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Michigan knocked off Washington 34-13 for the school's first outright national title since 1948, and first of any kind since 1997 when the Wolverines were voted No. 1 in the AP Poll but Nebraska took that honor in the Coaches' Poll.
Michigan's NCAA-leading 1,004th program win finished a 15-0 campaign, as Washington fell to 14-1 and missed out on claiming its first-ever outright tile. The Huskies were co-champs (Coaches' Poll) with Miami (AP Poll) in 1991.
It's the first national championship for any Big Ten team since Ohio State in the 2014 season. The PAC-12 has not claimed a title since USC in the 2004 season,
The title comes at the end of a season that saw Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh forced to sit for a total of six games for two separate sanctions - one served internally for a 3-game stretch at the start of the season, and the other served by the Big Ten at the end of the regular season. Through all the turmoil, the players and assistant coaches helped keep the team rolling along.
Michigan never trailed in this game, and it was never tied after Donovan Edwards posted the first points on a 41-yard run on the game's opening drive.
Washington pulled to within 7-3 a 25-yard field goal off the foot of Grady Gross on its first possession, but the Wolverines answered by going 86 yards in just 4 plays with that drive culminating with an Edwards touchdown run of 46 yards.
Following a Washington punt on its next possession, Michigan stretched the lead to 17-3 on James Turner's 31-yard field goal, but the Huskies closed the gap to 17-10 with a 3-yard pass to Jalen McMillan from Michael Penix Jr. with only 42 seconds to play in the half.
Washington had a chance to seize momentum by also getting the second kick-off, but that notion was quickly put to rest on a spectacular sideline interception by Will Johnson at the Huskies' 25. Washington was able to hold Michigan to a field goal, and answered with one of its own on their next drive. But that would prove to be the Huskies' final points of the night.
Michigan would add two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. First came a Blake Corum 12-yard run with 7:09 left to play, and after an 81-yard interception return by Mike Sainristil, the Wolverines struck again with a Corum 1-yard run.
Edwards (6 for 104) and Corum (21 for 134) both went over 100 yards rushing to lead Michigan's attack.
Washington joins Michigan in the Big Ten next season, along with fellow PAC-12 members UCLA, USC and Oregon. Meanwhile, PAC-12 teams Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will head to the Big 12, while Cal and Stanford join the ACC. The PAC-12 is left with just Oregon State and Washington State and its long-term future is yet to be determined.
Washington will host Michigan in the fifth game of the 2024 regular season on October 5.
The 60-year-old Harbaugh became the 3rd member of the family to win a national title as a coach. His father, Jack, won the FCS Championship with Western Kentucky in 2002 in his final year of head coaching at the age of 63. At age 50, his slightly older brother John (now 61), defeated Jim's San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII to cap the 2012 season at the age of 50.
After Monday night's win, Jim Harbaugh said, "For me personally, I can now sit at the big person's table in the family." He added, "It's good to be at the big person's table from now on."
Before a single snap was taken in the season, the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com projected a Final Four of Michigan, USC, Florida State, and Tennessee, and Michigan was picked to win the title over USC. The Trojans collapsed after a 6-0 start, Tennessee faltered, and Florida State went undefeated but was unjustly omitted by the playoff committee. Instead, one-loss teams Texas and Alabama joined Michigan and Washington in the Final Four. Scroll down for recaps of those games.
Betting favorites for the bowls season and national title game were 25-17 on 'straight up' plays while the computer was 21-21 on the moneyline due to a 6-10 mark on outright upset predictions. The computer was also 21-21 against the spread while our human-selected Feature Picks were 3-1 outright and 2-2 ATS. We chose very few games to highlight due to the enormous difficulty of trying to handicap games involving teams with depleted rosters due to NFL draft prospects opting out and numerous players entering the transfer portal.
Over-all, more than 2,000 players have entered the portal since the regular season ended on November 25. This past season, 20.5% of all FBS rosters were comprised of transfers.
Latest update: Final Standings after all traditional bowl games.
| Conference | W-L | Games | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independents | 1-0 | 1 | 1.000 |
| PAC-12 | 5-3 | 8 | .625 |
| Big 10 | 5-4 | 9 | .556 |
| Big 12 | 5-4 | 9 | .556 |
| SEC | 5-4 | 9 | .556 |
| American |
3-3 | 6 | .500 |
| CUSA | 2-2 | 4 | .500 |
| ACC | 5-6 | 11 | .455 |
| MWC | 3-4 | 7 | .429 |
| Sun Belt | 5-7 | 12 | .417 |
| MAC | 2-4 | 6 | .333 |
| NOTE: CFP Championship game does not count in bowl standings | |||
In the last of five bowl games on New Year's Day, Washington unintentionally tried to give the game away, but held on for a 37-31 win in Sugar Bowl over Texas to advance to the championship game against Michigan. Both teams are 14-0.
The Huskies could have burned most of the clock if they had lined up in victory formation on their final possession, but continued to hand off the football. No one fumbled but Dillon Johnson was injured on 3rd down to stop the clock with 50 seconds left. Then the long snapper ran into the punt returner and gave Texas an extra 15 yards to start a last-gasp drive at its own 31. The Longhorns were able to get to the Washington 12 before consecutive pass plays went awry and the Huskies could finally celebrate. The PAC-12 gets a team in the national title game for the first time since the first CFP playoff season in 2014 when Oregon lost to Ohio State. Ironically, it comes as the PAC-12 is set to disappear as we know it in 2024 with 10 teams bolting for either the Big 12 or the Big Ten. Texas fought back from 7-point deficits three times in the first half and the teams were knotted at 21 at halftime. Washington opened up a 34-21 lead with 14:51 left in the game, but the Longhorns pulled to within 34-28 with 7:23 to go. A third Grady Gross FG made it 37-28 before Texas returned the favor with a Bert Auburn 25-yarder with just 1:09 left. Washington recovered the onside kick and Texas had used both of its remaining timeouts before Johnson was injured on the 3rd down rushing attempt. A kneel down would have pushed the game clock under 20 seconds, but the rushing attempt and resulting injury halted play with 50 seconds to go. Michael Penix Jr. was 29-of-38 for 430 yards and 2 TD's for the Huskies, and ran 3 times for 31 yards. Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk, who were both 1,000-yard receivers during the regular season, had 100-yard games as Odunze had 6 catches for 125 yards, and Polk had 5 for 122 and a TD. For Texas, Quinn Ewers was 24-of-43 for 218 and a TD, and rushed 8 times for 54 yards. Washington earned a 3rd straight bowl win while Texas lost its second in-a-row.
Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Michigan won the Rose Bowl, 27-20 in overtime, as Blake Corum ran twice for 25 yards on the first possession of the extra period and scored from from 17 yards out on the second attempt. Then, the Michigan defense stuffed Jalen Milroe on a 4th-and-3 rushing attempt to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game in Houston a week from tonight. Corum's 56th career rushing touchdown puts him on top of the list in Michigan history. The Wolverines trailed 20-13 with 4:41 to play after Will Reichard's 52-yard field goal completed a 13-point 'Bama run. Reichard started that stretch with a 50-yarder and Jase McClellan added a 3-yard TD run in the middle of it. But J.J. McCarthy led a 75-yard, 8-play drive to set up a 4-yard toss to Roman Wilson for the tying score with 1:34 remaining. 'Bama then went 5-and-out and a fumbled punt was saved by the Michigan return man at the 1 to prevent disaster. The Wolverines ran out the clock and proceeded to overtime. The win is Michigan's first-ever in the history of the national playoff format. Michigan ended a traditional 6-bowl losing streak while Alabama had its traditional 8-bowl winning streak snapped.
The first college football game of 2024 was the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa and it did not disappoint as LSU took a back-and-forth affair from Wisconsin, 35-31. Tanner Mordecai opted in for Wisconsin and got the Badgers off to a 14-0 start, but Garrett Nussmeier, playing in place of Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, rallied the Tigers to a 35-31 win. The winning points came on a 4-yard pass from Nussmeier to Brian Thomas, Jr. with just 3:08 to play. He finished 31-of-45 for 395 yards with 3 TD passes and an interception. Thomas had 98 yards and 2 TD catches on 8 receptions. Mordecai also had 3 TD passes as he went 27-of-40 for 378 yards of which 143 yards and 2 TD's went came on connections with Will Pauling. LSU improved to 10-3 with the win while Wisconsin slipped to 7-6. The Badgers had 14 more yards of total offense, 506-492,a nd 2 minutes more time of possession, but the LSU defense had 7 tackles for loss and 5 sacks to assist with the victory. The bowl win was the second straight for LSU. The outcome snapped a 3-bowl winning streak for Wisconsin which had won 8 of its previous 9.
The Citrus Bowl went easily to Tennessee, 35-0 over Iowa. Wit Joe Milton having opted-out to prepare for the NFL draft, freshman Nico Iamaleava went 12-of-19 for 151 yards and a TD, and ran for 27 yards and 3 touchdowns. Iowa brought the nation's worst-ranked offense into the game (133 out of 133), but had the 5th-best defense. The 35 points was the most the Hawkeyes allowed all year, but they were shutout for the second straight game after falling 26-0 to Michigan in the Big Ten championship game.
Liberty scored first in the Fiesta Bowl, but never again as Oregon rolled to the 45-6 win behind Bo Nix who was Bo Nix 28-of-35 for 363 yards for 5 touchdowns. The loss ended Liberty's quest for a perfect season (13-1) while the Ducks finished 12-2. Bucky Irving had 117 yards and a TD on 14 carries while Tez Johnson had 11 grabs for 172 yards and a score.
In the first of four more bowl games on December 30, underdog Ole Miss dominated Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl as Jaxson Dart completed 25-of-40 passes for 379 yards and 3 TD's. Tight end Caden Prieskorn caught two of those scoring tosses while hauling in 10 passes for 136 yards. WR Tre Harris also eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark with 134 on 7 catches, while Quinshon Judkins went over 100 yards rushing, amassing 106 yards on 34 carries. Penn State was led by QB Drew Allar who was 19-of-39 for 295 yards with 2 TD passes and a pick. One of those TD passes came with just 4:14 left in the came to make the score more respectable. The Rebels only led 20-17 at halftime but scored 21 unanswered points to break away from the Nittany Lions. Ole Miss snapped a 2-bowl losing streak to improve to 26-15 in its bowl history and notched its first-ever 11-win season (11-2). Penn State fell to 10-3 on the season and 31-20-2 in bowl games.
Maryland opened up a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and rolled to a shockingly easy 31-13 win over Auburn in the Music City Bowl. Opt-outs seemed to point in Auburn's favor with Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa, the all-time leading QB in the Big Ten, among those choosing not to play. He was joined by TE Corey Dyches, and a ton of defensive backfield players. Auburn's main misses were in the secondary as cornerbacks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett sit-out, along with defensive lineman Marcus Harris.It didn't matter, even though the Terps' quarterback play was shaky, at best. Billy Edwards Jr. was 6-of-20 for 126 yards and a TD, and Cameron Edge was 4-of-6 for 82 yards with a TD and a pick. But Auburn had to punt on its first two possessions while Maryland scored touchdowns on its first three drives. The Terrapins finished 8-5 for a second straight season while Auburn dropped to 6-7. Auburn lost a school record 4th straight bowl game while Maryland won its 3rd in-a-row.
One bowl game was about as ugly as everyone thought it could be as the Orange Bowl tuned into a 63-3 rout by Georgia over a depleted Florida State team. The 60-point difference becomes the largest in bowl history. The 'Noles were missing their top players at almost every position, due to either NFL-eligible opt-outs or transfer portal. It was 5th straight bowl win for the Bulldogs and a 7th straight postseason win with 2 CFP title games that are not traditional bowl games. Georgia ran for 372 with 10 different players showing up on the rushing stats. The 'Dawgs also passed for 301 between regular season starter Carson Beck and freshman backup Gunner Stockton.
Wyoming walked-off with a 16-15 Arizona Bowl win over Toledo on John Hoyland's 24-yard field goal as time expired. The kick came at the end of a 12-play, 87-yard drive that ate up the final 4:11. It was a dramatic way for Wyoming head Craig Bohl to wrap-up his career after he announced back on December 6 that he would retire after the bowl game, and defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel was named as his successor. Wyoming finished the season at 9-4 for the school's best record since becoming a FBS program in 1998. Toledo dropped to 11-3. The game was Wyoming's second Arizona Bowl appearance in-a-row, and third in its last four bowl trips dating back to 2019.
Four bowl games were slated for Friday, December 29.
The Gator Bowl was added to our Feature Picks where Clemson (-3.5 at FanDuel) was a 7.87-point computer favorite over Kentucky, and the trend line had the Tigers by 7.74. But the 38-35 victory for Clemson came when the Tigers rallied from a 21-10 deficit after 3 quarters and scored the winning points with 17 seconds left on a 3-yard run by Phil Mafah, his bowl-record 4th rushing TD of the game. Barion Brown had given Kentucky the 21-10 lead on a second-half 100-yard kickoff return. He also had a 22-yard run in the first quarter and later scored on a 60-yard bomb that put the 'Cats back in front at 28-27. Unfortunately, he also lost a fumble that helped Clemson climb back into the game. The two teams combined for a bowl record 42-point fourth quarter with the Tigers ultimately out-scoring the Wildcats 28-14 in the period. 33 points were scored in the final 7 minutes when the lead changed hands 5 times. Clemson finished 9-4 on a 5-game winning streak. Kentucky closed at 7-6.
The Sun Bowl saw Notre Dame (-5.5) whip Oregon State 40-8. You needed a new lineup card to identify the players, but you would have expected the Irish to have more depth and be able to cover the 6-point line, especially with the Beavers also heading into battle with a new head coach. Trent Bray was promoted from DC to HC after Jonathan Smith accepted the head coaching position at Michigan State. Notre Dame was led by sophomore QB Steve Angeli after Sam Hartman opted-out (NFL Draft) and went 15-for-19 for 232 yards and 3 TD's. He also ran 8 times for 27 yards while Jadarian Price had 106 yards rushing and a TD on 13 carries as Audric Estime (1,341 yards and 18 TD's) sat out. Freshman Jordan Faison, who was the team's 7th leading receiver in the regular season, caught 5 passes for 115 yards and a score. In all, 7 Notre Dame starters opted out. Oregon State had 3 starters opt-out and 4 others enter the transfer portal, including QB DJ Uiagalelei. Sophomore Ben Gulbranson got the start for Beavers and completed 16-of 27 for 180 yards with a TD and a pick. Early on, a stuffed fake punt attempt helped Notre Dame take a 14-0 lead and the Irish never looked back. Oregon State was held to just 10 first downs and 197 total yards.
Memphis was a 36-26 upset winner in the Liberty Bowl at home over favored Iowa State (-10.5) to finish 10-3 while the Cyclones slipped to 7-6. Both rosters were largely intact, but the Cyclones were without sophomore running backs Eli Sanders (477 yards, TD's) and Cartevious Norton (343 yards, 3 TD's) and were held to zero rushing yards. For Memphis, QB Seth Henigan was 24-of-34 for 364 yards and 4 TD's to four different receivers, and he ran for 27 yards and another score. Iowa State's Rocco Becht was 22-of-38 for 446 yards and 3 TD's while Jayden Higgins caught 9 balls for 214 yards and a touchdown. But Abu Sama, who had a breakout game in the season finale 42-35 win at Kansas State, was held to just 4 yards and 12 carries while Becht lost 4 yards on 8 carries. Sama ran for 276 yards and 3 TD's on just 16 carries in that win over the Wildcats. This was a 3rd straight bowl win for Memphis (7-8) and a second straight bowl loss for Iowa State (5-13)
The Cotton Bowl feature wrapped up the day with Missouri upsetting Ohio State (-4.5) by a 14-3 score that featured 16 punts (8 by each team), 15 penalties and 234 total passing yards. Marvin Harrison was announced by Ohio State as an opt-out two hours before kickoff, indicating that he will be off to the NFL draft. Ohio State QB Kyle McCord had already transferred to Syracuse so Devin Brown got the start, but he left with an ankle injury in the second quarter so freshman Lincoln Keinholz went the rest of the way and was 6-of-17 for 86 yards under constant pressure . Ohio State actually had a lot of its top players participating, including RB TreVeyon Henderson who had 72 yards on 19 carries, WR Emeka Egbuka who had 6 catches for 63 yards. Missouri's Brady Cook was 11-of-18 for 128 yards, and he added 66 on the ground. Cody Schrader led all rushers with 128 yards and a TD on 29 carries. Both teams finished the season 11-2, while Missouri got its first bowl win since 2014 to end a 4-bowl losing streak. .
In the first of 4 bowl games on Thursday, December 28, and in perhaps one of the more surprising bowl results, Boston College scored a 23-14 upset of SMU in the Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park in Boston. The loss was SMU's fourth straight (7-11-1) in a bowl game dating back to a 2012 Hawaii Bowl win, while the Eagles pocketed their first bowl victory since 2016 (15-13). Thomas Costellanos had a pair of 4th quarter TD runs to rally the 'home' team from a 14-10 deficit entering the final period. BC's campus is just 4 miles from the stadium. SMU quarterback Preston Stone was unavailable due to injury, but both teams featured nearly all of their major contributors during the regular season. The win improved the Eagles' final record to 7-6, while SMU finished 11-3 to tie a season record for victories in matching the 1982 team that went 11-0-1 behind the 'Pony Express' backfield that featured Eric Dickerson and Craig James. This was just the second edition of the bowl which was scheduled to launch in 2020 but wasn't played due to Covid. The following year, the game had to be scratched again when Virginia was unable to participate due to positive Covid tests. The scheduled opponent for that game was SMU. It is also interesting to note that the 2021 Military Bowl between BC and East Carolina was canceled the day before it was to be played due to Covid-19 issues within the B.C. program. And the 2018 First Responder Bowl between BC and Boise State was canceled after severe weather interrupted the contest with 5:08 remaining in the 2nd quarter and Boston College leading 7-0. The teams got credit for the bowl appearance, but the game was officially ruled a 'no contest'.
Up next, Rutgers scored its first-ever win over Miami 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl and is now 1-11 against the 'Canes. The Scarlett Knights were buoyed by running back Kyle Monangai's 163-yard performance that included a 7-yard TD run in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Miami would fight back behind a quality game from Jacurri Brown at QB and take a 17-14 lead with 10:33 to go in the 3rd quarter, but the 'Canes usually stout run defense had no answer for the ground and pound rushing offense of Rutgers that racked up 208 yards rushing and controlled 34:28 of the clock. It was Rutgers' first bowl game since 2014, while Miami lost its 5th straight bowl game and has now dropped 11 of its last 12 bowls.
Freshman QB Avery Johnson threw 2 TD passes and ran for another score as Kansas State knocked off NC State 28-19 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando. DJ Giddens added 151 yards rushing and 2 TD's for the victorious Wildcats. Johnson was making his first start after Will Howard entered the transfer portal and finished with 178 yards passing and 71 yards rushing. He directed a 15-play, 72-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that put the game away and closed out a solid season for coach Chris Klieman's Wildcats (9-4). NC State also finished 9-4 with its 4th straight bowl loss as QB Brennan Armstrong rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown and threw for 164 yards in his final game for the Wolfpack who fell short of winning 10 games for the second time in program history.
Arizona provided the proof of everything that's been weird about the 2023 bowl season as the Wildcats overcame a 24-13 deficit to upset Oklahoma 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl. Gunner Maldonado had an 87-yard fumble return TD that prevented the Sooners from taking a 31- 13 lead and instead closed the gap to 24-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter. He also had an interception as the Wildcats forced six turnovers, while Noah Fifita threw for 354 yards and 2 scores for Arizona which finished 10-3. The Wildcats closed with seven straight victories as they depart the Pac-12 to join the Big 12 next season. Oklahoma also finished 10-3 as freshman QB Jackson Arnold threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, but had three interceptions in his first career start. He got the nod in place of Dillon Gabriel who is transferring to Oregon after throwing for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Running back Gavin Sawchuk rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for the Sooners. Arizona won its first bowl game since 2015 in its first bowl appearance since 2017. Oklahoma took a second straight bowl loss.
Four games on December 27 kicked off with the Military Bowl at Navy's stadium in a very rainy Annapolis, Maryland. The downpours didn't run off the Virginia Tech faithful who turned it into Lane Stadium North, welcomed the team onto the field with "Enter Sandman" and witnessed their team pull away from a 17-17 tie in the 3rd quarter for a 41-20 win. Tulane's only two touchdowns came off a scoop and score when a wet football slipped out of QB Kyron Drone's hands on Virginia Tech's first possession of the game, and a fumble by Jaylin Lane set up a short field on the opening possession of the second half. Otherwise, it was a rout as Drones ran for 176 yards and a score, and threw for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 136 and a TD on just 18 carries. In all, Virginia Tech rushed for 362 yards on a defense that had only allowed an average of 93.5 per game. The win ended a 4-bowl losing streak dating back to 2016 as the Hokies completed a turnaround from 3 wins in Brent Pry's first season to 7-6 in his second. Tulane (11-3) was without head coach Willie Fritz who resigned to take over the Houston program and Troy's Jon Sumrall takes over the Green Wave after offensive coordinator Slade Nagle served in an interim capacity for the bowl game. The Green Wave also had opt-outs from QB Michael Pratt (2,406 yards, 22 TD's, 5 INT's), WR Jha-Quan Jackson (439 yards) and leading receiver Chris Brazzell II (711 yards), among others.
Up next was the Duke's Mayo Bowl where West Virginia fans outnumbered the closer Tar Heels faithful and the team dropped North Carolina 30-10. The Tar Heels were missing 12 starters, including QB Drake Maye. Leading rusher Omarion Hampton did play at RB, and second-leading receiver JJ Jones took the field at receiver. QB duties went to Conner Harrell who had attempted 6 passes in his entire freshman season. Harrell went 18-of-27 for 199 with a TD, but also threw 2 picks. Hampton ran for 62 yards and Jones caught 4 passes for 53 and a score. The Mountaineers were in much better shape in that department, but were without center Zach Frazier, running back CJ Donaldson and WR Preston Fox. They had starter Garrett Green at QB, and while he was just 12-of-24 for 228 passing, he ran 64 yards on 8 carries. Beanie Bishop Jr. had a 76-yard punt return for a score in the second quarter and Michael Hayes kicked three field goals. West Virginia is now 2-1 in this game, having last played in this game when it was called the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2008 and also beat North Carolina 31-30. WVU lost the inaugural edition to Virginia (48-22) in 2002 when it was established as the Continental Tire Bowl. The Tar Heels are 1-5 all-time in this bowl game under its various names. This was UNC's 4th straight bowl loss under Mack Brown who has a bowl game head coaching record of 13-13 all-time.
No Caleb Williams. No problem. And so what if USC was missing 24 players who opted out and either entered the transfer portal or expect to be drafted. The Trojans, behind a sterling performance by sophomore Miller Moss who hadn't thrown a pass since the third game of the season, downed Louisville 42-28 in the Holiday Bowl. Moss went 23-of-33 for 372 yards for 6 touchdowns and just one pick. He tossed 2 scoring strikes to leading receiver Tahj Washington, but he also threw 2 to Ja'Kobi Lane who entered the game with just 4 catches all season. He tossed 1 each to Duce Robinson and Kyron Hudson. The passing attack made up for a running game that was held to just 71 yards. Louisville's Jack Plummer was 21-of-25, but only for 141 yards. However, Isaac Guerendo ran for 161 yards and 3 TD's. USC finished the season at 8-5 after losing 5 of its last 6 games in the regular season. Louisville fell to 10-4 with its 3 straight loss. USC's 36th bowl win (36-21) snapped a 3-bowl losing streak. Louisville fell to 12-13-1 in bowl games.
The Texas Bowl put an exclamation point on the four-pack of games played December 27th with Oklahoma State holding off a late rally by Texas A&M and snagging a 31-23 win. The Cowboys improved to 22-12 in bowl games and ended the season at 10-4. Texas A&M, playing under interim head coach Elijah Robinson, finishes 7-6. Former Duke head coach Mike Elko is the official replacement for the fired Jimbo Fisher, and Robinson is off to Syracuse to serve as defensive coordinator for new head coach Fran Brown. Elko was A&M's DC under Fisher for four years before taking the Duke job. Thanks to injuries and opt-outs, the Aggies were missing more than 20 scholarship players while Oklahoma State had no major hits to its roster. Leading rusher Ollie Gordon II played and ran 27 times for 118 yards and a TD for his ninth 100-yard game on the season. The season starting QB Alan Bowman was 34-of-49 for 402 yards with 2 TD's and 2 picks, and top receivers Brennan Presley and Rashon Owens posted monster games with Presley snagging 16 catches for 152 yards and Owens hauling in 10 for 164 and 2 scores. For A&M, freshman Marcel Reed played remarkably well after throwing just 3 passes all season. Reed was 20-of-33 for 361 with no TD's and just 1 pick, and had a 20-yard TD run. Jahdae Walker had 8 receptions for 137 yards.
Three games on December 26 kicked off with the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit and saw the only sub-.500 bowl team come out victorious as Minnesota held off Bowling Green 30-24 (7-6). In the process, the Golden Gophers and avenged a 14-10 upset loss to the Falcons in 2021. Minnesota passed for just 26 yards but still managed 2 TD passes from Cole Kramer of 4 and 7 yards. Kramer also scored on a 1-yard sneak in the 3rd. Darius Taylor an for 208 yards and a score on 35 carries. The Gophers are 3-0 in Quick Lane Bowls, winning 3 of the 9 installments of the postseason affair. They have won 7 bowl games in-a-row dating back to 2015, of which 5 have come under PJ Fleck. Their over-all bowl record is now 12-12. The Falcons dropped to 5-9 in their bowl history, including two consecutive losses in this game after bowing 19-14 to New Mexico State in 2022.
The second game on December 26 saw Texas State win its first-ever bowl game in its first-ever bowl appearance. The Bobcats outscored Rice 24-0 in the second half to break a 21-all halftime score and capture the First Responder Bowl. Under first-year head coach GJ Kinne, Texas State finished the season 8-5 while the Owls closed out their campaign at 6-7. Ismail Mahdi ran for 122 yards while Jahmyl Jeter had only 36 yards rushing but 3 TD's. The Bobcats scored on a pair of pick-6's by Brian Holloway, the first of which went for 36 yards to make it 21-7 in the 2nd quarter. His second TD return went for 48 yards with 8:01 to go in the game and extended the lead to 38-21.
The December 26 nightcap delivered the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, home of the MLB's Diamondbacks. Kansas built a 28-7 lead with 1:21 to go in the first half and nearly gave it all away as UNLV pulled to within 28-24 with 10:30 still remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Jayhawks ultimately pulled away for a 49-36 win, topping the over/under and the 7.5-point spread. Heavy betting on Kansas leading up to kick-off caused the line to plunge from 11-1/2 and pushed the over-under up from 64-1/2 to 67-1/2. Jayson Bean threw for 449 yards and 6 TD's with half of those going to Luke Grimm (4 catches for 160) and the other half to Lawrence Arnold (6 for 132). Devil Neal had 71 yards rushing and a TD for the victors. The refs assessed 27 penalties for 315 yards, with 18 of those going against Kansas for 216 yards. The Jayhawks finished the season at 9-4 and improved their bowl record to 7-7. The Rebels fell to 9-5 on the year and 3-2 in their bowl history, though their 1984 California Bowl win was later stripped by the NCAA and given to Toledo for use of ineligible players. UNLV hadn't played in a bowl game since 2013 and hasn't won a bowl game since 2000.
Seven games were held on Saturday, December 23.
The day wrapped up a little after 2:00 a.m. eastern time with Coastal Carolina upsetting San Jose State (-7.5) in the Hawaii Bowl. The Chanticleers got a late 1-handed TD grab by Sam Pinckney to repel the Spartans' comeback bid after they had cut a 17-0 deficit to 17-14 late in the 4th quarter. Pinckney had 8 catches for 123 yards and has had at least one catch in an NCAA-record 58 straight games. Coastal finished the season 8-5 in Tim Beck's first season, and the Chants secured their second bowl. Coastal is 2-2 all-time in bowl games and has made 4 straight appearances after becoming a full-fledged FBS member in 2018. Of course, Beck's predecessor is Jamey Chadwell who has Liberty undefeated and facing Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Coastal QB Grayson McCall is no longer with the team after transferring to NC State on December 13. In his place, Ethan Vasko was 20-of-33 for 199 yards and 3 TD's, and he added 50 yards rushing. San Jose State dropped to 7-6 on the season and 7-6 in bowl games with a 3rd straight bowl loss. The Spartans began their 2023 season at 1-5, but had won 6 straight heading into the bowl game. 6th-year senior Chevan Cordeiro threw for 215 and a TD for SJSU and ran for 59.
South Alabama (7-6) routed Eastern Michigan (6-7) 59-10 in the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama for its first-ever bowl win (1-3). The Jaguars closed as 17.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks and were a 19.07-point pick by the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com. South Alabama was playing in the stadium that the Jaguars called home until their on-campus venue opened in September of 2020, but it was their first time playing here in a bowl game that the city has hosted since 1999. The Jaguars outgained the Eagles 627-150 as they ran for 320 and passed for 307. Eastern Michigan fell to 2-5 in its bowl history. MAC teams are 0-7 in this game since 2015, including 2 blowout losses by EMU in the last 3 years (56-20 loss to Liberty in 2021).
Northwestern was a 14-7 upset winner over Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl as both teams finished 8-5. The Wildcats were 6.5-point underdogs and an even larger 19-point computer dog. It was the 5th straight bowl win for Northwestern and the 5th consecutive bowl loss for the Utes. The first and fifth of the bowl games in those streaks have been against each other. It was the perfect ending to a remarkable season for Northwestern which fired coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10 amid allegations of locker room hazing. On November 15, Northwestern removed the interim tag from David Braun who agreed to step up when Fitzgerald was fired. Braun had just been hired as defensive coordinator in January from North Dakota State.
Georgia State was a 45-22 winner over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, giving the Panthers a 3rd straight bowl victory. Darren Grainger was nearly perfect as he threw for 257 yards with 3 TD's and no picks while completing 19-of-22 passes for 257 yards. He also ran for 111 yards and 2 scores, and was aided by a 276-yard rushing performance by Freddie Brock on 24 carries. Over-all, Georgia State racked up 647 yards of total offense.
Duke held off Troy 17-10 in the Birmingham Bowl. It was the 5th straight bowl win for Duke, and the end of a 5-bowl winning streak for Troy. The Blue Devils were led by interim head coach Trooper Taylor, the AHC and RB coach under Mike Elko who resigned to fill the vacancy at Texas A&M.
Northern Illinois topped Arkansas State 21-19 in the Camellia Bowl to end a 7-game bowl losing streak, longest in the FBS. 7th-year QB Rocky Lombardi led the way for the Huskies with a TD threw the air and another on the ground. NIU's defense stopped Troy's 2-point conversion attempt with 1:14 to play and recovered the second onside kick attempt after Troy's recovery was nullified by a questionable offside penalty on the first attempt.
Air Force won its 5th straight bowl game, downing James Madison 31-21, in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Dukes were without head coach Curt Cignetti who left to take the same position at Indiana after going 52-9 in 5 seasons in Harrisonburg. Holy Cross HC Bob Chesney is Cignetti's replacement, but Damian Wroblewski, who joined James Madison's staff in 2018 as the OL coach and associate head coach for the offense, served as interim HC for the bowl game. QB Jordan McCould (3,413 yards, 32 TD's) did play for the Dukes, and threw for 257 and 3 TD's. But the game was about the return of Zac Larrier at QB for Air Force, and the career rushing day of Emmanuel Michel (207 yards on 36 carries and 2 TD's) in his last game for the Falcons. JMU entered the game ranked 1st nationally in rushing defense, allowing 6.15 yards per game, but Air Force grounded out 351 yards.
Georgia Tech overcame early deficits of 14-0 and 17-3 to knock off UCF 30-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Friday, December 22. Haynes King, the Yellow Jackets' QB, rushed for 89 yards and threw for 87 and a TD, and RB Jamal Haynes amassed 128 yards and a score. For the Knights, John Rhys Plumlee threw for 198 and 2 scoring strikes, and RJ Harvey had 120 yards on just 15 carries, while Javon Baker had 9 catches for 173 yards. Georgia Tech ended the season at 7-6 while improving to 26-20 in its bowl history. UCF fell to 6-7 on the year and 6-9 in bowl games, including 3-3 in the Gasparilla Bowl. It was Georgia Tech's first bowl appearance since 2018. It was UCF's 8th straight bowl appearance.
The Boca Raton Bowl was the lone game on Thursday, December 21, and all it left us with was a desire to get 4 hours of our lives back. USF rolled 45-0 over Syracuse to finish 7-6 and drop the Orange to 6-7. Syracuse was a 3-point favorite entering the game, and a 17.65-point computer pick. The interim head coach for the Orange, Nunzio Campanile, and his staff had a terrible plan that was executed poorly. The Orange were without QB Garrett Shrader (shoulder surgery) and used a tight end, a running back and occasionally the true freshman QB who likely could have actually run the offense if he had been coached-up at all before the game. Incoming head coach Fran Brown, the former Georgia defensive backs coach, will have the luxury of beginning his tenure with Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord at QB. Meanwhile, USF looks to be headed in the right direction after just one season under Alex Golesh. The former Tennessee offensive coordinator led the Bulls to a 6-win improvement from their 1-11 finish a year ago. USF was playing in its first bowl game since 2018 and improved its all-time bowl record to 7-4 as Syracuse dropped to 16-11-1. South Florida had a 64-yard scoop-and-score off a mishandled snap on a Syracuse field goal attempt, and a 61-yard TD return of a sack and fumble. USF quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 214 yards and 3 TD's, and added 65 rushing yards. USF is now 9-2 all-time vs. Syracuse.
The Frisco Bowl was the only game on Tuesday, December 19, and it saw UTSA roll to a 35-17 win over Marshall after trailing 14-0 early. Marshall was without starting QB Cam Fancher, WR Caleb Coombs, and OL Trent Holler. RB Rasheen Ali played, but was held out after 9 carries to avoid injury. UTSA quarterback Frank Harris was a late scratch before kick-off following the shoulder injury he suffered in the Tulane game. What we got was Owen McCown at QB for UTSA and Cole Pennington for Marshall. McCown is the son of 18-year NFL veteran QB Josh, and Cole is the son of 11-year NFL veteran QB Chad who starred with the Herd in college. In the end, UTSA got its first-ever bowl win (1-4) and Marshall fell to 13-6 in its bowl history. The line dropped to 7.5 before kick-off when it was learned that Harris would not be able to play, and the O/U dropped to 46.5.
The lone bowl game on Monday, December 18 was the Famous Toastery Bowl which reversed course from an ODU blowout win to an unbelievable 38-35 overtime comeback victory for Western Kentucky. The Monarchs stormed out to a 28-0 lead with 13:38 still to play in the first half when they scored on the opening possession, forced a fumble and scored again, then took back a pick-6. Trailing 21-0, WKU head coach Tyson Helton lifted his nephew QB Turner Helton and inserted redshirt freshman Caden Veltkamp. Little did anyone know at that point, but Veltkamp would become the hometown hero. The first series saw Veltkamp drive the Hilltoppers to the 25-yard line, but ODU forced a fumble and marched downfield to a 28-0 lead. WKU and Veltkamp got on the board on the next possession, but a punt and Veltkamp's lone interception ended the last two drives of the first half. After intermission, Veltkamp threw his second TD pass, but ODU made it 35-14 with 3:04 to go in the 3rd on QB Grant Wilson's 21-yard run. Western Kentucky opened the fourth quarter with a TD pass, and after ODU threw a pick, the Tops pulled to with 7 on Veltkamp's 4th TD throw. A WKU fumble setup an opportunity for ODU to extend the lead, but the 47-yard attempt was blocked and the Hilltoppers marched to the game-tying TD with L19 to play on Veltkamp's 5th TD pass. In overtime, WKU blocked another ODU field goal, and answered with Lucas Carneiro's 29-yard walk-off for the win. WKU finished the season at 8-5 with its third straight bowl win and is now 7-3 in bowl games. ODU slipped to 6-7 with the loss, and 1-2 all-time in bowl games. Veltkamp, the obvious MVP of the game, was 40-of-52 for 383 with 5 TD's and 1 INT, and added 53 yards on the ground. He had thrown just 2 other passes all season. Dalvin Smith had 3 of the 5 TD catches for WKU.
The 2024 FBS bowl season opened on Saturday, December 16th with a 6-pack of games on the docket.
Texas Tech (7-6) intercepted Cal (6-7) 3 times and strolled to a 34-14 win over Cal in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana where the temps dipped into the low 40's by the time the game ended. Taj Brooks had 98 yards on 22 carries and a TD, and Coy Eakin had 7 catches for 106 yards and a TD as QB Behren Morton threw 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers. Cal fell to 12-12-1 all-time in bowl games while Texas Tech improved 18-23-1 with its third straight bowl win.
UCLA snapped a 3-bowl losing streak that began in 2015 by rallying for a 35-22 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl, Hosted by Gronk. It was the first loss for the Broncos under Spencer Danielson who went 3-0 after being named interim head coach in the wake of the firing of Andy Avalos. Boise State took a 16-7 halftime lead, but UCLA took over in the second half. After Collin Schlee left the game with an apparent knee injury following a 44-yard run to the BSU 9, Ethan Garbers came in and threw a 5-yard TD pass to get the rally started. The Bruins added two more TD's on their next two next possessions to take a 28-16 lead into the final quarter. Garbers closed out UCLA's scoring with a 40-yard TD pass following an INT and by the time Boise State found the end zone again, it was too little, too late.
Fresno State (9-4) won the 4th quarter 17-0 to pull away for a 37-10 win in the New Mexico Bowl (10-5) over New Mexico State. The Bulldogs won a fifth straight bowl game and improved their all-time record vs. the Aggies to 19-1. It was their first meeting in a bowl game. Fresno State was without head coach Jeff Tedford as he has taken time off for health reasons. Tim Skipper, AHC and LB coach, was named interim head coach for the bowl game. New Mexico State saw its 4-bowl winning streak end with its first-ever bowl loss (4-1-1). NMSU had won every bowl it had played in since 1959, though the school went from 1961 to 2016 without a single bowl appearance. Fresno State is 15-13 all-time in bowl games. The Bulldogs out-gained the Aggies 491 yards to 200 as Mikey Keene went 31-of-39 for 380 yards with 3 TD's and a lone INT.
A rainy Cure Bowl game in Orlando went to Appalachian State with a 13-9 win over Miami (O). The Mountaineers improved to 7-1 all-time in bowl games and ended the season with a 9-5 record. The RedHawks finished the season 11-3 while falling to 8-6 in their bowl games history. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Junior quarterback Joey Aguilar scored for the Mountaineers on a 9-yard rush to close out an 11-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the third quarter. A 23-yard touchdown run by RedHawks redshirt sophomore running back Rashad Amos pulled Miami back within a score late in the third quarter, but neither team would add to the tally from that point forward. The weather was a significant factor in a contest that featured a combined 13 fumbles and six turnovers. Each of Miami’s nine points came off of App State turnovers.
Jacksonville State (9-4) ended its debut season in the FBS with a 34-31 (6-7) victory in overtime over Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl. The walk-off 27-yard field goal came off the foot of Garrison Rippa who had only kicked a few kick-offs prior today, but the second FG attempt of his college career earned him player of the game honors. He had earlier connected from 22 yards and made all 4 PAT's. Louisiana missed on a 43-yard attempt in the opening possession of the extra period. This was the 7th appearance for the Ragin' Cajuns in this game since 2011 who have won five of those, including their last appearance here two years ago. ULL fell to 7-4 all-time in bowl games.
The Myrtle Beach Bowl opened the festivities with Ohio (10-3) taking a 41-21 win on the Surf Turf over Georgia Southern (6-7). Freshman RB Rickey Hunt scored 5 touchdowns, and the Bobcats won the turnover battle 5-0 while notching a 5th straight bowl win. Ohio improved its all-time bowl record to 7-8 while Georgia Southern fell to 3-3. It was the first appearance for either team in this particular bowl game which has seen 8 different teams participate in its first 4 seasons. It was also the first time that these two teams had ever met.
Abandoning your team for a bowl game was once unthinkable. Now, it has become commonplace among athletes who hope to draw a big pay day in the NFL. There's also the transfer portal which has grown by more than 1,100 athletes since the end of the regular season.
We found a website that is doing an excellent job of keeping up with all the hold-outs and transfers.
The worst matchup of a bowl game this year when you use the combined Congrove Computer Rankings of the participants is No. 88 Georgia State vs. No. 83 Utah State (171 combined ranking) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Second place goes to No. 87 Arkansas State vs. No. 79 Northern Illinois (166 combined ranking) in the Camellia Bowl.
The Famous Idaho Potato had the second-worst matchup of 2021 between No. 85 Wyoming and No. 74 Kent State (159 combined ranking).
Last year, the worst matchup had a combined ranking of 189 with No. 106 Rice clashing with No. 83 Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl (now the 68 Ventures Bowl). And second place went to the Quick Lane Bowl with No. 89 Bowling Green against No. 88 New Mexico State for a 177 combined ranking.
2021's worst matchup was 91st-ranked Old Dominion vs. No. 72 Tulsa (163 combined ranking) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Liberty - Memphis is literally at home when the Tigers will host Iowa State.
68 Ventures - South Alabama will play Eastern Michigan in the stadium that the Jaguars called home until their on-campus venue opened in September of 2020.
Fenway - Boston College is 15 minutes from Fenway where the Eagles will battle SMU.
LA Bowl - UCLA will be about a half-hour from its campus to take on Boise State.
Gasparilla - UCF will face Georgia Tech in Tampa at Raymond James, which is about 2 hours from the Knight's' campus in East Orlando.
Birmingham - Duke will face Troy, a school that is about 2-1/2 hours SSE of Birmingham.
Duke's Mayo - North Carolina will bus a little over 2 hour to get to Charlotte to take on West Virginia.
Holiday - USC will head about 2-1/2 hours south while Louisville travels roughly 2,050 miles.
Pinstripe - Rutgers is about an hour from Yankee Stadium where the Scarlet Knights will face Miami (FL).
Other schools are playing bowl games in their home state, but heir campuses aren't necessarily that close to the bowl venue.
These bowl games will be featuring teams that have never previously played each other.
Myrtle Beach - Georgia Southern vs. Ohio
Cure - Miami (O) vs. Appalachian State
Frisco - Marshall vs. UTSA
Famous Idaho Potato - Utah State vs. Georgia State
Armed Forces - James Madison vs. Air Force
68 Ventures - South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan
Hawaii - Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Holiday - USC vs. Louisville
Pop-Tarts (formerly Cheez-It) - NC State vs. Kansas State
Peach - Penn State vs. Ole Miss
Fiesta - Oregon vs. Liberty
New Orleans - Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana. The Gamecocks the only previous meeting (that we could find), 28-14 in 2000.
LA Bowl - UCLA won only previous meeting 38-7 at UCLA in 1999
Independence - California vs. Texas Tech. Only previous meeting was a 45-31 Texas Tech win in the 2004 Holiday Bowl.
First Responder - Texas State vs. Rice. Teams split 4 meetings with the Owls winning in 1920 and 1987, and the Bobcats prevailing in 1923 and 1986.
Guaranteed Rate - Kansas vs UNLV. These teams each won on their own turf when they split the only previous meetings in 2002 and 2003.
Military - Virginia Tech is 5-4 vs. Tulane, but the last meeting was 1989.
Duke's Mayo - UNC vs. West Virginia. The teams split their previous two meetings which also came in bowl games. The Mountaineers won this game in 2008 when it was called the Meineke Bowl, and the Tar Heels captured the 1997 Gator Bowl.
Fenway - SMU vs. Boston College. The only previous meeting was a 1986 SMU home win.
Pinstripe - Rutgers vs. Miami (FL). The former Big East rivals haven't met since the 'Canes left for the ACC in 2004. Rutgers was happy to see them go since they were 0-11 by an average score of 45.8 to 10.4.
Alamo - The teams split their only two meetings, a home-and-home agreement in 1988 and 1989, with each team winning at home. Oklahoma had never played in this bowl until 2021. Two years later, they're back. Arizona has played here once, a 36-10 loss to Oklahoma State in 2010.
Sun - Notre Dame is 0-2 vs. Oregon State with both previous meetings in bowl games in Arizona (2000 season Fiesta and 2004 Insight). Both were blowouts.
Cotton - Ohio State is 10-1-1 all-time vs. Missouri, but they haven't met since 1998 and they've never met in a bowl game. Mizzou's only win came in 1976.
Music City - Auburn vs. Maryland. The Tigers are 2-1 vs. the Terps with all games played at Auburn in 1952, 1958 and 1983. The only Maryland win came in 1952. They have never met in a bowl game.
New Mexico - Fresno State vs. New Mexico State. These teams have met 19 times. Fresno State has won 18 of those. However, it will be the first meeting in a bowl game. NMSU head coach Jerry Kill has revived a program long-mired in bad football. Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford is on a personal health leave of absence.
Birmingham - Troy vs. Duke. These teams had a home-and-home in 2013 and 2014 with Duke winning both. Don't be surprised if this goes the other way with the Trojans (11-2) practically playing a home game against the Blue Devils (7-5) who will be without their head coach, and lost 4 of their last 6 games.
Quick Lane - Bowling Green vs Minnesota. Gophers were 5-7 and gained entry as the 82nd team, thanks to its Academic Progress Rate (APR). MAC and Big Ten schools play all the time and the Big Ten has won 85% of the 375 games played, including a 4-1 mark in bowl meetings, BUT the lone bowl win for the MAC was BGSU over Northwestern, 28-24, in 2003 when Detroit hosted the Motor City Bowl. These teams are 2-2 in 4 previous meetings. BGSU upset Minnesota 14-10 in the regular season in 2021.
Arizona - Toledo vs. Wyoming. The teams split their only previous meetings, a home-and-home agreement in 2010 and 2012. The visitors won both games.
ReliaQuest - Wisconsin vs. LSU. The Tigers are 3-1 in the series, but the Badgers won the last meeting in 2016. LSU hasn't been to Tampa since 2014 and Wisconsin hasn't since 2015.
Fiesta - Oregon vs. Liberty. The 11-2 Ducks meet the 13-0 Flames. The computer is predicting a nearly 30-point blowout, but the oddsmakers only set the opening line at 14.5
Rose - Michigan vs. Alabama. The location arrangement of the playoff is messed up. This game belongs in New Orleans, while Washington vs. Texas should be in the Rose. These teams have met 5 times, and all came between 1988 and 2020. This will be their 5th meeting in a bowl game, and all five have been different bowls. Alabama is 3-2 in the series. 'Bama won the 2019 season Citrus, the 1996 season Outback and the 2012 Cowboys Kickoff Classic in Arlington. Michigan won the 1999 season Orange and the 1987 season Hall of Fame Bowl.
Sugar - Washington vs. Texas. These teams have met 5 times, and all came between 1974 and 2022. This will be their 4th meeting in a bowl game, and all four have been in different bowls. Texas is 3-2 in the series. The teams had a regular season home-and-home arrangement in 1974 and 1975 with Texas taking both games. The Longhorns also won the 2001 Holiday Bowl, while the Huskies took the Alamo last year and the Sun Bowl in 1979.
We only had 2 games in this category a season ago.
Famous Toastery - Old Dominion vs. Western Kentucky. These former CUSA members met 7 times from 2014 to 2021 with WKU winning 6 of those. (NOTE: We cared a lot after this game provided a dramatic 38-35 comeback win in OT for WKU after trailing 28-0.)
Boca Raton - Syracuse vs. USF. These former Big East foes met 10 times from 2005-2016 with USF winning 8 of those.
Gasparilla - Georgia Tech vs. UCF. These teams just completed a home-and-home contract in in 2020 and 2022 with UCF winning both by 17 or more. They met 3 times from 1996 to 2000 with Georgia Tech winning all 3.
Camellia - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois. These teams met 8 times from 1990-2012 with NIU taking 7 of those. The last meeting came in 2012 in the Mobile-based bowl game which was also won by NIU.
Las Vegas - Northwestern vs. Iowa - These teams just played a bowl game in 2018 when Northwestern won the Holiday Bowl 31-20. They split meetings in Evanston in 1927 and 1981.
Texas - Oklahoma State vs Texas A&M - These former Big 12 foes have met 28 total times with the Aggies taking 18 of those. They also just met in the 2019 edition of this game with A&M winning 24-21.
Gator - Someone in bowl arrangement management must want this to be a rivalry. It isn't. Kentucky is 8-5 all-time vs Clemson, and the last three (now four) meetings are all bowl games (1993 Peach, 2006 and 2009 Music City, and now the Gator).
Liberty - Memphis vs. Iowa State. Seriously? This was the same location of their only previous meeting and it happened just 6 six years ago when the Cyclones won 21-20.
Orange - Georgia vs. Florida State. The media will hype the 'Snub Bowl'. No one else will care, and the stars won't play. Georgia is 6-4 all-time vs FSU, but they haven't met since Georgia won the 2003 Sugar Bowl, which was the first meeting since a 17-17 tie in the 1984 Florida Citrus Bowl. FSU went 4-0 in the 60's. UGA went 5-0 in the 50's.
Citrus - It's Orlando, so fans will like the destination. These teams have played three neutral location games and 2 were in bowl games. Iowa won the 1982 Peach, while Tennessee won the 2014 season Gator (TaxSlayer) and the 1987 Kickoff Classic in Giants Stadium that Tennessee won on a 20-yard field goal with 3 seconds left.
Massachusetts - Joined FBS in 2012. Played in 1964 Tangerine Bowl when that game was a College Division game. Lost 14-13 to East Carolina.
Jacksonville State - 1st season in FBS
James Madison - 2nd season in FBS
Texas State - 12th season in FBS
Of the teams that made it this year, these had the longest wait to get back to a bowl game:
Arizona, 2017
Arkansas State, 2019
Georgia Tech, 2018
Rutgers, 2014
South Florida, 2018
UNLV, 2013
Charlotte, 0-1 - Uninvited this year
James Madison, 0-1 - Lost 31-21 in the armed Forces Bowl
Louisiana-Monroe, 0-1 - Uninvited this year
Jacksonville State, 1-0 - Won 34-31 over Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl.
South Alabama, 1-3 - Won 59-10 over Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Texas State, 1-0 - Won 45-21 over Rice in the First Responder Bowl.
UTSA, 1-4 - Won 35-17 over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl.
This teams have the longest continuing current streak of bowl absence:
Akron, 2017
Colorado State, 2017
Louisiana-Monroe, 2012
Nebraska, 2016
New Mexico, 2016
Stanford, 2018
Vanderbilt, 2018
These teams have the longest continuing current streaks of bowl appearances:
Georgia, 27
Oklahoma, 25
Wisconsin, 22
Alabama, 20
Clemson, 20
Oklahoma State, 18
These teams have the most consecutive bowl victories (last season of a bowl loss in parenthesis).
NOTE: We do not count the CFP Championship as a bowl game as it exists for the sole purpose of pairing the winners of two specific bowl games that are counted. All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Minnesota, 7 (2013) - Won 30-24 over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Air Force, 5 (2015) - Won 31-21 over James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Duke, 5 (2014) - Won 17-10 over Troy in the Birmingham Bowl.
Fresno State, 5 (2014) - Won 37-10 over New Mexico State in the New Mexico Bowl.
Georgia, 5 (2018) - Won 63-3 over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Northwestern, 5 (2015) - Won 14-7 over Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Ohio, 5 (2016) - Won 41-21 over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Buffalo, 3 (2018) - Uninvited this year
Georgia State, 3 (2019) - Won 45-22 over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Maryland, 3 (2014) - Maryland won 31-13 over Auburn in the Music City Bowl.
Memphis, 3 (2019) - Won 36-26 over Iowa State at home in the Liberty Bowl.
Texas Tech, 3 (2017) - Won 34-14 over California in the Independence Bowl.
Washington, 3 (2018) - Won 37-31 over Texas in the Sugar Bowl semfinal playoff game. Loss to Michigan in CFP Championship is not a bowl game.
Western Kentucky, 3 (2020) - Won 38-35 in OT over Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl.
Winning streaks snapped this year:
- Alabama, 8 (2014) - Lost 27-20 in overtime to Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal playoff game.
- New Mexico State, 4 (Never, 4-1-1) - Lost 37-10 to Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.
- Troy, 5 (2009) - Lost 17-10 to Duke in the Birmingham Bowl.
- Texas A&M, 3 (2017) - Lost 31-23 to Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl.
- Wisconsin, 3 (2019) - Lost 35-31 to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
These teams have the most consecutive bowl losses (last season of a bowl win in parenthesis).
NOTE: We do not count the CFP Championship as a bowl game as it exists for the sole purpose of pairing the winners of two specific bowl games that are counted. All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
UTEP, 7 (1967) - Uninvited this year
Indiana, 6 (1991) - Uninvited this year
North Texas, 6 (2013) - Uninvited this year
Utah, 5 (2017) - Lost 14-7 to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl
Auburn, 4 (2018) - Lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl.
Colorado, 4 (2004) - Uninvited this year
Colorado State, 4 (2013) - Uninvited this year
Miami, FLA, 5 (2016) - Lost 31-24 to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
North Carolina, 4 (2019) - Lost 30-10 to West Virginia in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
NC State, 4 (2017) - Lost 28-19 to Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
SMU, 4 (2012) - Lost 23-14 to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl.
Bowling Green, 3 (2014) - Lost 30-24 to Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Cincinnati, 3 (2019) - Uninvited this year
Connecticut, 3 (2009) - Uninvited this year
Florida, 3 (2019) - Uninvited this year
Illinois, 3 (2011) - Uninvited this year
San Jose State, 3 (2015) - Lost 24-14 to Coastal Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl.
Washington State, 3 (2018) - Uninvited this year
Losing streaks snapped this year:
- Northern Illinois, 7 (2011) - Won 21-19 over Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl.
- Michigan, 6 (2015) - Won 27-20 in overtime over Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal playoff game.
- Missouri, 4 (2014) - Won 14-3 over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
- UTSA, 4 (Never) - Won 35-17 over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl.
- Virginia Tech, 4 (2016) - Won 41-20 over Tulane in Military Bowl.
- South Alabama, 3 (Never) - Won 59-10 over Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
- USC, 3 (2016) - Won 42-28 over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
(Minimum 20 appearances and .600 win pct.)
NOTE: We do not count the CFP Championship as a bowl game as it exists for the sole purpose of pairing the winners of two specific bowl games that are counted. All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Oklahoma State, 22-12 (.647) - Won 31-23 over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.
Georgia, 36-20-3 (.637) - Won 63-3 over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
USC, 36-21 (.632) - Won 42-28 over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
Utah, 17-10 (.630) - Lost 14-7 to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Alabama, 43-25-3 (.627) - Lost 27-20 in overtime to Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal playoff game.
Florida State, 29-18-2 (.612) - Lost 63-3 to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Mississippi, 26-15 (.634) - Won 38-25 over Penn State in the Peach Bowl.
Boise State, 13-8 (.619) - Lost 35-22 to UCLA in the L.A. Bowl.
Penn State, 31-20-2 (.604) - Lost 38-25 to Ole Miss in the peach Bowl.
Bubbling under .600 (and above .550):
Syracuse, 16-11-1 (.589) - Lost 45-0 to USF in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Mississippi State, 15-11 (.577) - Uninvited this year
Georgia Tech, 26-20 (.565) - Won 30-17 over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.
LSU, 30-24-1 (.55545) - Won 35-31 over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Air Force, 16-13-1 (.55500) - Won 31-21 over James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Tennessee, 31-25 (.554) - Won 35-0 over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
Oklahoma, 31-25-1 (.553) - Lost 38-24 to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.
NOTE: We do not count the CFP Championship as a bowl game as it exists for the sole purpose of pairing the winners of two specific bowl games that are counted. All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Alabama, 43 - Lost 27-20 in overtime to Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal playoff game.
USC, 36 - Won 42-28 over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
Georgia, 36 - Won 63-3 over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Oklahoma, 31 - Lost 38-24 to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.
Penn State, 31 - Lost 38-25 to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
Tennessee, 31 - Won 35-0 over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
Texas, 31 - Lost 37-31 to Washington in the Sugar Bowl semifinal playoff game.
LSU, 30 - Won 35-31 over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Florida State, 29 - Lost 63-3 to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Georgia Tech, 26 - Won 30-17 over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Mississippi, 26 - Won 38-25 over Penn State in the Peach Bowl.
Nebraska, 26 - Uninvited this year
Clemson, 25 - Won 38-35 over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.
Ohio State, 25 - Lost 14-3 to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
Auburn, 24 - Lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl.
Florida, 24 - Uninvited this year
Michigan, 22 - Won 27-20 in overtime over Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal playoff game.
Oklahoma State, 22 - Won 31-23 over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.
Notre Dame 21 - Won 40-8 over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.
This season had 117 of the 133 FBS schools facing one FCS opponent, and Army played two such games for a total of 118 FBS-FCS matchups.
Of the 16 FBS schools that did NOT play a FCS program, 7 were in the B1G (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin). 6 more are evenly split between the Big 12 (Houston, Oklahoma, Texas) and Pac-12 (Colorado, USC, Washington). The other three were Liberty (CUSA) , UTSA (American), and Virginia Tech (ACC).
The FBS programs were 114-4 this year against the FCS schools. Over-all, the FBS is a collective 1,800-152 (.922) since we began tracking this in 2003.
Here are the FCS wins in 2023, so far:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
GEORGIA - Had won 29 straight over-all before losingt to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Has won 25 straight home games, and 15 straight true road games.
Last: Won 63-3 over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Next: Season complete
WASHINGTON - Had won 21 straight over-all.
Last: Lost 34-13 to Michigan in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday, January 8 in Houston.
Next: Season complete
MICHIGAN - Won 15 straight over-all Won 24 straight conference games.
Last: 34-13 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday, January 8 in Houston.
Next: Season complete
VANDERBILT - Lost 10 straight over-all.
Last: 48-24 loss at Tennessee on Saturday, November 25.
Next: Season complete
STANFORD - Lost 9 straight home games.
Last: 56-23 home loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, November 25
Next: Season complete
TEMPLE - Lost 14 straight true road games.
Last: 45-21 home loss to Memphis on Saturday, November 25
Next: Season complete
ULM - Lost 10 straight over-all, lost 10 straight conference games.
Last: 52-21 loss at Louisiana on Saturday, November 25
Next: Season complete