Birmingham Bowl: East Carolina vs. Florida

• Birmingham Bowl

East Carolina (8-4) vs. Florida (6-5)

Time: 9 a.m. Location: Birmingham, Ala. TV: ESPN.

The buzz: Florida is in flux. Will Muschamp is out as coach. His replacement, Jim McElwain, hasn’t started yet. And interim coach D.J. Durkin, the Gators’ defensive coordinator, already knows he is being replaced. Florida will depend on its solid defensive unit and a run-heavy offense that worked during an upset victory over rival Georgia. East Carolina lost its last game, to Central Florida, on a Hail Mary pass. The Pirates have wins over Virginia Tech and North Carolina and boast a prolific passing attack led by Shane Carden that averages 367.3 yards per game. Justin Hardy, the NCAA’s career receptions leader, has 110 catches for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Orlando Sentinel