2018 Bahamas Bowl
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| 2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 5th Bahamas Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 21, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Thomas Robinson Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Nassau, Bahamas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Christian Alexander (QB, FIU) & Edwin Freeman (LB, FIU) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Toledo by 5.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Michael VanderVelde (MW) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 13,510 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$225,000 [2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN and Gameday Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Steve Levy, Desmond Howard and Laura Rutledge (ESPN) Kyle Wiggs and Rob Best (Gameday Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2018 Bahamas Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 21, 2018.[3] It was the fifth edition of the Bahamas Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by Elk Grove Village, Illinois, the game was officially called the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.[4][5]
The game featured the FIU Panthers of Conference USA against the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference. The matchup was announced on November 25, 2018, making this the first bowl matchup of the season to have both teams confirmed.[6]
FIU Panthers
This was the fourth matchup between these two teams, with FIU holding a 2–1 lead in the series.[7] They met in the 2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, which FIU won, 34–32.
FIU accepted a bid to the Bahamas Bowl on November 25.[8] The Panthers entered the bowl with an 8–4 record (6–2 in conference). FIU's usual starting quarterback, James Morgan, was unavailable for the game due to a sore shoulder, resulting in backup Christian Alexander getting the start.[9]
Toledo Rockets
Toledo accepted a bid to the Bahamas Bowl on November 25.[8] The Rockets entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference).