NBC Washington’s Jim Iovino is having a hard time getting pumped for this evening’s EagleBank Bowl — so skip those jokers and join DCist in getting totally fraking psyched. This is a game of supreme significance, for reasons not least of which being that DCist boss of all bosses Sommer Mathis is a proud UCLA alum. DCist doesn’t take sides officially, but since this is not even a contest — Temple is going to get so stomped — this writer can only say hook ’em Bruins!

To be sure, tonight’s EagleBank Bowl does not represent the pinnacle of collegiate athletic performance. Neither of the teams contractually obligated to appear in this game — Army and whoever comes up number 8 in the ACC — posted good enough records to actually appear in the game. The Army Black Knights finished 5-7 after suffering a defeat at the hands of rival Navy (who appeared in last year’s inaugural EagleBank Bowl). Not exactly a shock-and-awe campaign. And it’s better not to even ask what’s going on near the bottom of the ACC. Suffice it to say that fairly few ACC teams at the top mustered the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility.

Quality of football notwithstanding, the EagleBank Bowl made the bright decision to push its schedule to a mid-holiday date to boost ticket sales. With the Christmas and Hannukah holidays behind us, and given the Christmas Day health care vote that kept so many Capitol Hill types in town, the EagleBank Bowl might expect a boost in walk-up attendance.

What DC-based Bruin fan doesn’t want a ticket to this execution? Temple might have picked up nine uninterrupted wins on the strength of tailback Bernard Pierce (before a Thanksgiving weekend loss at Ohio) to make for a convincing 9-3 record. But the MAC just doesn’t stack up against the PAC-10. The Bruins may have won just three games in their conference, but their defense has been tempered by matchups against #13 Oregon, #20 USC, and #22 Arizona. What Bruin fan doesn’t want a ticket to this execution?