Friday bowl game schedule and open thread

As you languidly rise from your Christmas Day-induced food comma, take respite in the fact that you can spend most of Friday laying on the couch watching bowl games.

We've got a trio of games beginning at noon CT and stretching into the night. No, none of them feature SEC teams and no, none of them are really that intriguing ... but it's college football so quit your repining and watch.

Louisiana Tech, who came just a couple minutes away from the Conference USA title, kicks the day off against a 6-6 Illinois team playing in its first bowl game since 2011. The ACC and B1G face off when North Carolina plays Rutgers in the afternoon, then UCF and NC State provide the nightcap.

Here are a few previews to get you ready:

The Champaign Room previews Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

Tar Heel Blog previews UNC vs. Rutgers | On the Banks preview

Backing the Pack previews UCF vs. NC State

And here are the game times and TV info for Friday:

Fri, Dec 26, 2014
Noon CT ESPN	Illinois	vs. (Heart of Dallas Bowl)	Louisiana Tech
3:30 PM CT ESPN	North Carolina	vs. (Quick Lane Bowl)	Rutgers
7:00 PM CT ESPN	UCF	vs. (Bitcoin Bowl)	NC State