The Fenway Bowl takes place on Saturday inside the home of MLB's Boston Red Sox as Cincinnati takes on Louisville to conclude their respective 2022 seasons. Well, it at least appears that will be the case. Given the Fenway Bowl's history, we shouldn't assume anything. The game was created to debut during the 2020 season but was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. In 2021, Virginia and SMU were chosen to play in the game but it was again canceled when Virginia had to back out due to COVID issues on the roster.
Will the third time be the charm?
Let's hope so because football games in baseball stadiums are always worth watching for the sightlines alone. There's nothing quite like the possibility of a receiver reaching for an overthrown ball along the sideline and running into a dugout, is there? The Fenway Bowl is one of four bowl games played in baseball stadiums these days. The others are the Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium), Holiday Bowl (Petco Park) and Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Chase Field).
How to watch Fenway Bowl live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17 | Time: 11 a.m. ET
Location: Fenway Park -- Boston
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Cincinnati vs. Louisville: Need to know
An old rivalry took on new significance this month: Cincinnati and Louisville are longtime rivals thanks to shared conference allegiances in the past, as well as their proximity. The two schools, separated by only 100 miles, first played in 1929. In 1966 they began an annual series for one of the best trophies in college football, The Keg of Nails. The series ended in 2013 as Louisville joined the ACC for the 2014 season. This is their first meeting since, and it took on an added significance when Louisville coach Scott Satterfield left the Cardinals to take the open job at Cincinnati after Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin. Satterfield will not be coaching the Bearcats for this game, which is probably for the best, seeing as how the two teams will share a sideline (baseball stadium!).
Malik Cunningham will not play for Louisville: Opt-outs are a part of bowl games these days, and the Fenway Bowl will be no different. The biggest name missing from the game will be Louisville QB Malik Cunningham. Cunningham has been one of the more exciting players in the country the last few years, though he had a bit of a "down" 2022 due to injury. Of course, a "down" season for Cunningham still means 2,166 total yards and 20 total touchdowns in 10 games. Expect Brock Domann to start in his place.
This is the first time Cincinnati hasn't played in a New Year's Six Bowl since 2019: Last year the Bearcats reached the College Football Playoff and lost to Alabama 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl. The year before they found themselves in the Peach Bowl against a Georgia team comprised of a lot of players who would win a national title the following year. The Bearcats nearly pulled off the upset in that game, but fell short 24-21. The last time they won a bowl was their last trip to one that wasn't a NY6 game. They crushed Boston College 38-6 in the 2019 Birmingham Bowl, and a win here would give the Bearcats 10 wins for the fourth time in five seasons. The only time they didn't win 10 games was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season that saw them play only 10 games.
Fenway Bowl prediction, picks
Bowl games like this are essentially a coin flip because not only are teams working with smaller rosters due to opt-outs and transfers, but you have to figure out which team is more motivated to be there. Hopefully, with this being a rivalry game, both teams show up ready to play. If forced to choose a side now, I'd take Louisville. The Cardinals became an underdog when Cunningham opted out, but Domann has plenty of experience running the offense. Prediction: Louisville +1.5
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