Buffalo vs. Charlotte Bahamas Bowl: One school will get first-ever bowl win

There will be a first in the Bahamas Bowl on Friday, which kicks off college football's postseason schedule this year. Mid-American Conference school Buffalo is 0-3 all-time in bowl games, while Conference USA opponent Charlotte is playing its first-ever bowl game, so some school will return to the U.S. with a historic victory. Kickoff is Friday at 2 p.m. ET from Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, with Buffalo as a 6.5-point favorite on the college football odds.

Buffalo (7-5) lost in the 2008 International Bowl, 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and last year's Dollar General Bowl, 42-32 to Troy. The Bulls were MAC East champions in 2018, blowing a 19-point lead and losing to Northern Illinois in the conference title game, and finished in a three-way tie for second in the East this year at 5-3. Buffalo has won five of its past six games and also is 5-1 ATS in that stretch. Tailback Jaret Patterson set single-season team records for rushing yards (1,626) and rushing touchdowns (17).

Few coaches nationally did a better job this year than Charlotte's first-year Will Healy. The 49ers have been an FBS program for just five years and had a losing record in the first four. Coach Brad Lambert was fired following a 5-7 campaign in 2018 and Charlotte hired Healy, who had plenty of success at the FCS level with Austin Peay. Healy was only hired after Mike Houston backed out of the job and decided to go to East Carolina.

Charlotte (7-5) started the year 2-5 but won its final five games (4-1 ATS) to get bowl eligible. When the team learned its bowl fate, Healy celebrated by dancing shirtless while wearing the mascot head. The defensive star is former walk-on Alex Highsmith, who leads C-USA and ranks second in the FBS with a school-record 14.0 sacks

This will be the first matchup between the schools. C-USA is 3-2 vs. the MAC in the Bahamas Bowl.