Bowl season heats up with three games slated for Friday

Friday’s bowl games

Bahamas: Old Dominion (9-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5), at Nassau, Bahamas, 10 a.m., ESPN — We have a couple of novice bowlers here. Eastern Michigan has been to one bowl in its football program’s history; Old Dominion has been to none. While Western Michigan has captured headlines with its undefeated season, Eastern Michigan has as many wins this year as it did in the previous four seasons combined. Quarterback Brogan Roback has completed nearly 60% of his passes while spreading the ball around — 10 Eagles players have at least 10 receptions. Old Dominion has won eight of its last night games, and quarterback David Washington has passed for 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions. The pick: Eastern Michigan, 35-31.

Armed Forces: Navy (9-4) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5), at Fort Worth, Texas, 1:30 p.m., ESPN — Navy looked like it might be headed to the Cotton Bowl before it ran into Temple. The Midshipmen not only lost that game, they lost two of their better players — quarterback Will Worth and slot back Toneo Gulley, who sustained season-ending broken foot bones on the same play. Worth had Navy’s triple-option offense in high gear before that game, and his replacement, Zach Abey, has been shaky. Louisiana Tech quarterback Ryan Higgins is No. 3 in the nation with 4,208 yards passing to go with 37 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. The pick: Louisiana Tech, 38-31.

Dollar General: Ohio (8-5) vs. Troy (9-3), at Mobile, Ala., 5 p.m., ESPN — Troy is making its first bowl appearance in six years, when it played — and defeated — Ohio in the New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans played toe to toe with Clemson, losing, 30-24, early in the season before running off seven consecutive victories and breaking into the national rankings at No. 25. Troy then lost two of its last three. Ohio also has lost two of its last three, but gave unbeaten Western Michigan all it could handle in the Mid-American Conference championship game, losing 29-23. The pick: Ohio, 24-18.

mike.hiserman@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeHiserman