the fake spike just before throwing the winning touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman? That win earned them a No. 25 ranking in the final coaches' poll, also the fifth time in the last six seasons they ended in the Top 25. BYU is one of only 11 programs nationally to be ranked in at least one of the two major polls during five of the last six seasons.

Bowl season kicked off with Temple capping one of the best seasons in school history in a 37-15 win Saturday over Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M. Here's how it went down:

Turning point: Chris Coyer hit Rod Streater for a 61-yard touchdown pass to give Temple a 28-7 lead with 19 seconds left in the first half. The play came just 18 seconds after Brett Smith and Josh Doctson hooked up for a 21-yard score to get Wyoming on the board and perhaps give the Cowboys some momentum heading into the second half. No dice, as the Owls immediately responded. As a consolation, Wyoming did get possibly the most entertaining extra point of the season, as Daniel Sullivan's kick hit both uprights before falling through for the Cowboys' seventh point of the game.

Stat of the game: Temple rushed for 255 yards and did not turn the ball over. That was key for the Owls, who entered the game with the nation's No. 7 rushing attack. Wyoming, meanwhile, did little to improve its 115th-ranked rush defense, which entered the game giving up more than 230 yards on the ground per game.

Player of the game: In what may have been his final collegiate game, Bernard Pierce rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. The junior carried it 10 times on Temple's first two series, which both finished with him in the end zone. Coyer deserves plenty of credit as well, as he completed 8 of 12 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown while adding 70 rushing yards on just 12 carries.

What it means: The winningest senior class in Temple history notched the program's second-ever bowl win and the Owls' first in 32 years since they won the Garden State Bowl in 1979. Coach Steve Addazio received a Gatorade shower for his team's performance. The Owls finished the season with nine wins, including the last four in a row. Temple is -- at the moment, at least -- the most stable college football program in the state of Pennsylvania, and the Owls have tons of momentum heading into Year 2 of the Addazio era.

The prediction is in the books. Now it's time to look at the keys for Temple and Wyoming for Saturday's New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

Temple (8-4)

1. Establish Bernard Pierce early. The junior keys the nation's No. 7 rushing offense and is facing a weak run defense against the Cowboys.

2. Get to Brett Smith. The strength of the Owls' defense is their pass rush. They lead the MAC in sacks and are 17th nationally. Smith has been impressive for a true freshman quarterback and has a strong offensive line in front of him, presenting a challenge for Temple.

3. Don't be overwhelmed by the moment. This is not a top-tier bowl, but it is a big platform for Temple, which is riding a three-game winning streak and might be the most stable program in Pennsylvania at the moment. In going for their first bowl win since 1979, at the EagleBank Bowl in 2009, the Owls blew a 21-7 lead to UCLA and gained just 41 second-half yards in a 30-21 loss. Temple could generate plenty of momentum with a win Saturday, which would be huge for first-year coach Steve Addazio to build off.

Wyoming (8-4)

1. Win the turnover battle. Easier said than done against a Temple offense tied for third in the nation in fewest turnovers lost, with 12. But Wyoming's front-seven will simply need to make big plays against Pierce and Co., as the matchup heavily favors Temple on the ground. The Cowboys are fifth in the nation in turnover margin, at plus-15.

2. Contain Evan Rodriguez. The tight end is Temple's leading receiver, with 33 catches and 427 yards on the season. The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder provides a big target for sophomore Chris Coyer, who will likely be making the fourth start of his career.

3. Send Gabe Knapton out strong. Three different positions and 49 career games have led to to 361 career tackles for the current end, who is 10th among active players and sixth in Mountain West Conference history. Knapton and his Abe Lincoln-like beard will take the field for the final time Saturday.

Temple and Wyoming are meeting for the second time in the schools' histories. The Cowboys topped the Owls, 38-23, on Sept. 1, 1990. Temple is bowl-eligible for the third straight season and is looking for its first bowl win since the Garden State Bowl in 1979, which marked the only bowl win in school history. Coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2010, Wyoming, meanwhile, is looking to end 2011 on a strong note after completing the third-biggest turnaround among FBS teams this season.

WHO TO WATCH: Bernard Pierce. Could this be it for Pierce? Arguably the most prolific running back in Temple history, Pierce rushed for 1,381 yards and 25 touchdowns (third-best in the nation) this season despite missing one game with a concussion. For his career, the junior has school records of 52 touchdowns and 312 points scored. His 3,470 career rushing yards are second. Pierce is coming off a career-best 189-yard performance in the Owls' regular-season finale against Kent State. He has submitted paperwork for the NFL advisory board.

WHAT TO WATCH: Wyoming's rush defense. The decorated Pierce could have a field day against the Cowboys, who rank 115th nationally in rush defense, allowing more than 230 yards on the ground per game. Wyoming does, however, have a knack for the ball, forcing 31 turnovers this season, good for fifth-best in the nation. It is also tied for fifth in the nation in turnover margin, at plus-15.

WHY TO WATCH: This five-year-old bowl is pitting eight-win teams against each other for the first time in its history. Wyoming is going for its first nine-win season since its 10-2 campaign in 1996. The Cowboys played in the New Mexico Bowl two years ago and upset Fresno State, 35-28, in a double-overtime thriller. The winningest senior class in Temple history (30), meanwhile, is looking to finish strong and clinch the fourth nine-win season in school history.

PREDICTION: Temple 38, Wyoming 21. Better late than never, right? Seeking its first bowl win in 32 years, Temple's flight to Albuquerque was delayed Wednesday, forcing the team to move back its practice time and then be late for a welcome reception and dinner. The Owls have the best player on the field in Pierce. They have the third-best scoring defense in the country. And they're riding a three-game winning streak and string of success unparalleled in school history.

Temple Owls (8-4) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (8-4)

Dec. 17, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Temple take: The Owls are back in a bowl under first-year coach Steve Addazio. They were bowl eligible last year but were not picked as an at-large selection. Running back Bernard Pierce has been incredible yet again. He earned All-MAC first-team honors, rushing for 1,381 yards and 25 touchdowns -- including a stellar 5.6 yards per carry.

They also have an outstanding backup, Matt Brown, who was a third-team conference selection for contributing 867 yards and five scores. Together they have teamed up to lead the nation's No. 7 rushing offense with 256.6 yards on the ground per game. Temple has had some quarterback issues, however, rotating through Chris Coyer, Mike Gerardi and Chester Stewart. Coyer is more of a fit for what Addazio likes to run with the spread, but he got hurt in the finale against Kent State, so Stewart and Gerardi are once again in the mix for the bowl game. Gerardi actually came into the year as the starter, but until the Kent State finale, hadn't played since Week 3.

Linebacker Stephen Johnson paces a stingy Owls' defense with 62 stops on the year. They allow just 13.8 points per game -- third nationally in scoring defense -- while allowing 122.5 rushing yards per game.

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Wyoming take: Quite the surprise season from the Cowboys from Laramie. When last year's quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels -- the 2009 conference freshman of the year -- announced he was transferring, many thought Wyoming would sink. But freshman quarterback Brett Smith has been fantastic in his first season, rallying Wyoming to a eight wins -- including signature road wins at San Diego State and at Air Force. Ironically, Smith likely wins the Mountain West's freshman of the year award once held by his predecessor.

Wyoming lost top wide receiver Chris McNeill, who suffered a season-ending arm injury last month against Air Force, but Mazi Ogbonna has filled the void as best he can, catching 39 balls and three touchdowns on the year.

Despite good defensive numbers from Luke Ruff, Brian Hendricks and Gabe Knapton, the Cowboys give up a lot of yards -- 432.25 per game. They rank 115th nationally in rush defense, yielding 230.8 yards per game on the ground.

Turnovers are the name of the game for the Cowboys, who rank fourth nationally in turnover margin with 31 takeaways on the season -- recovering 18 fumbles and 13 interceptions.