LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Players from the winning team in Wednesday's Holiday Bowl will have the unique honor of dousing their head coach with a seasonal favorite.
Either Louisville's Jeff Brohm or USC's Lincoln Riley will receive an eggnog bath instead of the customary Gatorade. DirecTV, the bowl game's sponsor, made the announcement Tuesday.
Louisville (10-3, 7-1 ACC) is looking to cap an impressive season that saw the Cardinals play in the ACC championship game for the first time. USC (7-5, 5-4 PAC 12) had high hopes this season, but lost five of their last six games to end the year.
Both teams will be without key players who are either skipping the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft or in the transfer portal.
The Cardinals will be down leading rusher Jawhar Jordan (1,128 yards, 13 touchdowns) and leading receiver Jamari Thrash (858 yards, six TDs). Both are sitting out to prepare for the draft.
You can expect UofL to lean heavily on running backs Isaac Guerendo (649 yards, eight TDs) and Maurice Turner.
The most notable omission from the game is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who could be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner threw for 10,082 yards and 93 TDs in his three-year college career.
The Trojans will also be without leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd and receiver Brendan Rice.
Several other players from both teams entered the transfer portal and will not play.
This is the first meeting between Louisville and USC. Brohm is 4-1 in bowl games; Riley is 1-4.
The Cardinals are favored by 7 points.
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