Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 3
Where: Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala.
TV: ESPN
Westgate Superbook line: Florida (-7)

With Alabama not moving on to the National Championship, Saturday’s Birmingham Bowl featuring the Florida Gators and ECU Pirates will be the SEC’s last bowl appearance of this bowl season.

Florida will be without Will Muschamp for the first time since he was officially dismissed following the Gators’ regular-season finale. In regard to the big picture, this game won’t mean much for Florida, who has moved on from Muschamp and will enter in the Jim McElwain era as soon as this game ends.

The new head coach is cleaning house and this Gator football team will have a much different look to it come 2015.

ECU will be a challenging opponent for the Gators. The Pirates boast one of the most potent passing attacks in college football thanks to quarterback Shane Carden and the Air Raid offense. Florida’s secondary should receive a very good test on Saturday.

Five Things to Watch

  1. UF’s secondary has been on a tear since October, but how will the defensive backs fare against ECU’s productive Air Raid offense?
  2. What will the emotions be like for the Gators, who will be without their head coach for the first time since being officially dismissed.
  3. How will the weather affect the bowl game? Saturday’s forecast is cold and rainy in Birmingham.
  4. What returning players will step up on Saturday? I’m sure many want to make a good first impression for the new head coach.
  5. How will Treon Harris respond in his first bowl game appearance?

Florida

Motivation: There’s not much difference in six or seven wins, but I’m sure the Gators would love to finish above .500 and not at 6-6. With Jim McElwain taking over after the bowl game, I’m sure many Gators would love to make a good first impression. Most every player will go into spring camp on the same level in the eyes of McElwain, so a strong bowl performance may give certain players an edge in those position competitions later on in the offseason.

If you’ve never seen them play: The Gators’ defensive backs are easily their most talented position group. Since October, Florida has allowed just five passing touchdowns, picked off nine passes and allowed more than 225 passing yards in a game once. Vernon Hargreaves, a two-time All-American and sophomore, is the clear star of this group. He’s arguably the top corner in all of college football.

Weakness: Passing game. Florida’s struggled to develop any consistency in the passing game this season, whether it was Jeff Driskel or Treon Harris. At times, Harris has shown some great touch on deep passes, but overall, he’s rather inaccurate. ECU will need to force Florida into passing situations in order to keep the Gators off the scoreboard.

East Carolina

Motivation: For any team like ECU, the opportunity to take on a brand name and a team from the SEC will always add some extra motivation. For a while, the Pirates appeared to be a possible threat as a non-Power 5 team, but they faltered throughout the year, including a last-second loss to UCF on a hail mary. Even though the Gators have struggled this season, there’s a great opportunity for ECU to prove itself against one of the premier programs in college football.

If you’ve never seen them play: ECU relies heavily on its passing attack for success. It’s Air Raid offense has produced the nation’s third-best passing offense at 367.3 yards per game. Quarterback Shane Carden and wide receiver Justin Hardy are the two standout players within the offense and both will be paramount to the Pirates’ chances on Saturday.

Weakness: Pass defense. ECU’s defense was average throughout the year, but its pass defense unit is a bit of a liability. The Pirates allowed 262.6 passing yards per game, good for ninth in the AAC. Fortunately for ECU, the Gators don’t have a very formidable passing attack and will be focusing on its run game to score points.