Hyperbole is something Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger gladly pleads guilty to.

But today's game between FAU and Troy is big enough that even Schnellenberger had trouble over-hyping it.

"This is a new thing for a game to have such monumental consequences and opportunities," Schnellenberger said.

If FAU (6-5, 5-1 Sun Belt) can beat Troy (8-3, 6-0), it will win a share of the conference title and earn a berth in the Dec. 21 New Orleans Bowl.

And the Owls will have done that in their seventh year of existence, and second as a full-fledged member of the Sun Belt and Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A).

A win would be so big that Schnellenberger believes even the hyperbole would be affected.

"The recruiting language and speech of our coaches will take on a new meaning and new level of hyperbole and [recruits] will listen better and be more apt to visit," Schnellenberger said.

Getting better recruits is just one of the benefits Schnellenberger sees from earning a bowl bid and conference title. Others include two extra weeks of practice and more national attention for the program.

FAU players know what is on the line against Troy, the defending conference champions and a team the Owls have not beaten in four tries.

"This is the biggest game we have played yet," senior defensive back Taheem Acevedo said. "That is why we are out there practicing as hard as we can. You don't want this to be your last game."

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By Ted Hutton
South Florida Sun-Sentinel