BBQ Baked Footbeans: The Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans

When it comes to bowl games played on fields that specify the distance to the beach from the sideline, none are more prestigious than the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. Yes, you read that correctly, the Boca Raton Bowl is now a Bowl of Beans. With corporate sponsorships playing a bigger and bigger role in supporting bowl games with the goofier ones being the titles that cut through the static, it was only a matter of time until we landed on a Bowl of Beans. I, for one, am ecstatic. Also ecstatic are our two contestants in the Battle 1.8 Miles From the Beach: the Toledo Rockets and the Louisville Cardinals!

Boca Beans Bowl

The Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans takes place at Howard Schnellenberger Field at Flagler Credit Union Stadium, the home of the Florida Atlantic Owls. With FAU being one of college football’s youngest programs, so too is its stadium, which opened in 2010. The Boca Raton Bowl came just four years later, along with the excitement and pageantry that follows teams from the MAC, Conference USA and the American. On a personal note, I have very fond memories of this stadium, as I turned 21 on this field during a game that ended early in the morning after multiple hours long lightning delays.

In the eleven previous iterations of the game, the Boca Bowl has been dominated by Conference USA who has won six of their seven appearances. Western Kentucky has been the most successful of those CUSA schools, appearing three times and winning twice. Many great players have graced the Boca Raton Bowl’s field, including Rakeem Cato, Zach Wilson, Azeez Al-Shaair and Bailey Zappe. There have been many memorable moments in the history of this bowl game, with Toledo toppling 24th ranked Temple in 2015 and 13th ranked BYU beating UCF in 2020, but my personal favorite iteration was the 2022 edition that saw Toledo narrowly defeat Liberty 21-19.

This battle between midwestern juggernauts will be their ninth ever meeting, with Louisville controlling the series 5-3. Despite living in neighboring states, these two relatively successful programs have rarely played, with their last meeting coming in 1981, where the Cardinals defeated the Rockets 31-6. Toledo leads all schools in Boca Raton Bowl appearances with three, and this will be Louisville football’s first ever trip to Boca Raton.

Meet the Cardinals

The home team on the scoreboard will be the ACC’s Louisville, who are coached by Louisville native and former Cardinal QB Jeff Brohm in his third season. Brohm made a name for himself in his two previous head coaching stops at Western Kentucky and Purdue. Fun fact: Brohm’s head coach when he played for Louisville was Howard Schnellenberger, the man for whom FAU’s football field was named. Louisville had an exciting 2025 season that included one of the year’s most shocking upsets over 2nd ranked Miami, as well as a Governor’s Cup victory against Kentucky. Their 8-4 finish was one that Cardinal fans felt could have been much better, but there is a clear sense that things are heading in the right direction.

Louisville’s team is led by pocket-passing USC transfer Miller Moss, who despite having a decline in production from his Trojan days has still led a potent offense. While Moss has confirmed he will play, the rest of the Cardinals roster has been riddled with injuries and opt-outs. Leading receiver Chris Bell will be held out due to injury, as will three of Louisville’s top four running backs. The defense is also banged up, as two defensive line starters in Rene Konga and Wesley Bailey have already opted-out. The team's top interception and sack artists are among those not participating, but defensive leaders LB TJ Quinn and DL Clev Lubin will be playing.

Meet the Rockets

On the other side of the ball, the Rockets have left MACtion in an even sorrier state of affairs following head coach Jason Candle’s departure to take over the UConn football program. Robert Weiner will be serving as interim head coach, who just six years ago was coaching high school football. After being picked to win the MAC this year, Toledo’s 8-4 performance felt as a disappointment with a number of losses in winnable games. Losing close games against Kentucky, Western Michigan and Bowling Green, this felt like a season that got away from the Rockets. Apparently the coaching staff and roster agreed, as a large amount of the coaching staff and multiple starters have already left the program.

Toledo will be without their veteran QB Tucker Gleason who is doubtful to play due to injury. Freshman Kalieb Osborne will be taking over the offense, who really hasn’t had enough experience to show us what his potential is in this one. Toledo’s top rusher is Chip Trayanum, who needs only 50 yards to eclipse the one thousand yard mark. His 11 touchdowns on the season mirror those of leading WR Junior Vandeross III, who has 947 receiving yards on the season for this balanced offensive attack. Starting LT Stephen Gales and LG Carter Fouty are unlikely to play. Defensive standouts LB K’Von Sherman and All-American Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are currently expected to play, though the latter has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Regardless of who is available and who isn’t, everyone in Boca Raton is fully active for the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans! The Cardinals and Rockets are finally poised to answer the question that has been burned into everyone’s minds: Beans?