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College Football Playoff Payouts 2023-2024

College Football Playoff trophy

Last Updated on February 25, 2024

Revenue for the College Football Playoff is distributed annually according to a pre-determined formula, which is subject to adjustments each year. We update this page annually, so be sure and bookmark it. The current year’s distribution plan is below.

Conference Distribution Policies for College Football Playoff Payouts

How much does a team get for making the college football playoff.

Each conference receives $6 million from the College Football Playoff for each team selected for a semifinal game and $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the College Football Playoff (Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls in years they are not semifinal sites). There is no additional payout for the National Championship Game, only additional expenses covered.

Where does the College Football Playoff money go?

2023-24 college football playoff revenue distribution plan.

According to the College Football Playoff, the following estimates of the CFP revenue distribution are based on preliminary calculations for the 2022-23 season and are only approximate projections of potential revenue distribution from each component:

  • Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school’s football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a post-season football game. Each independent institution will also receive $300,000 when its football team meets that standard.
  • A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for the semifinal games. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement.
  • Each conference whose team participates in a playoff semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach Bowl, or in the national championship game will receive $2.85 million to cover expenses for each game.
  • Additionally, certain conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision will receive $3.08 million in aggregate.

Actual College Football Playoff Payouts for 2022-23

Based on calculations from the 2022-23 season, the following distributions were made in the spring of 2023:

Each of the 10 conferences received a base amount. For conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose, or Sugar bowls (the “Power Five”), the base combined with the full academic performance pool was approximately $79.41 million for each conference (up from $74 million in 2021-22).

The five conferences that do not have contacts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar bowls (the “Group of Five”) received approximately $102.77 million in aggregate (full academic pool plus base), up from $95 million in 2021-22. The conferences distribute these funds as they choose. Notre Dame received a payment of $3.89 million by meeting the APR standard; the other three independents shared $1.89 million.

Calculations for 2023-24 will be made following the 2024 National Championship Game.

We also have the actual payouts from the College Football Playoff from 2014-2020 .

Conferences differ on exactly how they distribute College Football Playoff payouts to their members. Some conferences give participation bonuses–for lack of a better term–to the teams that participate in semifinal and national championship games, while others divide CFP money evenly between members as with all other revenue. The information below was last confirmed December 4, 2023.

ACC : awaiting confirmation from the ACC, but no participation bonus has been awarded to participating teams in previous years.

Big 12 : CFP participants receive the higher of Formula A or B.

College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship, Semifinal

  • Participation Subsidy: $2,532,395
  • Travel Subsidy: $450/one-way mile
  • Participation Subsidy: $2,138,467
  • Travel Subsidy: $900/one-way mile

Big Ten : no participation bonus for participating teams.

Pac-12 : no participation bonus for participating teams.

SEC : The SEC gives $2.05 million for each team participating in the semifinals and another $2.15 million for the championship game.

Two important things to know about bowl game payouts . . .

#1 Be aware that funds are distributed directly to conferences (with the exception of Independents), which each have their own rules for distribution to individual member institutions. For example, some conferences distribute evenly between all members while others grant bonuses to the participating team.

See here for an explanation of how College Football Playoff revenue flowed down to the four semifinal teams for the 2018-2019 season.

#2 These amounts do not include payouts from individual bowls that have direct contracts with conferences.

SEC And Notre Dame Big Winners In College Football Playoff Payouts Since 2014

College Football Playoff Changes for 2024

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams, beginning with the 2024 college football season. A 5+7 model has been approved, and we’ll update this page as soon as we know details on the finances.

Bowl Payouts 2022-23

Payouts from the 2020-21 season from the College Football Playoff are listed here .

I’ve detailed the conference-by-conference payouts from the College Football Playoff for 2020-21 here .

Research assistance provided by Madeline Myers and Darian Kelly

Historical Bowl Game Payouts by Year

2020-2021 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2019-20 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2018-19 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2017-18 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2016-17 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2015-16 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

2014-15 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)

Bowl Championship Series vs. College Football Playoff Payouts

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Big score: College bowl game payouts surpass $500 million

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Thanks to the College Football Playoff, bowl games paid more than a half billion dollars to conferences and schools last season, the largest payout ever and an increase of almost $200 million from the final season of the Bowl Championship Series.

According to an NCAA report released Tuesday, the 39 postseason FBS games distributed $505.9 million to the participating conferences and schools. The schools spent $100.2 million to take part in bowl games.

The revenue figures were reported by the bowls and the College Football Playoff to the NCAA and the schools supplied expense reports for participation, said Damani Leech, the NCAA’s managing director, championships and alliances.

Total payouts from 35 postseason games from the 2013-14 season were $309.9 million while schools spent $97.8 million to participate. For the 2012-13 season, payouts were $300.8 million and expenses were $90.3 million.

“The largest portion of that increase in revenue distribution in year over year can be directly attributed to the College Football Playoff,” Leech said. “While there were four additional postseason bowl games last year versus the previous year that’s, relatively speaking, immaterial.”

The College Football Playoff replaced the BCS last season. The playoff matched the four top teams in the nation, as selected by a selection committee, in two bowl semifinals with the winners playing for the national title. The BCS paired the top two teams in country as chosen by polls and computer rating in a national championship game.

ESPN pays the College Football Playoff about $470 million a year for the media rights to the three playoff games and four other bowls and most of the money is distributed to the 10 FBS conferences and schools. The conference commissioners who created the College Football Playoff considered holding the semifinals at campus venues, but ultimately decided to work within the bowl system.

“The overall health of the bowl systems is so important to our game because of the opportunities it creates for student-athletes,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said.

The final BCS TV deal was worth about $180 million per year to the conferences.

The increase in revenue comes at a time when running a major college athletic program is becoming more costly. All FBS conferences are planning to raise the value of an athletic scholarship by several thousand dollars to cover the full cost of attendance. The NCAA also now allows schools to pay for meals for athletes, and more costly reforms are in the works.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson said of the 63 percent increase in postseason revenue. “Every athletic department is being challenged with a cost of attendance issue. For there to be a significant spike in football bowl and College Football Playoff money at least gives our athletic directors some breathing rooms with business decisions they need to make.”

The NCAA postseason bowl certification report also includes a survey of 243 players, 23 head coaches and 40 athletic administrators to gauge level of satisfaction with the bowls. The report said 34 percent of those responding were extremely satisfied with the bowl experience, 48 percent were very satisfied and 15 percent were moderately satisfied. In 2013, only 19 percent of respondents said they were extremely satisfied and 34 percent they were moderately satisfied.

Leech said it was that feedback more than the finances that suggest the bowl system is healthy.

“Here’s what the student-athletes and the coaches and administrators are saying about their experience and it is by and large positive,” Leech said. “That to me is probably the most salient point.”

The report says to expect more bowls next season. The Cure Bowl in Orlando was approved last season but delayed its starting date. Little Rock, Arkansas, Tucson, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, are also hoping to be certified, which could make 43 postseason games that need 84 teams — eight more than last season.

Five teams that were bowl eligible last season didn’t play in the postseason, which doesn’t include Georgia Southern. The Eagles won nine games in their first season playing in FBS, but were not eligible for postseason play due to NCAA rules regarding transition years. Appalachian State and Old Dominion also become postseason eligible this season.

FBS members need to adopt new legislation this summer setting up safety nets to fill bowl spots if not enough teams reach eligibility, which generally means at least a .500 record.

The current NCAA safety-net bylaw runs out in August and includes provisions for allowing teams to participate in bowls games with two victories against FCS teams and during transition years.

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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Ranking every college football bowl game, from Orange to Frisco

It’s back. A year after the pandemic helped shrink the bowl season to just 25 contests plus the national championship game, the schedule is back to 42 games in addition to the Jan. 10 title matchup.

Say hello to the Fenway Bowl and the LA Bowl, both making belated debuts after planning their first editions in 2020. And bring on the Frisco Football Classic, a hastily thrown together matchup to ensure a happy holiday season for all the good boys who won six games this year.

Welcome back to longtime mainstays such as the Independence and Sun bowls, which were coronavirus casualties, as well as the likes of the Birmingham, Las Vegas and Military bowls. And a special nod to those games that got matchups such as the Gasparilla, Music City and Texas bowls, only for one team to bow out because of virus problems.

The pandemic, of course, is not over. Yet there was only one postponement ( Southern Cal-California ) in three months of FBS games, meaning a full regular season is rightfully giving way to a full bowl season.

There are highlights. There are potential blowouts. There are 6-6 teams tangling at odd times of the day. And here’s the annual rundown of it all, a guide of what’s to come after all the matchups were finalized Sunday.

Turns out there was no need to fuss over the College Football Playoff selections

1. Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan (Dec. 31, 7:30, ESPN). The second of the national semifinals provides Georgia the chance to bounce back from its SEC title game humbling against Alabama . It also puts the spotlight on a Michigan team that delivered the goods all year — but especially in its past two outings, a cathartic defeat of Ohio State and a Big Ten title game clubbing of Iowa .

Player to know: DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan. The Big Ten’s defensive player of the year, Hutchinson led the league with 13.5 sacks and will try to harass Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett throughout.

2. Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 31, 3:30, ESPN). Alabama saved its best for the SEC title game, and its thorough deconstruction of Georgia landed it the No. 1 seed in the playoff. Cincinnati is the only undefeated team left, though the Bearcats should be the rare team that finds itself playing with less pressure than normal against the Crimson Tide.

Player to know: OLB Will Anderson Jr., Alabama. He leads the country in sacks (15.5). He leads the country in tackles for loss (32.5). He’s maybe the best player in the country, and there’s little doubt he’s the most disruptive player at or behind the line of scrimmage.

3. Peach Bowl: Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh (Dec. 30, 7, ESPN). Pat Narduzzi’s past (longtime Michigan State defensive coordinator) and present (Pitt head coach) collide in what should be a delightful New Year’s Six opener in Atlanta. It is Pitt’s most high-profile bowl trip since going to the Fiesta Bowl after winning the Big East in 2004.

Players to know: Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett and Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III . Pickett, a Heisman finalist and the ACC’s player of the year, and Walker, the Big Ten’s running back of the year. That’s some quality star power for this game.

4. Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Mississippi (Jan. 1, 8:45, ESPN). The New Year’s Day nightcap is a platform for programs having seasons to be proud of. The Big 12 champion Bears went 2-7 last year in Coach Dave Aranda’s debut, and their combination of interceptions and goal-line stands against Oklahoma State last weekend earned them this spot. The Rebels (10-2) posted their first 10-win regular season ever and were undefeated in games played outside Alabama.

Player to know: Mississippi QB Matt Corral. He wasn’t quite the same in the second half of the season because of nagging injuries, so maybe a month off will help (assuming he chooses to play in the bowl). His numbers still shine despite being a greater rushing threat early on: a nifty 20/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio to go with 3,339 passing yards, 597 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

5. Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 1, 1, ESPN). The teams that seemed most capable of slipping into the playoff in the final weekend did not, Oklahoma State (11-2) because it lost the Big 12 title game and Notre Dame (11-1) because it didn’t get the help it needed. No matter. This might not be filled with explosive plays, but it should still be a tight game — and it doubles as Marcus Freeman’s debut as Fighting Irish coach.

Player to know: RB Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State. The Utah State graduate transfer was the Big 12’s offensive newcomer of the year after rolling up 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing. He was slowed by an ankle injury late in the season and missed the Big 12 title game, but was in line to be part of a high-level running back showcase before Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams opted out of the Fiesta Bowl and turned pro.

Perspective: Brian Kelly’s in love again. And this time it’s for real.

6. Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Utah (Jan. 1, 5, ESPN). Ohio State lost at home to Oregon , while Utah bludgeoned the Ducks twice , so don’t go and assume this will be lopsided. It’s the first Rose Bowl trip for the Pac-12 champion Utes (10-3) and a nice enough consolation prize for the Buckeyes (10-2) as they come off their first loss to a Big Ten team since 2018.

Player to know: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State. The Big Ten’s offensive player of the year stepped into Justin Fields’s old job and threw for 3,862 yards and 38 touchdowns. He’ll be one of the Heisman favorites when the 2022 season gets underway.

7. Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. Texas San Antonio (Dec. 21, 7:30, ESPN). In a year of firsts for UTSA — first national ranking, first Conference USA title — why not a first bowl victory as well? The Roadrunners remain in the Lone Star State to face the Mountain West runners-up. The Aztecs rank second nationally against the run, creating a stellar matchup with UTSA star Sincere McCormick, the nation’s No. 5 rusher with 1,479 yards.

Player to know: P Matt Araiza, San Diego State. Yes, a punter. (Punters are people, too!) No, that’s not a typo. The Ray Guy Award finalist has averaged 51.4 yards per punt, which would break the FBS record of 51.0 set by Texas A&M’s Braden Mann in 2018.

8. Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon (Dec. 29, 9:15, ESPN). A classic in the “Do They Want To Be Here?” genre. Oklahoma is accustomed to earning playoff berths, and Coach Lincoln Riley left for Southern California last week. Oregon was in the playoff hunt , got trounced twice by Utah and will have a new coach with Mario Cristobal headed to Miami .

Player to know: QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma. The freshman displaced Spencer Rattler (who has since announced plans to transfer) in early October and threw for 18 touchdowns while rushing for six more. He mixed in a few rough outings, but Williams is an electric player who instantly made the Sooners more compelling.

9. Gator Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 31, 11 a.m., ESPN). When these teams last met — in the 2017 Belk Bowl — Wake Forest snagged a rollicking 55-52 victory. If this game is half as entertaining, it will justify its placement. One caveat: Both teams come in off disappointing showings — Texas A&M (8-4) in a loss to LSU, and Wake Forest (10-3) with a turnover-filled mess in an ACC title game loss to Pittsburgh.

Player to know: QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest. Hartman would no doubt like to wash away his four-interception showing in the ACC title game, but he still had a fine season for the Demon Deacons. With 3,924 passing yards and a hand in 47 touchdowns (36 passing, 11 rushing), he’s one of several high-end ACC quarterbacks this year.

10. Holiday Bowl: North Carolina State vs. UCLA (Dec. 28, 8, Fox). N.C. State (9-3) is aiming to complete only the second 10-win season in program history, and UCLA (8-4) is one of the few Pac-12 teams that didn’t endure an at least mildly disappointing season. It’s the first bowl trip for the Bruins in four seasons under Chip Kelly.

Player to know: Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu, N.C. State. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder is an Outland Trophy finalist and earned the Jacobs Trophy as the top blocker in the ACC. When the discussion on the broadcast during this game inevitably turns to the NFL draft, his will be the first name brought up.

11. Outback Bowl: Arkansas vs. Penn State (Jan. 1, noon, ESPN2). You’d better believe Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman is thrilled not just with any bowl destination for the 8-4 Razorbacks but with this one in particular.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman: Can’t wait to get down to the sunshine of Tampa, Florida and eat a couple bloomin’ onions. — Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) December 5, 2021

Oh, and the game should be pretty good, too, assuming Penn State isn’t too down about how a 5-0 start morphed into a 7-5 finish.

Player to know: WR Jahan Dotson, Penn State. A first-team all-Big Ten pick by the media, Dotson had 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns and ranks third in school history in receiving touchdowns. In a semi-related note, shouldn’t all leagues have three wide receiver spots on each of their all-conference teams in this day and age? Here’s looking at you, stodgy Big Ten.

12. Cheez-It Bowl: Clemson vs. Iowa State (Dec. 29, 5:45, ESPN). Neither of these teams imagined back in early September they would wind up in Orlando; Clemson is a playoff regular, and Iowa State also was a preseason top-10 team. But here they are, Clemson at 9-3 and Iowa State with five losses by a combined 29 points. If both teams are fully engaged, this placement might undersell things.

Player to know: RB Breece Hall, Iowa State. The No. 2 rusher in Cyclones history, Hall has scored at least 20 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons and needs just 59 yards to reach 4,000 for his career.

College football coaches once were institutions. Now they’re expensive rentals.

13. Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky (Jan. 1, 1, ABC). Will this game be good? Quite possibly. Iowa is 10-3, and Kentucky is 9-3. Will it be fun? Well, Iowa’s involved, so there’s a good chance there will be at least a punt or two inside the Kentucky 10. That’s the upshot of the Hawkeyes’ offense, which just isn’t explosive.

Player to know: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky. Even as the Wildcats rediscovered the wonders of the forward pass this season, Rodriguez enjoyed a fine season. He finished with 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, closed the season with four consecutive 100-yard games and averaged at least seven yards per carry in his last three games. Iowa’s miserly defense will be an intriguing matchup for him.

14. Cure Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois (Dec. 17, 6, ESPN2). On one side: one of last year’s critical darlings and breakout hits in Coastal Carolina , which didn’t win a Sun Belt title as an encore but still went 10-2. On the other: the Huskies, MAC champion a year after going 0-6. The opening night of bowl season features a gem of a game.

Player to know: QB Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina. The redshirt sophomore has won back-to-back Sun Belt player of the year honors, leads the country in passing efficiency and has thrown for 2,558 yards and 23 touchdowns.

15. Independence Bowl: BYU vs. UAB (Dec. 18, 3:30, ABC). Given the choice between shopping on the last Saturday before Christmas or watching the nation’s No. 17 offense (10-2 BYU) tangle with the No. 15 defense (8-4 UAB), pick football and don’t look back.

Player to know: RB Tyson Allgeier, BYU. The sophomore shared the national lead in rushing touchdowns (20) and ranked eighth in the country with 1,409 rushing yards. With a few weeks of rest, he could be in for a strong day against the Blazers in Shreveport.

16. Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Tennessee (Dec. 30, 3, ESPN). A potentially sneaky-good game if both offenses can take flight. Purdue (8-4) was the joker in the Big Ten deck, finding ways to handle a pair of 10-win teams ( Iowa and Michigan State ), and Tennessee (7-5) beat pretty much everyone it should have and maybe even one it shouldn’t have (Kentucky) in Coach Josh Heupel’s first year.

Player to know: WR David Bell, Purdue. It’s uncertain whether the draft-bound Bell will play, but he’s the guy to keep an eye on if he sticks around. He had 93 catches for 1,286 yards and went over 200 yards in the Boilermakers’ upsets of Iowa and Michigan State.

17. Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Houston (Dec. 28, Noon, ESPN). This should be one of the best environments of the bowl season; Auburn fans could make the short trip and pack gleaming new Protective Stadium, which replaced crumbling Legion Field as the home for this game and UAB football. It should be a good game, too; Houston is 11-2, and Auburn (6-6) just took Alabama to quadruple-overtime .

Player to know: KR/PR Marcus Jones, Houston. Jones has four returns for touchdowns (two on kickoffs and two on punts) this season and a combined nine for his career, including the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Troy. The Cougars will try to make sure Jones is busier bringing back punts than kickoffs.

18. LA Bowl: Oregon State vs. Utah State (Dec. 18, 7:30, ABC). Utah State was one of the season’s feel-good stories under first-year coach Blake Anderson, winning the Mountain West with a trouncing of San Diego State. The Aggies also went 7-0 on the road this year, a contrast to the 1-5 mark the Beavers posted outside Corvallis. The one victory, though, came in Los Angeles, Oregon State’s first at Southern Cal since 1960.

Player to know: WR Deven Thompkins, Utah State. At one point, Thompkins had eight 100-yard receiving outings in a nine-game stretch. He cooled down the stretch but still ranked second nationally with 1,589 receiving yards.

19. Boca Raton Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 18, 11 a.m., ESPN). A pair of Group of Five runners-up tangle, ensuring one of them gets a trophy a little gaudier than the ones handed out for division championships. The edge probably goes to App State, which lost twice to Sun Belt champ Louisiana Lafayette but went 10-1 against everyone else.

Player to know: QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky. The graduate student (whose name is pronounced ZAP-ee) arrived from FCS school Houston Baptist and promptly led the country in passing yardage. Zappe threw for 5,570 yards and 56 touchdowns over 13 games, so a normal day at the office would place him right around 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns for the year.

20. Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 30, 10:30, ESPN). The Badgers wanted to head west to the Rose Bowl, but a loss to Minnesota to close the regular season means they’ll stop a little shy of Pasadena. No matter. They’ll get the undisciplined Sun Devils, who rank 127th in penalties and penalties per game, in a matchup of 8-4 teams.

By landing Lincoln Riley, USC reshapes the landscape and changes the game

Player to know: RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin. When you say Wisconsin, you’ve said it all at least as far as running backs are concerned. A freshman, Allen appears to be the latest in a long line of capable Badgers rushers; he had 1,109 yards and 12 touchdowns and had seven consecutive 100-yard days after emerging early in conference play.

21. New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Lafayette vs. Marshall (Dec. 18, 9:15, ESPN). It should be a de facto home game for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who will travel a hair more than two hours to the Big Easy to meet their future Sun Belt rival. Louisiana Lafayette has won 12 in a row, including a conference championship. Marshall is a sound program; it went 7-5 to earn a fifth consecutive bowl trip. Still, this feels like it has some blowout potential, especially with Marshall coming off a 53-21 loss to Western Kentucky.

Player to know: T Max Mitchell and G O’Cyrus Torrence, Louisiana Lafayette. The only Ragin’ Cajuns to land on the Sun Belt’s first-team offense or defense were these linemen, who helped the Sun Belt champs average 191.9 rushing yards.

22. Quick Lane Bowl: Nevada vs. Western Michigan (Dec. 27, 11 a.m., ESPN). The first instinct is to think this is a game that belongs in the pre-Christmas set. But dig just a little, and you find a pair of teams with winning records (8-4 Nevada and 7-5 Western Michigan). Dig a little deeper, and it’s easy to see a pair of spunky offenses (Western Michigan is 15th in total offense, while Nevada is 32nd) capable of making this one of the bowl season’s under-the-radar gems.

Player to know: QB Carson Strong, Nevada. The two-time offensive player of the year in the Mountain West, Strong threw for 4,175 yards (sixth nationally) and 36 touchdowns (tied for sixth).

23. First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville (Dec. 28. 3:15, ESPN). Two of the top 20 rushing teams in the country collide in Dallas. Air Force leads the country in rushing (340.8 per game) in part because of a philosophy rooted in the option. Louisville has a strong ground game in large part because of quarterback Malik Cunningham, who has rushed for 968 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Player to know: Cunningham. If Air Force (9-3) can bottle him up as Kentucky did in the Cardinals’ regular season finale, this could be a dud. But if he has room to create havoc and effectively complement his own passing attack, this could be a fun, high-scoring game.

24. Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida vs. Florida (Dec. 23, 7, ESPN). Usually, a game involving a school that fired its coach gets shunted to the back of the line or close to it. But in this case, the Dan Mullen-less Gators (6-6) get a reprieve because it’s an in-state foe for a game played in Tampa. Central Florida went 8-4 in its first season under Gus Malzahn.

Player to know: DE Big Kat Bryant, Central Florida. Bryant followed Malzahn from Auburn and delivered 14 tackles for loss and six sacks for the Knights. Plus, anybody who goes by “Big Kat” automatically is a player to know.

25. Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech (Dec. 28, 6:45, ESPN). The interim-coach rule detailed just above gets broken again. Sure, Texas Tech has one (Sonny Cumbie, who will be off to Louisiana Tech after this game), but the bigger subplot is former Red Raiders coach Mike Leach’s shot to face the program with which he had his greatest success. (Cumbie was his starting QB at Texas Tech in 2004.) Leach is now in his second season at Mississippi State.

Player to know: QB Will Rogers, Mississippi State. What a surprise, a Leach quarterback with video game numbers. Rogers completed 75.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,449 yards and 35 touchdowns.

26. Fenway Bowl: SMU vs. Virginia (Dec. 29, 11 a.m., ESPN). A classic “this-would-have-looked-better-at-Halloween” game. SMU (8-4) dropped three of its last four. Virginia (6-6) limped home with four consecutive losses. Cavaliers Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s decision to step down after this game does provide a compelling off-field subplot.

Player to know: WR Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia. The ACC’s No. 3 receiver with 1,203 yards, Wicks collected 21.1 yards per catch. He’s a good bet for a few big plays in tandem with quarterback Brennan Armstrong.

Virginia to play in Fenway Bowl in final game for Coach Bronco Mendenhall

27. Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. South Carolina (Dec. 30, 11:30 a.m., ESPN). Border battle? Good. Two 6-6 teams going at it? That leaves a bit to be desired.

Player to know: QB Sam Howell, North Carolina. Howell was pumped up as a preseason Heisman candidate but was quickly forgotten after struggling in the Tar Heels’ opener against Virginia Tech . Those who kept paying attention witnessed a fine season defined by an impressive degree of toughness: 825 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing to go with 2,851 yards and 23 TDs passing.

28. Military Bowl: Boston College vs. East Carolina (Dec. 27, 2:30, ESPN). East Carolina already won once in Annapolis this season, and the prospect of the program’s first bowl trip since 2014 coupled with a reasonable drive adds to the appeal. The Eagles (6-6) lost six of their last eight, making them the sort of team that might be excited by the chance to salvage something of the year — or just eager to get it over and done with.

Player to know: QB Holton Ahlers, East Carolina. One of only two Pirates to surpass the 10,000-yard plateau for his career (no small thing for a program that has gone through its share of prolific quarterbacks over the past three-plus decades), Ahlers threw for a season-high 405 yards in East Carolina’s Nov. 20 victory at Navy .

29. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. West Virginia (Dec. 28, 10:15, ESPN). There’s a good chance this thing is competitive; Minnesota is 8-4, and West Virginia won four of its last six to get to 6-6. But compelling? Maybe for those with a defense-minded approach. It’s a pair of top-half defenses (with Minnesota especially stout) against a pair of bottom-half offenses.

Players to know: The Minnesota offensive line. Injuries have done a number on the Gophers’ running backs, but five players have uncorked 100-yard games. That’s a testament to a line that got four of its members all-conference honors: tackle Daniel Faalele (coaches’ first team), guard Blaise Andries (media first team), center John Michael Schmitz (coaches’ second team) and guard Conner Olson (coaches’ third team).

30. Arizona Bowl: Boise State vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 31, 2, Barstool Sports). Ah, the Arizona Bowl dilemma — wanting a New Year’s Eve slot but going head-to-head (at least in the second half) with a playoff game. This is actually a good pairing. Central Michigan (8-4) won its last four, and Boise State (7-5) is still decent even in a down year by its lofty standards.

Player to know: RB Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan. Last year’s MAC rookie of the year turned into this season’s MAC offensive player of the year. Nichols leads the country in rushing (1,710 yards), and the Chippewas aren’t reluctant to use him. Over his past five games, Nichols is averaging 33.4 carries, 196.6 yards and 2.4 touchdowns.

31. Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. LSU (Jan. 4, 9, ESPN). There was some stiff competition in the annual hunt for the bowl matchup that sounds most like an 8/9 game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Cincinnati-Alabama. Maryland-Virginia Tech. Minnesota-West Virginia. Wisconsin-Arizona State. But this pairing of Wildcats (7-5) and Tigers (6-6), both of whom finished below .500 in their respective leagues, won out in the end.

Player to know: LB Damone Clark, LSU. The senior, a Butkus Award finalist, rolled up 135 tackles — second most in the country and the most for a team that reached the postseason.

32. Sun Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Washington State (Dec. 31, noon, CBS). Usually, the mystery with Miami is whether it has much interest in its bowl game. With a 1-10 postseason record since 2008, the answer has come up no at least a few times. This year, the Hurricanes’ initial question was who coaches the team. Manny Diaz was still technically the coach until Monday morning, when the school lured Oregon’s Mario Cristobal to Coral Gables. Whoever is in charge, advantage Cougars, a resilient bunch that finished 7-5 despite coaching drama involving the since-fired Nick Rolovich for much of the season.

Player to know: QB Jayden de Laura, Washington State. The Pac-12’s leader in passing yards (2,751) and touchdown passes (23) leads an opportunistic team that is tied for 10th nationally in turnover margin per game.

33. LendingTree Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty (Dec. 18, 5:45, ESPN). A pair of 7-5 teams tangle in Mobile. Liberty has dropped three in a row — quite the skid for a program that had won 19 of its previous 22. The Eagles are seeking their first postseason victory since the 1987 California Bowl.

Player to know: QB Malik Willis, Liberty. Willis led the Flames in passing and rushing for the second consecutive season, and he accounted for 35 touchdowns (including 11 on the ground) this fall.

34. Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo (Dec. 17, noon, ESPN). Toledo, ahem, rockets into this game having won four of its past five while scoring 49 points in three of its past four games. Middle Tennessee earned bowl eligibility on the final day of the regular season, a triumph over Florida Atlantic that doubled as longtime coach Rick Stockstill’s 100th victory. Fun fact: The winner will take home the nearly 30-pound Prime Minister’s Trophy, which might be the most impressive-sounding bauble handed out during bowl season.

Player to know: RB Bryant Koback, Toledo. Koback ranked second in the MAC with 1,274 rushing yards and sixth in the country with 6.71 yards per carry. He rushed for 10 of his 15 touchdowns in the Rockets’ final four games.

35. Myrtle Beach Bowl: Old Dominion vs. Tulsa (Dec. 20, 2:30, ESPN). The bad? It’s a pair of 6-6 teams. The good? Old Dominion went from not playing at all last season and starting 1-6 in 2021 to closing with a five-game winning streak. Tulsa finished with three victories in a row, and four of its losses came by one-possession margins. Also good? It’s midafternoon weekday football.

Player to know: DT Jaxon Player, Tulsa. The senior led the Golden Hurricane in tackles for loss (13.5) and earned second-team all-AAC honors.

36. Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. Virginia Tech (Dec. 29, 2:15, ESPN). Maryland reappears in the postseason for the first time since 2016 after getting bowl-eligible on the final day of the season . The Hokies got to 6-6 with a Thanksgiving weekend defeat of Virginia under interim coach J.C. Price.

Player to know: QB Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland. Tagovailoa broke Scott Milanovich’s 28-year-old school record for passing yards in a season, amassing 3,595 yards to go with 24 touchdowns. He also stayed healthy and is in line to become just the third Maryland quarterback since 2004 to start every game in a season; Sam Hollenbach (2006) and C.J. Brown (2014) are the others.

Maryland will face Virginia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl

37. Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State vs. Wyoming (Dec. 21, 3:30, ESPN). The Golden Flashes (7-6) make the trip west for only their fourth bowl game ever after falling in the Mid-American title game to Northern Illinois. Wyoming (6-6) stumbled after winning its first four but managed to beat two conference champs (Northern Illinois and Utah State) along the way. Bonus points for playing on Boise’s blue field, as always.

Player to know: QB Dustin Crum, Kent State. A first-team all-MAC pick, Crum ranked second in the league with 2,922 yards while throwing for 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.

38. Camellia Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State (Dec. 25, 2:30, ESPN). Georgia State makes its third consecutive bowl trip and does so as the hottest team in the country almost no one knows about. The Panthers (7-5) have won six of their past seven, with the only loss a four-point decision at Sun Belt champ Louisiana Lafayette. Not bad. Ball State, MAC champion a year ago, went 6-6 this fall.

Player to know: LG Shamarious Gilmore, Georgia State. The five-time all-Sun Belt pick (including first team the past two years) has made 58 career starts for the Panthers, including a 51-start streak interrupted by injury earlier this season.

39. New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Texas El Paso (Dec. 18, 2:15, ESPN). Old WAC rivals collide as the Bulldogs (9-3) and Miners (7-5) meet in Albuquerque. UTEP was a great story, getting bowl-eligible before the end of October, but it lost four of its last five and didn’t beat a team all season that finished with a winning record. Fresno State lost coach Kalen DeBoer to Washington last week, and quarterback Jake Haener promptly entered the transfer portal (though Haener quickly withdrew after the Bulldogs brought Jeff Tedford back for a second head coaching stint). This game would have looked better a month ago.

Player to know: WR Jalen Cropper, Fresno State. The junior had 76 catches for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a four-touchdown showing against UNLV.

40. Frisco Football Classic: Miami (Ohio) vs. North Texas (Dec. 23, 3:30, ESPN). This game didn’t exist a week ago but was created to provide a postseason home for every bowl-eligible team. A fine sentiment, but it’s still a pairing of 6-6 teams. To the credit of North Texas, which will be playing close to home, it won five in a row (including an upset of then-unbeaten Texas San Antonio) to earn its way here.

Player to know: WR Jack Sorenson, Miami (Ohio). The MAC’s receiving leader, Sorenson had 69 catches for 1,290 yards and 10 touchdowns for the RedHawks, who are seeking their first bowl victory since 2010.

41. Hawaii Bowl: Memphis at Hawaii (Dec. 24, 8, ESPN). Memphis is 6-6. Hawaii is 6-7. On the surface, things don’t look too encouraging here. But at least (a) both teams are coming off victories and (b) this Christmas Eve staple is back after a one-year hiatus.

Player to watch: WR Calvin Austin III, Memphis. This could be a fine platform for the first-team all-AAC wideout if he doesn’t opt out to begin NFL draft prep work. He had 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns on 74 receptions for the Tigers.

42. Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. Missouri (Dec. 22, 8, ESPN). Missouri is giving up 228.8 rushing yards per game, “good” for 125th nationally. Army rushes for 301.2 yards per game. It’s not hard to guess where this is headed, though it should be enjoyable for those who like watching option offenses carve up opponents.

Player to know: OLB Andre Carter II, Army. It’s not just the running backs and quarterbacks who star for the Black Knights (8-3). The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Carter has 16 tackles for loss, including 14.5 sacks, as a junior.

What you need to read about college football

Scores | Rankings | Standings | Stats

Conference shakeup: The ground beneath college sports took its most disfiguring shake to date as Southern California and UCLA announced they are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten .

Jerry Brewer: As college sports change, coaches must stop whining and amplify new voices.

Name, image and likeness: As NIL money keeps rising for players, coaches like Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban are lobbing accusations at each other while most Americans are still enjoying college sports , a Post-UMD poll finds. The NCAA has issued guidelines for schools, but boosters like Miami’s John Ruiz aren’t worried.

USC’s fever dream: At the Trojans’ spring game , minds long addled with college football might struggle to remember where all of the players and coaches used to be.

Season wrap-up: College football can’t ruin the magic of college football , no matter how hard it tries.

Barry Svrluga: Kirby Smart finally vanquished Nick Saban , and now college football feels different.

John Feinstein: Don’t underestimate Deion Sanders — and don’t take your eyes off him.

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Ranking the 41 college football bowl games for 2022-23: Playoff matchups deliver as Orange, Sugar disappoint

Anybody can sit down and watch a bowl game, but it takes a visionary to rank every single one of them.

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Another college football bowl season has come and gone, and for the first time in a few years, all of the scheduled games went off without a hitch. It's amazing what can be accomplished when there isn't a global pandemic putting the sanctity of college football's postseason at risk, huh? 

Ultimately, 41 postseason games have been played, including the College Football Playoff semifinals. Some of them were great (like the semis), while some others ... well ... they helped kill a few hours, if nothing else. All were worth having, however, no matter what monsters like my Cover 3 Podcast co-host Danny Kanell believe .

All the bowl games deserve to be ranked, too. If I have the courage to rank them before they're played, the least I can do is rank them after they are over. So which games ruled and which drooled? Let's settle it once and for all.

2022-23 College football bowl rankings

41. citrus bowl.

No. 17 LSU 63, Purdue 7 : We waited until the final day of bowl season to play the worst of them all. When I ranked the game before Bowl Season began, Jeff Brohm was still the head coach at Purdue and LSU's Kayshon Boutte was planning to come back and play again next year. That all changed, and there were so many opt-outs on both sides of this one that it's hard to imagine it going any other way than the eventual outcome. And it only went one way. LSU was up 35-0 at halftime, and Purdue didn't score until the fourth quarter when it was already 49-0. That seemed to be a mistake because it just caused LSU to keep playing. Pregame ranking: 20

40. Las Vegas Bowl

No. 14 Oregon State 30, Florida 3 : The saddest field goal of all time occurred in this game, but it didn't do anything for its ranking. Florida came into the game with a streak of 436 consecutive games scoring points, not having been shut out since the 1998 season. It was the longest such streak in the nation -- 57 games longer than any other program. It's the kind of streak that only the team that holds it cares about, and darn it, Billy Napier was going to make sure the streak was extended.

That's why he sent Adam Mihalek out with 37 seconds left to kick a 40-yard field goal to save his team from the embarrassment of losing 30-0. Losing 30-3 looks so much better! As for Oregon State, it was an emphatic statement to end a fantastic season that saw the Beavers win 10 games for the first time since 2006. Pregame ranking: 7

Super Sibo sighting 👀🦸‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/V2Z2F8bNyg — Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) December 17, 2022

39. First Responder Bowl

Memphis 38, Utah State 10 : This game never pretended to be interesting. It was tied 3-3 halfway through the second quarter before Memphis ripped off three touchdowns before halftime. Utah State was never able to recover. Memphis QB Seth Henigan threw for more yards (284) than Utah State had as a team (261). Pregame ranking: 41

38. Music City Bowl

Iowa 21, Kentucky 0 : OK, here's the thing. I loved this game. It was exactly what it was supposed to be. Iowa was missing its top two quarterbacks, while Kentucky was without its starting QB and two leading rushers. These were two awful offenses during the regular season, and it turns out that when you remove all the starters from the equation, they didn't improve. There were 21 points scored in the game and 18 punts ... and Iowa's defense scored two of the three touchdowns on pick sixes!

If you tuned into this game, you knew what you were in for and that's what you got. That said, just because it went the way it was supposed to doesn't mean it was a good game. I loved it, but in the way a mother still loves her child after they've been convicted of heinous crimes against humanity. Pregame ranking: 17

🚨ANOTHER IOWA PICK SIX!!!🚨 21-0 Hawkeyes #MusicCityBowl pic.twitter.com/yG2Oj42Qlf — 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) December 31, 2022

37. Sugar Bowl

No. 5 Alabama 45, No. 9 Kansas State 20 : The good news is Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. played in the game, and nothing disastrous happened to either of them. The bad news is the game might've been much more entertaining had they sat out. The Wildcats got off to a hot start, taking a 10-0 lead in the first half, but Alabama then scored five touchdowns before the Wildcats scored again. Young reminded us why he won the Heisman in 2021 as he helped put this game out of reach while throwing for 321 yards and five touchdowns. 

It's not how Alabama fans wanted their season to end (they wanted to win the last game, but at SoFi Stadium, not the Superdome), but the Tide finished 11-2. It's the 15th straight season Alabama has won at least 10 games, and it says a lot when an 11-2 record is viewed as a disappointment. Pregame ranking: 19

36. LA Bowl

Fresno State 29, Washington State 6 : The one thing the LA Bowl gets right is that it's not a bowl game with a storied tradition, and it doesn't behave as such. It's a gimmick meant to get two teams in an NFL stadium to play a game with low stakes. So why not have your mascot be a vomiting came?! Unfortunately, while last year's debut game was a banger, this year's had a lot in common with the vomiting camel. Pregame ranking: 8

35. New Orleans Bowl

Western Kentucky 44, South Alabama 23 : I only had this game ranked at No. 23 previously, but it did not come close to meeting the average expectations. It's always interesting to see high-powered offenses go against strong defenses, but Western Kentucky put this game's version of the debate to rest quickly. The Hilltoppers were up 31-3 at halftime, and while I appreciated South Alabama's effort in the second half, there was never any sense of jeopardy. Pregame ranking: 23

34. Fenway Bowl

Louisville 24, Cincinnati 7 : This game would've been so much better if Scott Satterfield had been forced to spend the entire game in a cage between the benches (they had to share a sideline at Fenway Park), but I'm not sure even that would've saved this game. The team that seemed happy to lose its coach showed more energy than the team that seemed surprised by losing its coach, but it was a low bar to clear. Louisville finished the first half strong to take a 21-7 lead at the half, then sat on it the rest of the way. Cincinnati's offense was hapless and finished with 127 yards. Of those 127, 73 came on the Bearcats' lone TD drive. That left 54 yards for Cincinnati's other 11 possessions. Pregame ranking: 14

In baseball stadiums they aren’t explosive plays, they’re home runs. pic.twitter.com/KMt9FVDwb1 — Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 17, 2022

33. Military Bowl

Duke 30, UCF 13 : You'd have thought UCF getting John Rhys Plumlee back for this game would've led to a thriller, but the Duke defense neutralized him as a runner and forced him to beat it through the air. You saw the score; you know how it went. The Knights put together a nice fourth-quarter drive to make it look respectable, but Duke controlled this game the entire second half. It was an emphatic finish for Mike Elko's team in his first season as the Blue Devils finished 9-4, capping their first nine-win season since 2014. Pregame ranking: 26

32. Armed Forces Bowl

Air Force 30, Baylor 15 : The question facing bowl games with options teams always centers around how willing the non-option team will be to deal with an option offense. To its credit, Baylor came out ready to face the challenge, but that only went so far seeing as Baylor's rush defense was pretty suspect this season. The Falcons ran for 267 yards on the day, and while they weren't running wild, they hit enough singles and doubles to stay on the field and grind the Baylor defense into powder. The Bears got a touchdown just before halftime to cut it to 9-7, but Air Force finished things quickly in the third quarter. It was 30-7 late in the fourth before Baylor scored a cosmetic touchdown. Pregame ranking: 31

31. Orange Bowl

No. 6 Tennessee 31, No. 7 Clemson 14 : So it turns out D.J. Uiagalelei wasn't the problem. What if I told you that Clemson ran 101 plays on offense but only managed 14 points? Because that's what happened. Tennessee was hitting big shot after big shot with Joe Milton launching passes that required nuclear codes. Meanwhile, Clemson's offense was the football equivalent of "Waiting for Godot." If I was in the mood to watch a few hours of existential dread, I'll take "The Banshees of Inisherin" next time. As for Tennessee, Joe Milton is not what Hendon Hooker was in this offense, but he makes superhuman throws. It'll be interesting to see where this offense goes next season. Pregame ranking: 12

Pinpoint accuracy from Joe Milton 🎯 pic.twitter.com/74cH7rfanT — ESPN (@espn) December 31, 2022

30. Myrtle Beach Bowl

Marshall 28, UConn 14 : It's not a great sign that I barely remember anything about this game, but that's why we take notes. Marshall lived up to its nickname as the Thundering Herd thundered for 210 yards rushing in the game and won by two scores despite only 93 yards through the air. UConn turned the ball over four times, and it was 28-0 before the Huskies put a number on the board. Pregame ranking: 39

29. Birmingham Bowl

East Carolina 53, Coastal Carolina 29 : This was all set up to be an epic battle. After entering the transfer portal, QB Grayson McCall surprised a lot of people by playing in the game, and while he was dueling with East Carolina's Holton Ahlers, this game was fun. The Chanticleers led 14-10 in the second quarter before McCall was forced out of the game with an injury, and the Pirates took over from there. What looked destined to be a classic finished as a blowout, but at least Ahler's 15-year career ended in style. He threw for 300 yards, rushed for 48 more and even caught a pass for 14 yards. He finished with six total touchdowns. Pregame ranking: 37

28. Texas Bowl

Texas Tech 42, Ole Miss 25 : It turns out the two best teams in the Big 12 were TCU and Texas Tech because aside from the Horned Frogs' upset over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl (more on that later!), Tech was the only other Big 12 team to win its bowl game this season. The final score of this game doesn't tell the whole tale, either, as this was a Red Raider trouncing. Tech had a 26-7 lead at halftime and was up 35-13 with half the fourth quarter over. It was a two-score game at minimum for the final 37 minutes of action as the Tech defense forced five Ole Miss turnovers. The Raiders had three of their own. Frankly, neither team valued the ball much, but it made for entertaining moments. Pregame ranking: 15

Texas Tech returned the onside kick for a TD 😮 pic.twitter.com/EWAmwCuyvD — ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 29, 2022

27. Potato Bowl

Eastern Michigan 41, San Jose State 27 : Unlike nearly all of the bowls we've already covered, the Potato Bowl had a lead change. That's an key ingredient in an entertaining game! We also had a 13-point comeback! The problem was that San Jose State took a 13-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, but Eastern Michigan blocked the PAT on the second TD, returned it for a safety and it turned out to be the most momentum-shifting safety in the history of sports. San Jose State didn't score again until the third quarter after giving up 33 straight. Eastern Michigan's Taylor Powell threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns. In the end, Chevan Cordeiro's 366 yards passing just weren't enough for the Spartans. Pregame ranking: 30

26. Rose Bowl

No. 11 Penn State 35, No. 8 Utah 21 : For a moment it looked as if we were about to get a sequel. In last year's Rose Bowl, Utah was locked in a shootout with Ohio State when QB Cam Rising left the game with an injury, was replaced by Bryson Barnes and one of the best bowl games of last season commenced from there. It was 21-14 Penn State when Rising went down with this year's injury while the teams were in the midst of trading touchdowns. Sadly, the sequel is never as good as the original. Barnes threw an interception shortly after coming in, and Penn State took over. The Nittany Lions scored two touchdowns of 80+ yards (an 87-yard TD run by Nick Singleton in the third and a 88-yard TD catch by KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fourth) to put this thing away, though the Utes did get a consolation touchdown with 25 seconds left. It made over bettors happy, if nothing else. Pregame ranking: 3

USC and UCLA join the B1G and the Rose Bowl immediately adopts Midwestern New Year's weather. pic.twitter.com/9iJ5DliKdd — Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) January 3, 2023

25. Pinstripe Bowl

Minnesota 28, Syracuse 20 : It finished a one-score game, but it wasn't a one-score game. Minnesota took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as running back Mohamed Ibrahim became the programs all-time leader in rushing yards while also setting the single-season mark for rushing touchdowns. But then Ibrahim took the rest of the afternoon off and Minnesota's offense didn't do anything because its defense made sure that was the case. The Gophers scored on a 70-yard pick six, and another turnover set them up for an easy 25-yard touchdown drive. Syracuse got a score with 2:30 left to make it 28-20 but failed to recover the onside kick. The Gophers ran out the clock and won the game despite 215 yards of offense. Just truly Big Ten West stuff, but nothing compared to what Iowa did in the Music City Bowl. Pregame ranking: 29

24. Quick Lane Bowl

New Mexico State 24, Bowling Green 19 : An undoubtedly great moment for New Mexico State's football program, but not a great bowl game. The Aggies controlled most of the game and took a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter before Bowling Green rallied to cut it to 24-19 with 6.5 minutes left. The Falcons never got the ball back, though, as New Mexico State ran 13 plays and drained the rest of the clock to move 43 yards and ice it.

The star of the game was Aggies QB Diego Pavia, who had the pleasure of being one of those players who most of the country did not know beforehand only to become a folk hero during bowl season. Pavia is shaped like a fire hydrant and continuously hurled his body into the defense to keep drives alive. He helped give the Aggies their first bowl win since 2017, and the seven wins the team picked up nearly matched the eight wins total the program earned from 2018-21. Pregame ranking: 35

23. Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Wisconsin 24, Oklahoma State 17 : This game was an odd visual. Not because it was a football game played in a baseball stadium --  we've seen plenty of those -- but because Luke Fickell was on the sideline in a headset even though he was not coaching the team. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was still the interim coach, and Bobby Engram was calling plays on offense, but the cameras kept showing Fickell on the sideline. He was even got the halftime interview on the way to the locker room.

This is something that will become the norm. One of the best ways for new coaches to learn about their new players is to be on the sideline with them during a game, so I'd bet we'll see this happen more. Still, it was awkward, but so were football games in baseball stadiums and we got used to them, right? Anyway, the fact that's my biggest takeaway from this game says a lot. It was 24-7 entering the fourth quarter as both teams played with backup QBs, and while the Cowboys made an effort late, it wasn't nearly enough. Pregame ranking: 25

22. ReliaQuest Bowl

No. 22 Mississippi State 19, Illinois 10 : The final score for this one is misleading; it was a one-score game until the final play of the game. Mississippi State, playing for the first time since the death of coach Mike Leach, drove 68 yards in 106 seconds to set up the game-winning, 27-yard field goal with 4 seconds left. Illinois had time for one play after the ensuing kickoff, threw a bunch of laterals and State's Marcus Banks picked one of them up and housed it for a touchdown. While the game was close, it was never that exciting. Neither offense did much until Mississippi State got going in the fourth quarter. The game did begin with a tribute to Leach as Mississippi State lined up in an Air Raid formation and took a delay of game penalty, which Illinois declined. Pregame ranking: 10

Mississippi State lines up in an air raid formation on their first play from scrimmage to honor Mike Leach ♥️🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/69IGMm51aY — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 2, 2023

21. Alamo Bowl

No. 12 Washington 27, No. 20 Texas 20 : I had such high hopes for this game, ranking it in the top 10 before games began, and while it wasn't bad, it could've been so much better. Consider me the one billionth person disappointed by a Texas team failing to meet expectations. Now to be fair, Washington didn't light it up, either. I wanted this to be an Alamo Bowl shootout between Michael Penix Jr. and Quinn Ewers. Penix threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns but averaged only 5.3 yards per attempt. It was more volume than quality. Ewers played well, throwing for 369 yards, but the lack of a run game for Texas (the 'Horns were without Bijan Robinson and Roshon Johnson) made it much simpler for Washington to defend. Plus, my unofficial count of 432 drops by Texas receivers didn't help much. Washington never trailed and took a 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. After that, it was content to sit on the lead. Texas got a field goal with 1:40 left but didn't recover the onside kick. Pregame ranking: 9

Jalen McMillan what a grab 😱 pic.twitter.com/BSkmeqUwPa — ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 30, 2022

20. Cure Bowl

No. 24 Troy 18, No. 25 UTSA 12 : This game was similar to the Alamo Bowl in that I had very high hopes for it -- I ranked it in the top five! -- as a matchup between the Sun Belt and Conference USA champions. Two Group of Five teams that don't get a lot of attention but were good and entertaining to watch. To Troy's credit, its defense was outstanding as it flustered Frank Harris and the Roadrunners. Harris threw for only 194 yards and had two interceptions to go with one touchdown. UTSA was held to 345 yards, and 75 came on its lone TD drive. Meanwhile, Troy managed only 153 yards of offense and 1.05 yards per carry in the game, and it was more than enough! Pregame ranking: 4

19. Gasparilla Bowl

Wake Forest 27, Missouri 17 : It was one last ride for Wake Forest's duo of Sam Hartman and A.T. Perry. Hartman recovered from a rough second half of the season to throw for 280 yards and three touchdowns in this game; Perry, as usual, was his favored target. He caught 11 passes for 116 yards, though he didn't catch any of the three touchdowns! Missouri struggled offensively in the second half, killing a shot at making this one interesting down the stretch. The Tigers took a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter but only managed to run three plays in Wake territory after that. Their final five possessions saw them punt twice and turn the ball over on downs the other three times. Pregame ranking: 28

18. Independence Bowl

Houston 23, Louisiana 16 : Sit down, and I'll tell you a tale of a man who didn't seem to care much about winning bowl games in his past but has changed his ways. That's right. After Dana Holgorsen went 2-6 in his first eight career bowl games, he's won two straight after his Coogs knocked off Louisiana in Shreveport. It was an impressive performance by the Cougars, who fell behind 13-0 in the first half but outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 17-0 in the second half. Houston put together a monster drive to finish it, too, going 92 yards in the final minutes. Clayton Tune hooked up with Tank Dell one last time on a 12-yard touchdown to give the Coogs a 23-16 lead with 20 seconds left. Also, we'll never forget Houston's kicking tee retriever, Hawk, who had one of the most incredible tee-retrieving performances the world has ever seen. Pregame ranking: 32

Hawk, Houston’s kicking tee retriever, just won MVP of the Independence Bowl with this performance pic.twitter.com/Z4GwU93Os6 — Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) December 23, 2022

17. LendingTree Bowl

Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 : This game wasn't supposed to be very good, and in truth, it was not. However, it received some bonus credit in these rankings because it had something only one other bowl game had this season: a tie entering the fourth quarter. We'll get to the other game later (it's ranked much higher because it had other appealing attributes), but this one was never as close as it felt. Rice scored 21 points in the third quarter to make it a game, but Southern Miss dominated the rest of the way (including the fourth quarter), 31-3. Frank Gore Jr. was the star, rushing for an FBS bowl record 329 yards in the game. Gore got the people hyped, nobody more so than his auntie. Pregame ranking: 38

Lmao Frank Gore Jr telling his auntie to chill 💀 pic.twitter.com/0yTDRJZRzo — Overtime (@overtime) December 18, 2022

16. Duke's Mayo Bowl

Maryland 16, No. 23 NC State 12 : You into conspiracy theories? Because I've got a doozy of a conspiracy for you here. Before the game, both coaches -- Mike Locksley and Dave Doeren -- agreed to have a bucket of mayo dumped over their head to celebrate. There had been questions about whether they'd be willing to because, well, it's mayo on your head. But also because South Carolina coach Shane Beamer nearly suffered a traumatic brain injury when he got his mayo bath last season with a nice smack on the back of his head.

Anyway, both coaches agreed to the bath and then proceeded to coach this game as if they were doing everything in their power to avoid winning and getting the mayo bath. Locksley wearing the giant hat after the game and having to be coerced into removing it for the mayo only further convinces me this is what happened. This leads me to wonder if the Duke's Mayo Bowl should consider threatening the losing coach with a mayo bath next season. Give an added layer of motivation. In fact, what if every non-playoff bowl game found something unpleasant to dump over a coach's head if they lost? Might that lead to even better games? There's nothing wrong with asking questions, folks. Pregame ranking: 16

THEY DIDN’T HURT HIM! pic.twitter.com/l5fYIOE8G2 — Duke's Mayo Bowl (@DukesMayoBowl) December 30, 2022

15. Boca Raton Bowl

Toledo 21, Liberty 19 : This was a boring game for nearly the first 3.5 quarters of action, and it suddenly got interesting at the end. Liberty jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter but Toledo took over from there, building a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. Then Liberty woke from its slumber to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but a 2-point conversion attempt after a 67-yard touchdown pass to Bentley Hanshaw was no good to leave the score at 21-19. Liberty didn't attempt an onside kick with just under 4 minutes still to play, but the Flames never got the ball back. Toledo never even faced another third-down decision let alone a fourth down. Pregame ranking: 27

14. New Mexico Bowl

BYU 24, SMU 23 : This game was ugly but close! Well, close-ish. BYU didn't do much of anything noteworthy on offense, but it had a 76-yard pick six and kept SMU from doing anything, which was more than enough. The Cougars had a 24-10 lead going into the fourth quarter, and things finally got interesting. After cutting it to a one-score game early in the quarter, SMU went on a 14-play, 88-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes. Jordan Kerley caught a 12-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai to make it 24-23, and the Mustangs had no desire to go to overtime. Unfortunately for them, the 2-point conversion attempt failed. Mordecai kept it on a draw and was stuffed a yard short to give BYU the victory. Pregame ranking: 24

13. Camellia Bowl

Buffalo 23, Georgia Southern 21 : Listen, I'll never complain about bowl season because I love all the games, but as a whole, this bowl season was not amazing, and this game helps validate that judgement. The Camellia Bowl was fine. It was one of the few games that never saw either team build a double-digit lead, ensuring it was close and interesting throughout, but there wasn't much back-and-forth, either. Georgia Southern took a 3-0 lead. A few minutes later, Buffalo went ahead 7-3, and that was the last lead change. The Eagles tied it up early in the third, but the Bulls took the lead again a few minutes later. Also, it was a two-score game for most of the fourth quarter before Southern scored to make it somewhat interesting in the final minutes. And that's good enough to earn No. 13 this season. Pregame ranking: 34

12. Bahamas Bowl

UAB 24, Miami OH 20 : Bahamas Bowl, I owe you an apology. I ranked you 40th before the games began, and little did I know it at the time, but not only was the game you gave us to start bowl season entertaining but it would prove to be one of the more entertaining games of the season. I hope you'll forgive me with a free trip to the Bahamas Bowl next season, not so I can spend a week with all my expenses paid on your beautiful island but so I can get a better idea of what the Bahamas Bowl is all about and do a better job of ranking it next year.

This game had nearly everything you could hope for from two average teams with nothing to lose. UAB took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, Miami fought back to take a 13-10 lead in the third quarter and then the two teams traded scores and the lead three more times in the fourth quarter. Finally, Jermaine Brown Jr. capped a big day (116 yards rushing, 2 TD) with a 12-yard, game-winning score to give the Blazers the 24-20 lead with 80 seconds left to play. Pregame ranking: 40

11. Holiday Bowl

No. 15 Oregon 28, North Carolina 27 : I expected a lot more points in this game than we got. Everybody did. The total for it closed at 76.5, but while the offenses failed to meet those lofty expectations, we were still provided with an entertaining game. My Cover 3 Podcast co-host and North Carolina Super Fan Chip Patterson has maintained since last spring that the Tar Heels now live with the Coach K Curse. They beat Coach K in his final home game at Duke, and then in his final game, knocked the Blue Devils out of the Final Four. Chip says that to pay the price for all that joy, the Heels are doomed to lose in heartbreaking fashion for a while. This game is another example of Chip's psychic powers.

The Tar Heels took a 24-14 lead early in the fourth, only to see Oregon cut it to a 24-21 game with seven minutes left. Not to worry, though, as the Heels responded with a long touchdown drive to make it 27-21 with 2:29 left, but the field goal wasn't enough. They needed the touchdown because Oregon went 79 yards in 2:10 before Bo Nix found Chase Cota for a 6-yard TD pass with 19 seconds left to win the game. Pregame ranking: 6

THE DUCKS SCORE 🦆 @oregonfootball pic.twitter.com/YENGnpB5X0 — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 29, 2022

10. Gator Bowl

No. 21 Notre Dame 45, No. 19 South Carolina 38 : When discussing the LendingTree Bowl earlier, I mentioned it was one of only two bowl games to enter the fourth quarter with a tie score this season. This was the other, and was the much better game, which is why it cracks our top 10. The Gator Bowl offered much more excitement thanks to all the points scored and back-and-forth shootout nature. While the lead only officially changed hands once, there were three game-tying touchdowns in the final 16 minutes.

South Carolina came out hot, taking a 21-7 lead in the first quarter, but it turns out the Fighting Irish simply wanted to make up for blowing a huge lead against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl last year. This time, the Irish stormed back to tie it early in the third quarter. The Irish took their first lead early in the fourth, going ahead 38-31, and were poised to put it away a few minutes later. Instead, Tyler Buchner was picked off at the goal line, and O'Donnell Fortune (what a name) took it back 100 yards for the pick six to tie the game at 38. It was the second pick six of the day for the Gamecocks, but it wasn't enough. Buchner would recover and lead the Irish on an 80-yard touchdown drive, throwing the game-winning score to Mitchell Evans with 1:38 left. Pregame ranking: 22

Buchner to Evans Back up 7️⃣ #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/59Slvz5F9K — Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 31, 2022

9. Hawaii Bowl

Middle Tennessee 25, San Diego State 23 : OK, hand up. I barely saw any of this game. I'm sorry, but it's played on Christmas Eve, and I spend Christmas Eve at my sister's house with family. Most of the time, there aren't NFL games being played that night, so I can get away with putting the Hawaii Bowl on the television and keeping an eye on it. That wasn't the case this year, and I had difficulty convincing my family that a game between Middle Tennessee and San Diego State was more worthy of their attention than the NFL game that was on at the time. There's only so much I can do. That said, the game looked pretty good! I'm sorry I missed it! It was one of four bowl games this year to feature five lead changes (none had more), and neither team ever led by more than two scores. Pregame ranking: 33

8. Sun Bowl

Pittsburgh 37, No. 18 UCLA 35 : If I were to ever rank bowl days instead of bowl games, the day this game was played would've been No. 1 easy. Five games were played on Friday, Dec. 30, and the Orange Bowl (the biggest one) is the only one ranked outside the top 16 bowls (No. 31). The rest were all good-to-great, and the Sun Bowl skewed great. The game was exciting and entertaining throughout with both teams throwing haymakers and trading leads numerous times, but it truly got nuts in the fourth quarter.

Pitt seemed to have taken control, erasing a 28-14 deficit to take a 34-28 lead on a 27-yard field goal with 4:24 left. Then the Bruins, without starting QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who had left the game with an injury earlier in the half, went on an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive with backup Ethan Garbers. T.J. Harden finished it with an 8-yard TD run to give the Bruins a 35-34 lead with 34 seconds left.  The celebration was on, though it turned out to be premature. Nick Patti and the Panthers got the ball back, quickly drove into field goal range and Ben Sauls drilled the 47-yard, game-winning field goal with four seconds left. It was an absolute roller coaster ride of a finish. Pregame ranking: 13

PITT CALLED SAULS @bsauls22 #H2P » @TonyTheTigerSB pic.twitter.com/Cv3COuED5c — Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 30, 2022

7. Frisco Bowl

Boise State 35, North Texas 32 : The Frisco Bowl got lost in the shuffle a bit because it was played on the first Saturday of the bowl season, and it had the latest kick, but I hope you caught it. Odds are you didn't because the game got off to a slow start with North Texas ahead 10-6 at halftime. It was then, I assume, a lot of casual viewers decided to do something else with their time, which was a mistake on their part because the second half was exhilarating.

There was a 36-point third quarter that saw Boise take a 28-24 lead behind Taylen Green. They'd extend the lead to 35-24 in the fourth before North Texas went on a 90-yard touchdown drive to cut it to 35-32 with 8:17 left. Sadly, it never got closer. Boise State's defense and special teams took over and pinned the Mean Green inside their own 20 on their final two possessions while choking the life out of the game. Pregame ranking: 36

6. Arizona Bowl

Ohio 30, Wyoming 27 : The final thriller from the historic Friday, Dec. 30 slate of bowl games. The Arizona Bowl was incredible and had everything you could want. There were five lead changes, and neither team led by more than seven points. It was a one-point game heading into the fourth quarter, and the final 5 minutes provided a ton of excitement.

First, Ohio extended its lead to 21-17 with a 45-yard field goal with 4:17 left. Wyoming responded with a 75-yard TD drive to take a 24-21 lead with 2:04 left. It was the Cowboys' first lead since going up 17-11 just before halftime. The Bobcats would respond with a quick drive into field goal range, and Nathanial Vakos drilled his third FG of the evening with a 46-yarder to tie it up with four seconds left. The game went to overtime (one of only two bowls to do so), where the Bobcats got the stop they needed. They held Wyoming to a field goal, allowing C.J. Harris to hit Tyler Foster in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard, game-winning touchdown on their first possession. Also, special credit to the announcing crew in this game, who were very unbiased in their reactions. True journalists. Pregame ranking: 21

Can you believe it! OHIO! Tyler Foster wins the first ever Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl!!!!! #BarstoolAZBowl pic.twitter.com/vzN80JV6ST — Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 31, 2022

5. Fiesta Bowl

No. 3 TCU 51, No. 2 Michigan 45 : OK, so I know what you're thinking. This was one of the two most exciting College Football Playoff semifinals we've ever seen, and it should be ranked higher than No. 5. I hear you, but while this game -- paired with the Peach Bowl -- gave us the greatest day of semifinals, there's one key aspect it was lacking. As hectic as it got and as unexpected as the final result may have been, the lead never changed hands. TCU took a 7-0 lead on Bud Clark's first-quarter pick six and never gave it up. Michigan never even managed to tie the game.

The game was still incredible, though, at least when players from both teams weren't slipping and sliding all over the place as if they were playing on an ice rink. Though I suppose you could argue the turf was a feature, not a bug, because it helped provide us with a 44-point third quarter. The game was so fun that I don't mind looking past some of the terrible calls by the officials, but I didn't have a dog in the fight. It's much easier for me to say that now than it is for a Michigan fan.

In the end, try as it might, Michigan couldn't overcome its mistakes. TCU was simply too good of a team to let them do so, and as the Horned Frogs did all season, they responded to a punch in the face by punching right back. Truly a Fiesta Bowl for the ages. Pregame ranking: 2

4. Cheez-It Bowl

No. 13 Florida State 35, Oklahoma 32 : The rematch of the 2001 BCS Championship Game for which we waited over 20 years! This was the kind of bowl game you love in that it gave both teams reasons to feel good about themselves heading into next season, even if only one team emerged victorious. For Florida State, you can argue no team in the ACC had a stronger finish to the season, and this win gives the Seminoles even more momentum heading into 2023. For the Sooners, you can't spin the 2022 season as anything other than a failure. It's the first time the Sooners finished with a losing record since going 5-7 in 1998, the season before Bob Stoops was hired. Still, this game showed plenty of signs for how good the Sooners can be next year.

Offseason narratives aside, the game itself was just a lot of fun. It was high-scoring with a lot of exciting plays, and the fourth quarter was nonstop drama. Oklahoma took a 25-18 lead early in the quarter; the Noles responded right away to tie the game at 25-25 and then took a 32-25 lead a few minutes later. It was then Oklahoma's turn to respond with a 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game one more time at 32-32. Finally, with the game on the line, Florida State drove into field goal range, and Ryan Fitzgerald kicked the game-winning 32-yarder with 55 seconds left to send the Noles home with all the Cheez-Its. Pregame ranking: 11

3. Liberty Bowl

Arkansas 55, Kansas 53 : There were only two bowl games that went to overtime this year, but the Jayhawks and Razorbacks were kind enough to give us three in one game. As you could probably guess after looking at the final score, this was the highest-scoring bowl game of the season with 108 points. The 96-point Fiesta Bowl was second, and we'll get to the third-highest-scoring game here momentarily. What makes this game even more memorable is that we did not look destined for drama early on. Arkansas led 24-7 after the first quarter, and when Kansas scored a touchdown just before halftime to make it a 31-13 game, my initial reaction was, "That will give them something to feel good about going to the locker room at least." 

I did not expect what was to come.

The second half started with Arkansas extending its lead to 38-13 with 8:43 left in the third quarter. The Jayhawks then spent the final 24 minutes of the game erasing the 25-point deficit. Kansas cut Arkansas' lead to 38-23 with 14:07 left, but it wasn't until there were 65 seconds left to play that the Jayhawks scored a touchdown to make it 38-30. Kansas then went with an onside kick, and I don't know if Arkansas' internet went out or something, but the Razorbacks looked like they lost connection as they just stared at the ball rolling toward them. Kansas, meanwhile, did not. The Jayhawks pounced on the ball and went 50 yards for a quick strike. Jalon Daniels hit Luke Arnold for the 2-point conversion and off to overtime we went.

Arkansas got its internet back, and once we got to the third overtime 2-point shootout, the Hogs got a stop, and Kansas didn't. The game ended with 108 points, 1,284 yards of offense, five lead changes and one 25-point, second-half comeback. It was a game worthy of a No. 1 ranking but has to settle for No. 3. Pregame ranking: 18

2. Cotton Bowl

No. 16 Tulane 46, No. 10 USC 45 : Don't say I didn't try to warn you before the games were played. I ranked this at No. 5 in the pre-bowl rankings and said that some people were bound to look at a matchup between USC and Tulane and dismiss the Green Wave, but there was a reason Tulane was only a 2-point underdog when the game opened. No matter how good Caleb Williams and the USC offense play, the Trojans defense is still cheeks, making it impossible for them to pull away from good teams. So, what happened here?

Well, Williams and Co. were awesome as the Trojans racked up 594 yards of offense with the Heisman Trophy winner throwing for 462 yards and five touchdowns. But Tulane has awesome players, too. Michael Pratt threw for 234 yards and two scores against USC while also rushing for 83 yards. Tyjae Spears has been one of the best players in the country all season, and he was up against an awful run defense, so things went as you'd expect as he rushed for 205 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second half.

Oh, and there was a special teams blunder in the final minutes that buried USC at its 1-yard line and led to a safety that made it a 45-39 game. The moment it happened, we all knew what was coming. Tulane was going to go on a long touchdown drive to pull off the upset. And indeed, that's exactly what happened. The Green Wave went 66 yards in 12 plays before Pratt hit Alex Bauman for the 6-yard touchdown. There weren't enough laterals in the world that would have saved USC afterward. Pregame ranking: 5

1. Peach Bowl

No. 1 Georgia 42, No. 4 Ohio State 41 : This was the greatest College Football Playoff game of all time. I had high expectations for it going in, and it surpassed them all. Ohio State was largely written off after losing to Michigan to finish its regular season, but it came out like a team on a mission. Every criticism it heard in the six weeks since the Michigan loss, it took to heart and set out to improve upon them. It did. C.J. Stroud was brilliant against one of the best defenses in the country, evading pressure and making fantastic throws. The Buckeyes had the defending champions on the ropes late, taking a 38-24 lead into the fourth quarter. It looked as though we were going to get the least-expected title game matchup of all, but never count out a champion.

The fourth quarter began, and after struggling for so much of the game, Stetson Bennett IV and the Georgia offense came to life in the final frame. The biggest play was on a blown coverage as Bennett found a wide -- and I mean WIDE -- open Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown pass to cut Ohio State's lead to 38-35. Ohio State answered with a field goal to go up 41-35 with 2:43 left, but it wasn't enough. Bennett led another touchdown drive, finding Adonai Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left. Still, that wasn't the end of the drama.

Ohio State responded and drove into Georgia territory as time dwindled. Then, as everybody in the Eastern Time Zone counted down the final seconds of 2022, kicker Noah Ruggles' 50-yard field goal attempt sailed well left of the uprights. The game was over. The timing was impecable.

Stroud finished with 348 yards passing and four touchdowns. Both Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. finished with over 100 yards receiving. But it wasn't enough. Bennett had 398 yards, and Georgia scored as many points as needed and not a point more. This was a game between two of the best teams in the country playing at an elite level, and it was incredible. I'll never forget it. Pregame ranking: 1

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CFP Expansion Expected to Increase Value of Other Bowl Games

By JohnWallStreet

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Holiday Bowl Iowa player returns kickoff vs. USC

The College Football Playoff recently announced it would be expanding from four to 12 teams for the 2024 season. The additional game inventory is expected to generate $450 million in gross revenue over the final two years of the current television contract and billions more in the years ahead.

The playoff expansion is expected to benefit all parties involved, including the Power Five conferences and their member schools, who will likely receiving most of the additional opportunities, exposure and revenue; the New Year’s Six (NY6) bowls, which will now host an annual playoff game; the CFP’s future broadcast partners; and the players and schools within the other five bowl subdivision conferences.

The remainder of the bowl season slate should net out on top, too. “You’re going to see a lot of the non-playoff bowl games have a different meaning and a different value to the enterprise,” Nick Carparelli (executive director, Bowl Season) said.

The new postseason format is expected to increase the value of lead-in promotional programming for CFP games, and no content better suits that role than the other 30-plus bowl matchups.

If the expanded CFP results in a multiple-network broadcast model, the competition between them for non-playoff bowl games will drive the value of the rights up even further.

JWS’ Take : With the CFP expanding, the 10 bowl-subdivision conference commissioners will discuss what the rest of the bowl games will look like in 2024. Carparelli said there are a host of questions that still need answering, including: “How many bowl games do they want? What does bowl eligibility look like? When should bowl games start? When should they end? [And] how do you strategically program them around the playoff so that it can be used as an asset to promote those games?”

The current number of postseason bowl games resides at 41. If the four quarterfinal games in the new CFP structure are incorporated into the existing bowl agreements/partnerships, it will “likely shrink some of the bowl opportunities that are outside of the playoff right now,” Phillips said.

Some college football observers have suggested the expanded CFP will make the remainder of the bowl games less relevant. But Carparelli disagrees, thinking the networks will still find them valuable. The thinking is any TV network investing billions of dollars in a marquee sports property is going to want to have adequate buildup, and the non-NY6 bowl games are a strong platform to drive awareness for the CFP.

The anticipated shift to a two-network model isn’t just about conference-network alliances though. “Just look at the NFL,” Carparelli said. “The multiple-network model and cross promotion that they get during broadcasts on those different networks really has created great value and elevated the value of the entire league.”

Having two networks share the rights to the expanded CFT should result in increased competition—and by proxy increased rights fees—for many of the remaining bowl games. “Fox has always wanted to have some bowl games. It has the Holiday Bowl now,” Carparelli said. “But there wasn’t a real reason to pry them away from ESPN without that pinnacle event at the end.”

ESPN will carry 40 bowls through the National Championship this season. Of the 40, ESPN owns and operates 17 of the games. One would assume those contests will remain on the cable network.

There is a competitive sponsor marketplace for playoff games. While it’s fair to wonder if an expanded CFP means there will be fewer available advertising dollars for the remainder of the bowl games, Carparelli does not anticipate that. Many businesses are eager to get into the sport and non-playoff games provide an affordable price point to do so. “You see a lot of challenger brands make a name for themselves during the month of December,” he said.

The sponsors for non-NY6 games also tend to be more local than the national brands that advertise during playoff games. “When these bowl games were created years ago, they were community-based events that were designed to stimulate tourism,” Carparelli said. “As a result, everyone who lives in and around a bowl tends to support the game. That includes local businesses.

But Larry Mann (partner, rEvolution) wasn’t sure how long that would continue. Expanded CFP aside, “There’s also a fair amount of uncertainty impacting these [secondary bowl] games as well, around coaches leaving, transfer portals, opt-outs, etc.,” he said.

Non-playoff matchups should not be negatively influenced by an expanded playoff. Twelve teams currently participate in NY6 games. While the stakes associated with some of those games will change, the number of teams participating in them won’t. “So, all the bowl games after the New Year’s Six really aren’t looking at much of a difference in terms of the type of team they are getting,” Carparelli said.

In recent seasons, top players have increasingly opted out of non-playoff bowl games. However, Carparelli is “very optimistic” NIL will help to encourage participation in the years ahead. “We think some of these events, like bowl games, that are partners with conferences and institutions but separate entities, may have the ability to put money in the pockets of student athletes to a different level than the institutions and conferences can themselves.” The best players playing would, in theory, make the games more valuable to all of their stakeholders.

Bowl season intends to tread lightly on the subject as it awaits further direction from the conference commissioners and member institutions.

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Bowl Games Matter, but not for Reasons you Think

By peter bartell | jul 28, 2023.

College Football Playoff Trophy Inglewood, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The debate for the last several years is whether or not bowl games matter. Do they create value in recruiting, etc. when so many players sit out now-a-days? The answer may be yes, and it may be no.

With bowl games, the number of bowl games in 1990 was 19, and is now 43 . What that means is the magic number is six wins. Back in the 90’s at least seven or eight used to be required. And even then, many teams were still left out with those records. This created more value in the bowl games from a prestige standpoint, and you also saw better-performing teams only year-over-year. It was a more coveted prize to be able to make a bowl game than it is now-a-days. With the increase to forty-three, it just seems like a formal post-season activity that the more than half of the teams in division one football participate in.

Since Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette set trends in sitting out bowl games to prepare for the NFL and not get hurt, this has become such a main trend now-a-days for virtually all first round draft pick potentials. It’s gotten so bad that it was a big story this past year when Will Anderson and Bryce Young decided to play in the Sugar Bowl against Kansas State. While it’s understandable with lots of money to potentially lose by playing a bowl game and risking injury, it begs the question then – do bowl games even matter since most of the best players from each team sit out?

Whatever your opinion, bowl games still matter in a way that not many would think.

Bowl games matter, but not for reasons you think

Historically, the most prestigious bowl games are the teams with the best records in college football each season. Also, those games happen the latest in the bowl season. The “New Years Six” is an example we’ll use here. This includes the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. If not part of the college football playoff, the remaining bowl games on this list still boast teams that have had some of the best records in the country for that season. These games also happen in as insinuated in the title of the grouping – right around or after January 1st.

Team with worse records that still quality for Bowl games at 6-6 play in mid-December typically. You’ll notice a trend each year that the better a team’s record, the later date in bowl season they play.

What this means is that the teams that play later get more days to practice leading up to their bowl game, which also benefits them for the following season. So, it’s not necessarily so much in whether a team wins or loses now-a-days for whether a bowl game matters or not, but how late in the bowl season you play relative to how well your team performs. These extra practices may not seem like much, but they’re valuable. The NCAA has rules in place that state a team is allowed to practice leading up to their bowl game, but not beyond it. So, if a team for instance goes 6-6 and gets selected to play a bowl game on December 16th versus a team that makes the college football playoff that plays in the semifinals on or around January 1st, that’s 15 more calendar days a team has the option to practice. And teams can practice up to twenty hours per week.

This may not seem like much, but it adds up – especially if it’s a team that’s in the playoffs year-over-year.

Let’s take Alabama and Georgia from the SEC for example. Since Nick Saban took over in 2007, Alabama has played their bowl game on December 29th or later the last fifteen years. Nine of those fifteen years Alabama has appeared in the national championship game that has always come January 7th or after.

For Georgia, since Kirby Smart took over in 2017, the earliest they’ve played a bowl game is December 31st. That includes three national championship game appearances for three of those seasons that all happened on or after January 8th.

Let’s compare this to a team in theory that either doesn’t make a bowl game, or that makes a bowl game and has their game in mid-December due to being a team more towards the 6-6 record mark. For Georgia, over a span of six years, that equates to roughly ninety calendar days extra. For Alabama that equates to two hundred and twenty-five extra calendar days.

Per week, the rule as mentioned is 20 hours. So, in “extra practice hours,” that’s two hundred fifty-seven extra practice hours total for an average of forty-two per year for Georgia.

For Alabama it breaks down to six hundred and forty-two extra practice hours and an average of forty-two per year as well.

Bowl games are a season-by-season thing, but the reason cumulative numbers are important to note is over a duration of time is because players stay for multiple seasons, and it can also be argued that this ripples into long-term development as well for players that’ll be on campus in the future as they’ll be competing against even better competition going up against members on the team that have had that extra practice time under their belt already since they’re upperclassmen.

Also, with the majority of high school recruits now enrolling early, this is a huge advantage to teams that play after a certain date as those high school players are allowed to participate in the practices leading up to the bowl game. They cannot play in the actual game, but still practice with the team which gives them a jump start on their upcoming freshman season, and onward.

So, while the argument whether winning or losing a bowl game is an on-going one, the hidden long-term effect of extra practices is one worth noting. And as these numbers point out, over time for schools like Alabama and Georgia, this helps tremendously.

Next. The SEC has never lost against these 20 teams. dark

bowl games value

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Ranking the 42 college football bowl games from best to worst

Welcome to bowl season!

It's the most glorious time of the year. And from the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 17 to the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 10, there will be 43 postseason games played.

Not including the national title game, Yahoo Sports' Sam Cooper and Nick Bromberg have ranked all 42 bowl games from best to worst. Beyond the CFP bowls, there are many intriguing matchups to look forward to in the coming weeks.

( Full 2021 bowl game schedule with dates, times and TV channels )

1. Orange Bowl: Michigan (12-1) vs. Georgia (12-1)

Georgia opened as a 7-point favorite over the Wolverines but this could be an extremely even game. And an absolute battle in the trenches. Both of these teams excel because of their offensive and defensive lines and they love to run the football. This is an especially enticing game for fans of old-school football and it’s made better by involving two blue-blood programs searching for their first national title in decades.

2. Cotton Bowl: Alabama (12-1) vs. Cincinnati (13-0)

Cincinnati became the first Group of Five program to reach the College Football Playoff, and now it has to go up against mighty Alabama . The Bearcats earned it. They are undefeated this year, have won 22 of their past 23 and are 44-6 combined over the past four seasons. Now the Bearcats have to deal with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who just diced up Georgia’s acclaimed defense for 421 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the SEC title game.

3. Rose Bowl: Ohio State (10-2) vs. Utah (10-3)

Utah is a scary team at the moment. The Utes have won six straight games and dominated Oregon twice in that timeframe . Ohio State, meanwhile, has the best trio of wide receivers in the country. Utah’s ferociousness up front will be a challenge for Ohio State’s offensive line. The Buckeyes couldn’t handle Aidan Hutchinson and Michigan. Will they be able to stop the Utes?

4. Peach Bowl: Pittsburgh (11-2) vs. Michigan State (10-2)

The ascendance of Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett from middle of the road ACC starter to potential Heisman finalist has been one of the stories of the season. Another big story this year was Mel Tucker and Michigan State. MSU went 2-5 in 2020, Tucker’s first season as head coach. This year, MSU went 10-2 and was once ranked as high as No. 3 with RB Kenneth Walker III leading the way. This is going to be fun.

5. Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State (11-2) vs. Notre Dame (11-1)

This is a matchup of the two teams that missed out on the playoff. Oklahoma State came within inches of a playoff berth in the waning seconds of the Big 12 title game while Notre Dame is likely in the playoff if Georgia beat Alabama. This should be a great defensive matchup with Oklahoma State’s top defense and the head coaching debut of Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman.

6. Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Baylor (11-2)

In Year 2 under Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss got to 10 regular season wins for the first time. Kiffin has Matt Corral and the Rebels' offense playing at a high level. The defense is much-improved, too. Baylor also has a second-year coach, Dave Aranda. BU went 2-7 last year. This year, BU won the Big 12. The Bears have been steady and well-coached on both sides of the ball. This is a really fun matchup.

7. Alamo Bowl: Oregon (10-3) vs. Oklahoma (10-2)

This is going to be the interim coach bowl in the only non-New Year’s Six game that features 10-win teams from Power Five conferences. Oklahoma will be coached by former coach Bob Stoops on an interim basis after Lincoln Riley left for USC. Oregon coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami on Monday and it's unclear who will lead the Ducks in this game.

8. Cheez-It Bowl: Iowa State (7-5) vs. Clemson (9-3)

Iowa State fell well short of expectations this season, but you know Matt Campbell’s team will be charged up to go against a team like Clemson in a bowl game. ISU has a senior-laden team that will be challenged by Clemson's defense. Clemson having three losses is out of the ordinary, but the Tigers quietly won seven of eight after a 2-2 start. Oh, and the winning coach will probably have a bucket of Cheez-Its dumped on his head.

9. Boca Raton Bowl: Appalachian State (10-3) vs. Western Kentucky (8-5)

The Boca Raton Bowl opens the first Saturday of bowl season with an enticing matchup. Both teams rank in the top 25 in points per game and Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe could set FBS records in this one. Zappe needs four TD passes for 60 on the season and a tie with LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019 for the most passing TDs in a single season. Zappe (5,545 yards) is also less than 300 yards away from throwing for the most passing yards in a single season of any QB in FBS history.

10. Gator Bowl: Texas A&M (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (10-3)

Texas A&M had national championship aspirations this year, but ended up going 8-4. Still, TAMU has one of the nation’s most-talented rosters — especially on defense. The Aggies will have a challenge going against Wake Forest, which lost the ACC title game to Pitt on Saturday. The Demon Deacons have a great offense that averages 41.2 points and 469 yards per game.

11. Music City Bowl: Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5)

Two creative offenses in an even matchup within driving distance of both fan bases? Yes, please. Purdue won four of its last five games of the season including an upset win over Michigan State. Tennessee won three of its last four and scored at least 45 points in each of those victories.

12. Outback Bowl: Arkansas (8-4) vs. Penn State (7-5)

Yessir! Arkansas is back in a bowl game after a four-season absence. The Razorbacks won eight games combined in the three seasons before Sam Pittman arrived. In his second year, they are 8-4. Penn State had a disappointing year, but has an excellent defense and one of the best receivers in the country, Jahan Dotson. He and Arkansas WR Treylon Burks could both be first-round NFL draft picks.

13. Holiday Bowl: N.C. State (9-3) vs. UCLA (8-4)

N.C. State had an incredibly solid season in 2021 — its three losses came to Mississippi State, Miami and Wake Forest. All three of those teams are going to bowl games. QB Devin Leary has completed two-thirds of his passes and has thrown 35 TDs and just five interceptions. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson can be electric in Chip Kelly's offense and the Bruins have scored at least 42 points in each of their last three games.

14. Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech (6-6) vs. Mississippi State (7-5)

On the surface, this is a mediocre Big 12 program vs. a decent SEC program. But if you know the history of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach and Texas Tech, you’re going to want to watch this one. To call Leach’s exit from Texas Tech messy would be an understatement. That was 12 years ago, but Leach’s lawyer last year said the coach has vowed to “fight” Texas Tech “until he dies.” Yeah, so go ahead and set a reminder to watch this one right now.

15. L.A. Bowl: Oregon State (7-5) vs. Utah State (10-3)

Utah State was the surprise winner of the Mountain West after a 1-5 season in 2020. The team’s turnaround under new coach Blake Anderson has been quick and fueled by the arrival of QB Logan Bonner after he came to Utah State with Anderson from Arkansas State. Though Oregon State has lost four of its last seven after a 4-1 start, this rushing attack is extremely fun to watch. OSU will be plenty motivated to win its first bowl since 2013.

16. Frisco Bowl: UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego State (11-2)

UTSA is in the midst of its best season ever. The Roadrunners started the year 11-0, lost the regular season finale but then beat Western Kentucky in the Conference USA title game. Now UTSA is seeking the first bowl win in program history. SDSU has also had an excellent season, but is coming off a disappointing 46-13 loss to Utah State in the Mountain West title game. Tune in to this one just to see SDSU punter Matt Araiza, who is averaging 51.4 yards per attempt.

17. Sun Bowl: Washington State (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5)

There could be a lot of points in this one. Washington State has been playing very well and recently elevated interim coach Jake Dickert to full-time head coach. This will be his first game without the interim label. On the other side, Miami fired head coach Manny Diaz on Monday and hired Oregon's Mario Cristobal as his replacement. On the field, Miami has two exciting young offensive weapons in QB Tyler Van Dyke and RB Jaylan Knighton.

18. Fenway Bowl: SMU (8-4) vs. Virginia (6-6)

This game would be higher up the board if neither team came crashing to a halt in November. SMU was 7-0 before losing four of its last five games and falling to Tulsa in the regular season finale. Virginia was 6-2 before losing its last four games. It could be a shootout though, with Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong and SMU’s Tanner Mordecai both operating as some of the most proficient QBs in college football. And it’s the final game for Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall before he steps away from football.

19. Citrus Bowl: Kentucky (9-3) vs. Iowa (10-3)

Kentucky keeps putting winning seasons together under Mark Stoops and now can get to 10 wins for the fourth time in program history. Two transfers — QB Will Levis from Penn State and WR Wan’Dale Robinson from Nebraska — have had big seasons for the Wildcats. Iowa won the Big Ten West despite its offensive struggles. The Hawkeyes got to 10 wins thanks to an opportunistic defense and excellent special teams.

20. Gasparilla Bowl: Florida (6-6) vs. UCF (8-4)

It’s UCF’s chance to play Florida on a neutral site. Raymond James Stadium will be rocking for this one, though it’s hard to get excited about Florida. This is a team that lost to South Carolina and Missouri down the stretch and both head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham got fired. What kind of offensive trickery will UCF coach Gus Malzahn have up his sleeve for a rematch with a former SEC rival? And will Florida be motivated to play?

21. First Responder Bowl: Air Force (9-3) vs. Louisville (6-6)

Air Force had a nice season, going 9-3, and has a three-game win streak entering this game. AFA’s option was humming along at an excellent rate all year long. The Falcons also throw more than their service academy counterparts, Army and Navy. Louisville has one of the most exciting dual-threat QBs in the country with Malik Cunningham. This could be a fun contrast of offensive styles.

22. Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4)

Arizona State and Wisconsin fans converging on Las Vegas is a match made in heaven. The game, however enticing it looks via record, isn’t as fun as envisioning Badgers and Sun Devils fans on the Strip. By now, you know the Wisconsin formula. Hand the ball off to a star running back (freshman Braelon Allen) and don’t let the QB (Graham Mertz) make too many mistakes. ASU was about as uninspiring as you can be for a team four games above .500 and there’s the whole NCAA investigation looming over the program too.

23. Birmingham Bowl: Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn (6-6)

The first year of the Bryan Harsin era at Auburn was up and down. The Tigers were once 6-2 and ranked No. 13. And then they lost their final four games, including a dramatic 4OT Iron Bowl against Alabama. Houston lost its opener to Texas Tech and then reeled off 11 consecutive victories before losing to Cincinnati in the AAC title game. Auburn wants to avoid a losing record. Houston wants to snap a four-game bowl losing streak.

24. Arizona Bowl: Boise State (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (7-5)

Boise State played 10 bowl teams in 2021. Only Colorado State and New Mexico were on the Boise State schedule and didn’t end up going to bowl games. Does that mean Boise is underrated? Central Michigan got to a bowl game after winning its last four games of the season. The Chippewas beat four bowl teams on that winning streak too. This could be a fun one.

25. New Orleans Bowl: Marshall (7-5) vs. Louisiana (12-1)

This does look like a bit of a mismatch on paper. Louisiana dominated the Sun Belt in 2021 while Marshall missed out on the C-USA title game. Louisiana coach Billy Napier is off to Florida, however, and Marshall has a defense that’s capable of slowing down Louisiana’s offense. Only UAB gave up fewer points in Conference USA.

26. Quick Lane Bowl: Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Nevada (8-4)

​​We could be in line for a lot of points in this one. Western Michigan scored 249 points in its last six games of the season while Nevada averaged 37 points per game. It may also be the final college game for Nevada QB Carson Strong, so it could be your last college chance to see a toolsy QB who could be an early-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Vai Taua will be Nevada's head coach in the bowl game, filling in for Jay Norvell who is leaving the Wolf Pack for Colorado State .

27. Texas Bowl: LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5)

Ed Orgeron is out and Brian Kelly is in at LSU, but it will be offensive line coach Brad Davis running the show for the bowl game. He and the Tigers have a tough task against Kansas State, who has one of the most underrated running backs in the country in 5-foot-5 Deuce Vaughn. However, K-State will be very one-dimensional if starting QB Skylar Thompson cannot play. He got hurt late in the season.

28. Cure Bowl: Coastal Carolina (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (9-4)

Coastal Carolina was one of the top stories of college football in 2020, and CCU had another good year in 2021. The Chanticleers run a unique offense and have an excellent quarterback in Grayson McCall. Northern Illinois went winless in 2020 and won the MAC in 2021. How about that turnaround? The Huskies have an excellent running game and are looking for their first bowl win since 2011.

29. Independence Bowl: BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4)

No offense to UAB, but we were hoping to see BYU play UTSA in this one. The Cougars ended the season in the top 15 of the College Football Playoff rankings and are in this game via an agreement with the Independence Bowl before moving to the Big 12. While UAB nearly handed UTSA its first loss of the season, this is a team that also lost to Liberty and Rice. The Cougars are going to be big favorites.

30. Armed Forces Bowl: Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6)

Anytime Army gets to go up against a Power Five program, it’s worth a watch. The Black Knights run a crisp, consistent triple-option offense. Missouri has one of the worst run defenses in the country, but that unit played much better down the stretch. At least Mizzou has three weeks to prepare.

31. Military Bowl: Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5)

East Carolina won four of its last five games after starting the season 3-4. The only loss in that stretch came to Cincinnati in the final game of the regular season. Boston College went 2-6 in the ACC as QB Phil Jurkovec missed most of the season with a wrist injury. He’s back now and gave the Eagles a big boost in his return to the field.

32. Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6)

UNC started the year ranked No. 10 in the AP poll but went just 6-6. The Tar Heels have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Sam Howell, but that defense hasn’t stopped anybody. South Carolina is in its first season under Shane Beamer and exceeded expectations to get to a postseason game.

33. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia (6-6) vs. Minnesota (8-4)

It’s hard to get excited about this one unless you’re a fan of either of these teams. This is a Minnesota team that lost to Bowling Green and West Virginia has been the epitome of .500 this season. And with this bowl game in Phoenix, so far away from either school, there may not be many fans in attendance.

34. Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6)

Virginia Tech fired coach Justin Fuente but got a rivalry win over Virginia to get bowl eligible. The Hokies struggled on offense for much of the year, but found a rhythm running the ball over the last month of the season. Maryland started 4-0 but needed to beat Rutgers in its last game to get bowl eligible for the first time under Mike Locksley.

35. New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State (9-3) vs. UTEP (7-5)

Fresno State enters this game without coach Kalen DeBoer after he was hired at Washington. And QB Jake Haener has his name in the transfer portal so he won’t play in the bowl game. UTEP has had a fantastic season to get to a bowl game but went 1-4 in its last five games.

36. Myrtle Beach Bowl: Tulsa (6-6) vs. Old Dominion (6-6)

Old Dominion did not play football in 2020 and started the 2021 season with a 1-6 record, only to rally and win five straight to get bowl eligible in Year 1 under Ricky Rahne. Tulsa also rallied to reach a bowl, winning its last three games, including a road upset over SMU, to get to 6-6.

37. Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State (7-5) vs. Wyoming (6-6)

Wyoming was a tough team to figure out. The Cowboys won four to start the season then lost four before alternating wins and losses in its past four games. Kent State won the MAC East with a 6-2 record in the conference but was overmatched outside the conference and lost 108-33 to the three Power Five teams it played.

38. LendingTree Bowl: Liberty (7-5) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5)

Liberty is coached by a familiar face (Hugh Freeze) and has an NFL draft prospect (Malik Willis) at quarterback, but enters the bowl game on a three-game losing streak. Eastern Michigan is looking for its first bowl win since 1987. The Eagles have played in three bowl games under Chris Creighton, but lost them all.

39. Frisco Football Classic: North Texas (6-6) vs. Miami, Ohio (6-6)

Welcome to the bowl game created so every team could go to a bowl game this season. The Frisco Football Classic effectively replaces the canceled Redbox Bowl and accommodates a North Texas team that won five straight at the end of the season to get to a bowl game and a Miami team that started the season 2-4 before winning four of six down the stretch.

40. Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5)

Toledo was a preseason favorite in the MAC, but finished third in its division. The Rockets finished the season winning three of four, however, and are looking to win their first bowl game since 2015. MTSU needed a come-from-behind win in its last game to get bowl eligible. The Blue Raiders are just 2-6 in bowls under head coach Rick Stockstill.

41. Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (6-7) vs. Memphis (6-6)

If you’re a football junkie you’ll be watching this game on Christmas Eve if you’re looking for a distraction before Santa comes. We can’t promise this is going to be a good distraction, but it’s always fun to dream about Hawaii on Christmas Eve, right?

42. Camellia Bowl: Ball State (6-6) vs. Georgia State (7-5)

Georgia State has won six of seven entering bowl play while Ball State has lost three of its past five. Neither team lights up the scoreboard on offense and there’s just three combined bowl wins between the two programs.

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CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Swinney still sees value in bowl games despite current college football landscape

Clemson faces off against Kentucky Friday at noon (ESPN) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.

The advent of the College Football Playoff, which expands to 12 teams next season, and the opt-outs and transfers that lead to depleted rosters – have taken some of the luster off of bowl season. But Swinney still sees value in the bow games even while others are taking less interest.

“Yeah, it's kind of sad to see, honestly. It's my 29th bowl game as a player and a coach,” Swinney said Thursday. “I've got a pretty good perspective on just a lot of different bowls, a lot of different experiences. Some of my greatest memories are being a part of bowls. The best ones are the ones we won. I told them that (smiling).

“It's a great opportunity. That hasn't changed. Regardless of who's playing, not playing, I mean, to me, the story's about who's playing. It's an opportunity to finish your season.”

Swinney says he is looking for the Tigers to finish on a high note.

“One of our goals is to win the closer. This is the closer for us. It's a huge goal,” he said. “It's a great opportunity for this team to finish well, to play on a stage like this, to come to the Gator Bowl, play a really good team in Kentucky. That part hasn't changed. I know the landscape has changed, but that part hasn't.”

It also adds momentum heading into next season.

“I think it's a thing (momentum from a win). I think anytime you can finish something on a positive note, it's good momentum,” Swinney said. “You still have to start over regardless, whether you win or get beat. It's still a new team, a new challenge, a new journey every single year.

“I think it's an opportunity to develop some confidence. Confidence leads to belief. Belief leads to great things. So it certainly is a positive in that regard.”

Kentucky players have implied that they wouldn't have played in this bowl game if they weren't facing Clemson, and Swinney was asked what it’s like to have that kind of target on their backs.

“Just another week. It's that way every week. Every time we line up to play, that's what comes with coming to Clemson,” Swinney said. “You come to Clemson, that's every single game. You're going to get everybody's best every single week. We talk about that all the time. It doesn't matter who we play or, where we play, or what time we play. Whoever we play, we're going to get their best. Again, Clemson is a place, when the schedule comes out, people look and they say, When are we playing Clemson? That's just part of being at this great university.

“So we understand that. That's why we talk about playing to a standard all the time. We got to do our best each and every week. Our preparation has to be great each and every week. Doesn't matter who you play, what the record is, none of that. We know we're going to get everybody's best. If you have that mindset, then you'll prepare the right way for every single game, whether you're in your opener, whether you're playing a non-conference team in the middle of the season, or you're finishing in the post-season.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TigerNet (@clemsontigernet)

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College Football Bowl Confidence Pool Rankings: Collin Wilson’s Picks for All 2023 Bowl Games

College Football Bowl Confidence Pool Rankings: Collin Wilson’s Picks for All 2023 Bowl Games article feature image

Getty Images. Pictured (left to right): Georgia’s Daijun Edwards, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Missouri’s Luther Burden III.

Every sport offers a unique slice of gambling that requires research, statistical analysis, market inspection and a bit of luck.

One of college basketball's betting pinnacles is the March Madness Calcutta pool, while golf provides a season-long “one-and-done” format. For college football, the most exciting postseason play is a bowl confidence pool.

If you’re unfamiliar with the format, a participant needs to pick a winner in every single game and assign a “confidence rating” that will be added up at the end.

Although pools with point spreads exist, this article will focus on pure straight-up winners and an assigned value.

For example, if a participant feels that Oregon will blow out Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl, then the Ducks would be the selection with the highest point total (41) assigned in the pool. Conversely, if a bowl game has plenty of turnover in terms of coaching, transfer portal and opt-outs, then a player could assign the lowest point value to that game.

Information is king when it comes to creating a pool entry. This article will focus on 41 games, not including the national title or Celebration Bowl.

Point values are based on a straight-up winner, keeping in mind the latest news on coaches and players .

We'll start with our list of bowls before a short summary for each game.

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Georgia Southern (-3.5) vs. Ohio

Myrtle Beach Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

Ohio opened as a favorite in this game after defeating three straight teams that did not make a bowl. Then, the floodgates of the transfer portal opened, and Ohio lost its biggest contributors at the offensive skills position.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, running back Sieh Bangura and two of the top targets are not expected to play in this game. Georgia Southern, meanwhile, had very few transfer portal losses.

Quarterback Davis Brin should thrive with short passing against the Bobcats' Cover 3 defense. This is a great opportunity for Eagles head coach Clay Helton to pick up his first cover in his sixth bowl game.

  • Pick: Georgia Southern · Confidence: 28

Jacksonville State (-3) vs. Louisiana

New Orleans Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

Jacksonville State might be the most motivated bowl team after completing its first season in FBS.

The defense has been excellent against the rush, particularly against teams that run outside zone. Enter Louisiana, which utilizes a rush-based offense that loves outside zone.

The biggest contrast in this game is the lack of rush defense from Louisiana, ranking bottom-20 in Success Rate, Line Yards and Stuff Rate.

  • Pick: Jacksonville State · Confidence: 20

Miami (OH) vs. Appalachian State (-6.5)

Cure Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

Miami (OH) limped into the MAC Championship on defense and special teams and has now lost backup quarterback Aveon Smith to the transfer portal.

The RedHawks will turn to Henry Hesson and his five career passing attempts that came against Robert Morris in 2022.

The biggest issue for Appalachian State this season was defending the run, an area Miami (OH) can't expose without Smith.

The RedHawks defense has been excellent at stopping explosives, but App State quarterback Joey Aguilar will do enough to notch give the Sun Belt a victory over the MAC.

  • Pick: Appalachian State · Confidence: 23

New Mexico State (-3.5) vs. Fresno State

New Mexico Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

Don’t look now, but Jerry Kill is looking to build a bowl winning streak after losing his first five attempts.

New Mexico State went to the Quick Lane Bowl in 2022 with a desired landing spot in Albuquerque, but it took a year for the Aggies coaches and players to get their wish.

This has been an incredible season for New Mexico State, which covered 10 games on the schedule, leading to an appearance in the Conference USA Championship game.

Fresno State will enter hostile territory with linebacker coach Tim Skipper serving as head coach for Jeff Tedford. The Bulldogs defense doesn't have an answer for the Aggies' ground attack led by quarterback Diego Pavia.

  • Pick: New Mexico State · Confidence: 36

Boise State vs. UCLA (-4)

L.A. Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

Boise State was on a heater, winning at the end of November before the computers sent the Broncos to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Championship.

The conference championship victory over UNLV cemented Spencer Danielson as the Broncos' head coach, but Boise still lost quarterback Taylen Green to the transfer portal was expected.

The Broncos will be one-dimensional in this bowl game, relying on star running back Ashton Jeanty for offensive production.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly has been swimming through the rumor mill of coaches to be fired thanks to an offense with poor ball discipline and red-zone efficiency.

With Dante Moore in the transfer portal, quarterbacks Ethan Garbers and Collin Schlee will face a Boise defense that doesn't create much Havoc.

Back the better defense in this game with so many offensive questions, as a cast of UCLA defenders will tee off on the Broncos offense.

  • Pick: UCLA · Confidence: 10

Cal vs. Texas Tech (-2.5)

Independence Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 16

There might not be a game with more fluidity in terms of coaches and rosters than the participants in the Independence Bowl.

Cal offensive line coach Mike Bloesch will take on play-calling duties in the wake of Jake Spavital moving on to Baylor.

The portal has wreaked havoc on both rosters, as Cal loses its top tackler while Texas Tech will miss key contributors at wide receiver and the offensive line.

The loss of defensive interior Jaylon Hutchings to injury will remove the bite from Texas Tech's pass rush, which hurts the Red Raiders because Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza is much more productive from a clean pocket.

Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks is set to return in 2024, but losses on the offensive line will create issues for the running back and the protection of quarterback Behren Morton.

  • Pick: Cal · Confidence: 7

Old Dominion (-2.5) vs. Western Kentucky

Famous Toastery Bowl · Monday, Dec. 18

Western Kentucky logged just one win over a bowl team this season: South Florida. That's a stark contrast to an Old Dominion team that caught fire during November, ending the season with four wins over bowl teams.

Nearly every contributor to the offensive line is in the transfer portal for Western Kentucky, leaving quarterback Austin Reed with no protection against an Old Dominion defense that's top-25 in the red zone.

Old Dominion features a heavy rush offense that excels in creating explosives through quarterback Grant Wilson and the running back tandem of Keshawn Wicks and Kadarius Callaway.

Any team that can establish the ground game is always a threat to beat a very poor Hilltoppers defense.

  • Pick: Old Dominion · Confidence: 30

Marshall vs. UTSA (-12.5)

Frisco Bowl · Tuesday, Dec. 19

UTSA is still looking for its first bowl victory in program history. The Roadrunners may be in luck with their Frisco Bowl opponent, Marshall.

The Thundering Herd have lost starting quarterback Cam Fancher and guard Trent Holler to the transfer portal. Cole Pennington will continue under center for Marshall, and he has yet to throw a touchdown or a big-time throw in 85 dropbacks.

The Roadrunners have the explosive advantage, ranking fifth nationally in Rush EPA, compared to the Thundering Herd's defensive rank of 129th.

The rushing attack of running backs Robert Henry and Kevorian Barnes complements the game of quarterback Frank Harris, which should help UTSA roll to its first-ever bowl victory.

  • Pick: UTSA · Confidence: 39

USF vs. Syracuse (-3)

Boca Raton Bowl · Thursday, Dec. 21

There aren't significant losses for either team, as Syracuse should finally have a healthy Garrett Shrader at quarterback.

The Orange offense is a heavy ground attack with their quarterback serving as the biggest contributor.

Limiting explosives has been the biggest issue for South Florida all season, thanks in part to a bottom-FBS rank in broken tackles allowed.

Don't be fooled by Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown’s touchdown-to-interception numbers — he has logged more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws and faces his worst coverage package in Cover 1 against Syracuse.

  • Pick: Syracuse · Confidence: 21

Georgia Tech vs. UCF (-4.5)

Gasparilla Bowl · Friday, Dec. 22

These teams will mirror each other in offensive strategy, with one program creating more explosives to pick up victories.

Georgia Tech is a top-25 rushing team in terms of Success Rate, ranking sixth in Line Yards behind running back Jamal Haynes.

UCF utilizes the rush on nearly 60% of offensive snaps, ranking 20th in Rushing Success Rate with running back RJ Harvey and quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.

Neither Georgia Tech nor UCF have been able to defend the run all season, but limiting explosive plays is the handicap in the Gasparilla Bowl. UCF ranks 13th in rush explosives, compared to Georgia Tech at 41st.

With a heavy advantage in Quality Drives, look for UCF to mow its way to victory.

  • Pick: UCF · Confidence: 19

cincinnati-bearcats-vs-ucf-knights-odds-picks-prediction-college-football-october-29

Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State (-1)

Camellia Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

Arkansas State is the better team in areas outside of the win-loss column. All six of the Red Wolves' losses came against bowl teams, while Northern Illinois took four losses to non-bowl teams.

The Huskies rank near dead last in strength of schedule, while Arkansas State logged 77 points against a fellow Sun Belt bowl team in Texas State in Week 12.

The Red Wolves will get their offensive line anchor back at center in Jacob Bayer, pumping up the inside zone attack led by quarterback Jaylen Raynor.

Northern Illinois has posted a subpar Success Rate against inside zone at 44%.

Red Wolves head coach Butch Jones is 5-1 against the spread in bowl games, and now he's looking to log an outright win in Montgomery, Alabama.

  • Pick: Arkansas State · Confidence: 14

Duke vs. Troy (-7.5)

Birmingham Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

The Trojans dominated the Sun Belt this season, winning the conference championship before losing head coach Jon Sumrall to Tulane for the same position. Defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato will serve as interim for this game, as the losses on the roster to the portal are minimal.

The story is the opposite with Duke, losing nearly every key contributor on defense along with starting running back Jordan Waters. Head coach Mike Elko has also left for Texas A&M, taking two Duke assistants with him.

The Blue Devils will turn to Manny Diaz in 2024 while 31-year coaching veteran Trooper Taylor tries to conduct bowl practices with a makeshift staff and roster.

There's minimal bite to the Duke offense behind quarterback Grayson Loftis heading into battle with a Troy defense that ranks top-25 in nearly every category.

  • Pick: Troy · Confidence: 32

Air Force vs. James Madison (-2.5)

Armed Forces Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

in a regular-season game, this would have been a showcase for the Group of Five. Instead, nearly every defensive contributor for James Madison has entered the transfer portal.

Head coach Curt Cignetti has moved on to Indiana, leaving offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski to James Madison in their first-ever bowl appearance.

The Dukes will face Air Force's ground attack, but James Madison has no experience against the fullback dive or triple option.

Quarterback Jordan McCloud is in the portal and expected to play for the Dukes, but that's subject to change, as each of the players has a open recruitment.

Make no mistake — the star of the James Madison team is the rush defense and several of those players do not have intentions of playing the bowl.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11 pic.twitter.com/DRpaT5S2qQ — Aiden Fisher (@theaidenfisher) December 1, 2023

Quarterback Zac Larrier could be healthy enough to play this game in Amon G. Carter, the site of Air Force's dominant bowl victory over Baylor last year.

  • Pick: Air Force · Confidence: 5

Utah State (-1) vs. Georgia State

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

The Panthers are trending in the wrong direction, losing their last five games of the season.

The offense was centered around the explosiveness of the run game, which now travels to frigid Boise, Idaho, with star running back Marcus Carroll headed to Missouri .

There are bigger problems for Georgia State on the defensive side of the ball, as the Panthers rank 128th in allowing pass explosives.

Whether McCae Hillstead, Cooper Legas or Levi Williams get the start, each will have a full cabinet of explosive targets in Terrell Vaughn, Jalen Royals and Micah Davis.

  • Pick: Utah State · Confidence: 18

Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama (-15.5)

68 Ventures Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

Eastern Michigan beat Buffalo and Akron to close the season with six wins, signifying another overachievement for head coach Chris Creighton.

The Eagles won their first bowl since 1987 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl a year ago but now travel to a hostile environment in Mobile, Alabama. Once known as the LendingTree, Dollar General and GoDaddy Bowl , the 68 Ventures Bowl will take place on South Alabama’s home field of Hancock Whitney Stadium .

The Eastern Michigan offense is bottom-15 in nearly every category after facing the second-easiest schedule in the nation. Even with star running back La’Damian Webb opting for the NFL Draft , South Alabama will have too much firepower for a team that struggled in MAC play.

  • Pick: South Alabama · Confidence: 37

Northwestern vs. Utah (-6.5)

Las Vegas Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

One key to confidence pools is minimizing risk where underdogs could win outright. Utah fell short of all Pac-12 goals and finds itself heading into the Las Vegas Bowl with a dozen players in the transfer portal.

The good news is quarterback Cam Rising is back in 2024; the bad news is depth at quarterback for next season.

Former pig farmer Bryson Barnes is in the transfer portal but expects to play in this game. Like most other quarterbacks, if Barnes commits to another school, there's no expectation that he'll play in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The opposite is true for Northwestern, a team that hired David Braun as a defensive coordinator and fast-tracked to head coach amid the hazing scandal that led to the firing of longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The Wildcats were covering machines all season thanks to a top-20 rank in Offensive Finishing Drives, an area where Utah struggled all season.

  • Pick: Northwestern · Confidence: 2

Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (-10)

Hawaii Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 23

San Jose State rattled off six consecutive wins, including a victory in the season finale over UNLV, to conclude the regular season.

But because of the computer polls used for tiebreakers in the Mountain West, the Spartans did not compete for the conference crown. Instead, they'll take a trip to Hawaii to cap off the season.

This is San Jose State and head coach Brent Brennan's first trip to the island for a bowl but certainly not their first trip for a game. San Jose State has played in Hawaii in three of the past four seasons, winning every instance, including a 35-0 victory over the Rainbow Warriors on Oct. 28 .

Coastal Carolina ended the season with two losses and heads to Honolulu on a 12-hour direct flight without quarterback Grayson McCall.

Both teams generate plenty of rush explosives, but the Chanticleers' inability to defend inside zone will be the difference against the Spartans' duo of quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and running back Kairee Robinson.

bowl games value

  • Pick: San Jose State · Confidence: 34

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota (-4)

Quick Lane Bowl · Tuesday, Dec. 26

PJ Fleck has led Minnesota to four bowl games since taking over as head coach, winning every instance, including this very bowl in 2018 over Georgia Tech.

This is a revenge game for the Gophers after losing to Bowling Green as a 30-point favorite back in 2021 .

This version of the Falcons may not be as successful in stopping Minnesota's run game. Bowling Green finished outside the top 100 in numerous rush defense categories, including 132nd in Stuff Rate.

Despite quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis hitting the transfer portal, Minnesota will be fine under center with fourth-year quarterback Cole Kramer. Running back Jordan Nubin and Darius Taylor are enough to avenge the 2021 game.

  • Pick: Minnesota · Confidence: 4

Rice vs. Texas State (-4.5)

First Responder Bowl · Tuesday, Dec. 26

In terms of handicapping the transfer portal, this is the easiest game on the board with only a single player entering in Rice cornerback Jordan Dunbar.

Texas State has been an offensive powerhouse in the Sun Belt with the infusion of head coach GJ Kinne from Incarnate Word. Quarterback TJ Finley leads an offense that's top-25 in Success Rate and Finishing Drives.

The explosiveness comes on the ground with running back Ismail Mahdi, who recorded 38 double-digit-yard runs this season while creating 47 missed tackles.

Rice will combat with backup quarterback AJ Padgett, who'll take over starting duties in Week 11 after JT Daniels' medical retirement.

The explosives and consistency have not been there the last three games, as the Owls failed to win any games against bowl teams this season.

Finley has been red hot in passing downs for the Bobcats, ranking 10th in both Success Rate and catchable throw rate.

  • Pick: Texas State · Confidence: 15

UNLV vs. Kansas (-12.5)

Guaranteed Rate Bowl · Tuesday, Dec. 26

There was a potential chance for an upset with Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki taking the same position at Penn State. However, head coach Lance Leipold immediately scooped one of the best coordinators in the nation in Jeff Grimes, stating there would be no changes in terminology, philosophy or scheme.

Grimes is already on the ground contributing to bowl preparations, softening the blow of losing Kotelnicki.

Jason Bean should return under center with full health, taking advantage of a UNLV defense that could not create Havoc or stop any Mountain West passing attack. The Rebels' coaches have received plenty of interest from other programs with head coach Barry Odom rumored for Mississippi State and Brennan Marion for every offensive coordinator position in the country.

The GoGo offense is similar to Kansas, utilizing multiple personnel and heavy motion, but the inability to create explosives in passing downs will be the difference in this game.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava struggled down the stretch against tougher defenses, producing seven turnover-worthy plays and four interceptions against Air Force, San Jose State and Boise State.

  • Pick: Kansas · Confidence: 25

Virginia Tech (-7.5) vs. Tulane

Military Bowl · Wednesday, Dec. 27

Slade Nagle will take the interim head coach job for Tulane, serving as a bridge from the Willie Fritz era to the Jon Sumrall era, before leaving to join Fritz at Houston himself.

The transfer portal entries are starting to trickle in for the Green Wave, from wide receiver Chris Brazzell to defensive linemen Devean Deal and Keith Cooper Jr. The biggest piece of the puzzle is quarterback Michael Pratt, as backup Kai Horton is also in the portal.

A number of assistant coaches are also expected to depart after the game, so Virginia Tech has the upper hand from a motivation perspective.

The Hokies won four of their last six to return to bowl season, with the last postseason victory coming in the memorable 2016 Belk Bowl over Arkansas.

Defense and special teams have powered the Hokies all season under head coach Brent Pry.

Tulane finished 85th in Offensive Finishing Drives, as the red zone is the only inefficient area of the Hokies defense that will not be exposed — especially if Pratt elects to enter the transfer portal.

  • Pick: Virginia Tech · Confidence: 31

North Carolina vs. West Virginia (-5.5)

Duke's Mayo Bowl · Wednesday, Dec. 27

The strongest unit in this game is the rushing attack of West Virginia after facing the 19th-toughest schedule in the country.

Quarterback Garrett Greene is expected to have Brandon Yates slide over from guard to center, blocking for the thunder-and-lightning combo of CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White.

The Mountaineers rank top-25 in terms of Rushing Success Rate and explosives — a bad mix for a North Carolina defense that ended the season 120th in Stuff Rate.

The Tar Heels must also look to find stability in the wake of Drake Maye declaring for the NFL Draft.

pic.twitter.com/uapK1Cc5vC — Drake Maye (@DrakeMaye2) December 11, 2023

The offense failed to produce down the stretch, losing four of its final five FBS games on the schedule.

West Virginia should see head coach Neal Brown go from the hot seat to the mayo dump seat.

  • Pick: West Virginia · Confidence: 9

USC vs. Louisville (-7.5)

Holiday Bowl · Wednesday, Dec. 27

Unlike the Cotton Bowl a season ago, USC fans don't have to wait for a decision from Caleb Williams. The quarterback has declared for the NFL Draft and will not play, as Miller Moss will get his first start in three seasons as a Trojan.

The junior has produced three touchdown passes on 59 career attempts, nearly all in garbage time.

Key pieces of the Trojans offense have also declared for the draft, from running back MarShawn Lloyd to wide receiver Brenden Rice.

While the transfer portal is a revolving door for head coach Lincoln Riley, Louisville has maintained nearly every contributor on both sides of the ball. The Cardinals are top-20 in Defensive Success Rate and limiting explosives.

Look for the offense to do enough against a USC defense that provided the antidote to every team struggling to put points on the board during the regular season.

  • Pick: Louisville · Confidence: 26

Texas A&M (-3) vs. Oklahoma State

Texas Bowl · Wednesday, Dec. 27

There might not be a better coach to blindly put money down on in bowl season than Mike Gundy, who's 11-6 against the spread in bowl games. There's also motivation on Gundy's side, losing this very bowl to Texas A&M in 2019.

The offense is all about man-blocking schemes and counter for Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II.

The Texas A&M defense is in flux as of writing, losing several run defenders, including Walter Nolen to Fadil Diggs. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and interior McKinnley Jackson are the next names to watch as the Aggies transition from Jimbo Fisher to Mike Elko.

Before interim coach Elijah Robinson can start his work as Syracuse's defensive coordinator, he's tasked with leading bowl preparations for quarterback Jaylen Henderson.

But even at full strength, Texas A&M has not found a way to stop offenses that run man-blocking schemes, owning a 42% Success Rate.

bowl games value

  • Pick: Oklahoma State · Confidence: 17

Boston College vs. SMU (-11)

Fenway Bowl · Thursday, Dec. 28

The Mustangs were slighted by the College Football Playoff committee, ultimately selecting Liberty for the Fiesta Bowl and SMU for the Fenway Bowl. The good news is an early ACC game for SMU, which will switch conferences and face the Eagles next season.

There have been minimal losses to the transfer portal for SMU, maintaining a defense that ranks top-10 in numerous categories. Now, quarterback Kevin Jennings gets plenty of practice for a bowl game after taking over starting duties for the injured Preston Stone.

Jennings flashed a couple of big-time throws and mistakes, but an average depth of target at 10.2 yards on 33 passing attempts shows the arm strength needed in head coach Rhett Lashlee’s system.

That's bad news for a Boston College defense that ranks near dead last in numerous categories, from pass rush and coverage to Finishing Drives and Havoc.

This may be a "home" game for the Eagles, but don't tell that to a number of players who have hit the portal or will sit with injury.

  • Pick: SMU · Confidence: 24

Rutgers vs. Miami (-1.5)

Pinstripe Bowl · Thursday, Dec. 28

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano gave Miami head coach Mario Cristobal his first shot as a position coach over 20 years ago. While Cristobal has tailored his head coaching career to emulate his mentor, he lacks in producing similar success in bowl season. Schiano has posted a 5-1-1 spread record in bowl season to Cristobal’s record of 2-4-1.

Now, Miami must deal with a number of contributors who will not make the trip to New York, from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a number of starters on the defensive side of the ball.

Rutgers will be without cornerback Max Melton, a variable that might not change the game with the Hurricanes putting Jacurri Brown under center.

Rutgers is a team that doesn't beat itself, ranking 12th in Havoc Allowed and seventh in tackling. Meanwhile, the Miami offense has not been the model of consistency this season, relying on the explosives play.

Rutgers played the second-toughest schedule in the nation but still finished fifth in preventing rush explosives.

  • Pick: Rutgers · Confidence: 13

NC State vs. Kansas State (-3)

Pop-Tarts Bowl · Thursday, Dec. 28

The winner of this game gets to eat a live mascot , which is sure to create a highlight for all of college football history.

The one-year Brennan Armstrong experiment is set to conclude for the Wolfpack following another season of poor numbers with pressure. However, Kansas State has failed to produce any pass rush this season — good news for an NC State team that finished 104th in Havoc Allowed.

The Wildcats had severe struggles in the tackling department, ranking 125th, per PFF .

The bruising offense of Kansas State will be a little less potent without quarterback Will Howard, offensive coordinator Collin Klein and running back Treshaun Ward.

  • Pick: NC State · Confidence: 8

Arizona (-3) vs. Oklahoma

Alamo Bowl · Thursday, Dec. 28

I have low confidence on a game that could be a complete toss-up.

The Jackson Arnold era officially begins at Oklahoma with quarterback Dillon Gabriel off to Oregon. New offensive coordinator Seth Littrell has plenty of roots in Oklahoma and will be tasked with creating the game plan for the bowl after Jeff Lebby took the head-coaching position at Mississippi State.

As Oklahoma prepares to leave the Big 12, Arizona is set to enter the conference under Action Network Coach of the Year Jedd Fisch. There are minimal losses to the transfer portal with only an offensive lineman and wide receiver expected to opt-out for the NFL Draft.

The Arizona offense clicked this season once Noah Fifita took over the quarterback position, as wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan averaged an explosive 2.7 yards per route run.

With minimal changes to the roster and coaching staff, look for Arizona to enter the Big 12 off an Alamo Bowl win.

  • Pick: Arizona · Confidence: 3

ncaaf betting-5-evening-spots-picks-oregon state vs arizona-saturday oct 28

Kentucky vs. Clemson (-5.5)

Gator Bowl · Friday, Dec. 29

Despite declaring for the NFL Draft, running back Ray Davis will play for Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. The explosive back led Kentucky to several wins in SEC play and now faces a Clemson defense loaded with opt-outs and transfers.

Safety Andrew Mukuba has already bolted from Clemson for Texas, making life easier for Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary.

Even with full personnel, Clemson struggled to keep opponents out of the end zone, allowing an average of 3.8 points on 45 opportunities.

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Cade Klubnik put together one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college football, logging just 11 big-time throws to 17 turnover-worthy plays.

Look for this defensive grudge match to go in favor of the team with the better chance of creating explosives and converting red-zone opportunities into points.

  • Pick: Kentucky · Confidence: 11

Notre Dame (-6.5) vs. Oregon State

Sun Bowl · Friday, Dec. 29

This could be the most portal-heavy bowl on the entire schedule, as the known factors in this game have all moved on.

Oregon State has lost its head coach, starting quarterback, backup quarterback and starting running back — and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman has opted out with the expectation of being the first of many big-time contributors to not make the trip to El Paso.

The positive for Notre Dame is keeping the coaching staff intact with Marcus Freeman.

Depth certainly favors the Irish as well, as running back Jeremiyah Love averaged more than 4.1 yards after contact alongside a wide receiver unit filled with underclassmen.

Notre Dame is expected to field most of its defense, which should be the deciding factor in a Sun Bowl featuring two decimated rosters.

  • Pick: Notre Dame · Confidence: 12

Memphis vs. Iowa State (-8.5)

Liberty Bowl · Friday, Dec. 29

Quarterback Seth Henigan elected to stay with Memphis through 2024 and looks to lead the Tigers in their home stadium against Iowa State's 3-3-5 defense.

Memphis ended the season with national average numbers in Success Rate and EPA against the 3-3-5, but it now gets a Cyclones version that's top-20 in coverage, per PFF.

Iowa State is sure to give the Tigers plenty of complications, as two offensive line starters have hit the transfer portal.

Quarterback Rocco Becht was electric in his final three games, posting seven touchdowns to a single interception.

Memphis has struggled to contain explosives all season, sitting outside the top 100 in standard downs. That's music to the ears of Becht, who leads an offense that finished first overall in standard downs explosives.

  • Pick: Iowa State · Confidence: 35

Missouri (-2.5) vs. Ohio State

Cotton Bowl · Friday, Dec. 29

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz expected minimal transfer portal movement and NFL opt-outs in preparation for the Cotton Bowl.

Mizzou is one of the very few rosters that's seen nearly zero churn, retaining one of the most electric offenses in the nation with quarterback Brady Cook, running back Cody Schrader and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

While Missouri opened as a 6-point underdog, the steam has come hard and fast, moving the Tigers down to a favorite.

A large part of that is the roster of Ohio State, as quarterback Kyle McCord hit the portal, along with a number of large contributors to the one-loss team.

One of these teams is ecstatic with the chance to win a New Year's Six bowl, while the other is in a complete rebuild for 2024.

  • Pick: Missouri · Confidence: 38

Ole Miss vs. Penn State (-3.5)

Peach Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 30

Key player and coach moves have this game pointing toward the Rebels.

Manny Diaz is no longer the defensive coordinator of Penn State, taking the position of head coach with Duke. The hiring of Andy Kotelnicki is one of the best in college football, but he won't coach at the offensive coordinator position until after the bowl.

Penn State also has opt-outs that include defensive lineman Chop Robinson, along with potential NFL losses at cornerback and blindside offensive tackle.

Ole Miss will enter the Peach Bowl at full strength with quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Quinshon Judkins.

Considering the Nittany Lions offense is one of the worst in creating explosive plays and generating success in the passing game, the better offense belongs to the SEC team.

  • Pick: Ole Miss · Confidence: 6

Maryland vs. Auburn (-2.5)

Music City Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 30

How different would the point spread be for Auburn without its loss to New Mexico State? What if it didn't allow Jalen Milroe to convert a fourth-and-goal from 31 yards out in the Iron Bowl?

There's a discount on the Tigers' side, as Hugh Freeze looks to extend his sizable bowl record of 7-1 against the spread.

Quarterback Payton Thorne and running back Jarquez Hunter ran both inside and outside zone with plenty of success this season. That's bad news for a Maryland defense that was one of the worst in the nation in terms of Success Rate and explosives allowed against inside zone.

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  • Pick: Auburn · Confidence: 27

Florida State vs. Georgia (-14)

Orange Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 30

The last time Georgia lost a bowl game was the 2019 Sugar Bowl, as a lethargic Bulldogs team missed an opportunity to play for the national title. Bevo veered toward Uga, just like Texas embarrassed Georgia in that bowl game.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is now in the same position, missing out on the College Football Playoff with a loaded roster full of NFL talent that will now play in a New Year's Six game.

Motivational speeches have become commonplace for Smart, as no one expects Georgia to show up in the Orange Bowl.

Florida State will have all the motivation in the world to finish the season undefeated after the playoff snub, but the pieces needed to beat Georgia are not in place. Jordan Travis will remain out with injury, while wide receiver Johnny Wilson has opted for the NFL Draft.

As Tate Rodemaker prepares for starting quarterback duties, the Seminoles have a half-dozen other players who could opt out for the draft in the weeks leading up to the Orange Bowl.

  • Pick: Georgia · Confidence: 40

Wyoming (-3) vs. Toledo

Arizona Bowl · Saturday, Dec. 30

Is there any doubt the most motivated team in bowl season will be Wyoming after Craig Bohl gives his final pregame speech? The Wyoming head coach announced he will retire after this game, concluding a coaching career that started as a graduate assistant in Nebraska back in 1981.

Bohl’s final task is taking on a Toledo team fresh off a loss in the MAC Championship game.

The Rockets lost quarterback Dequan Finn to the transfer portal after five years of service. Backup Tucker Gleason did have a strong showing in the advanced stats while enjoying a cup of coffee in 2022, but he now faces a Wyoming defense that doesn't allow the big play.

The Cowboys ended the season scoring 84 points in their final two games, all powered by the legs and arm of quarterback Andrew Peasley.

  • Pick: Wyoming · Confidence: 29

Wisconsin vs. LSU (-10.5)

ReliaQuest Bowl · Monday, Jan. 1

The Tigers are one of the few teams that can lose a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback and still have plenty of talent under center. Jayden Daniels is expected to opt out of the bowl game after winning the prestigious award, allowing Garrett Nussmeier to make his first start.

Now in his third season of backup duty, Nussmeier has displayed a cannon arm alongside a 15:7 big-time throw to turnover-worthy play rate.

Even with further opt-outs that include Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas at wide receiver, running back Logan Diggs should still overpower a Wisconsin defense that ranks 62nd in Line Yards.

The Badgers don't have the luxury of depth on offense, as running back Braelon Allen has opted out.

The top options at wide receiver are both in the portal after an uneventful season that saw quarterback Tanner Mordecai find the end zone just six times.

  • Pick: LSU · Confidence: 33

Iowa vs. Tennessee (-7.5)

Citrus Bowl · Monday, Jan. 1

Iowa will do as it always does — turn an early New Year's Day bowl game into a special teams and defensive struggle. Iowa is superior in both areas, even with a much improved defense from the Volunteers.

There are minimal portal entries from both teams, player participation for Tennessee is still in question after a large number of contributors were inactive in the season finale against Vanderbilt.

Iowa plays strictly Cover 3 on defense, a secondary package that has limited Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton all season.

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  • Pick: Iowa · Confidence: 1

Liberty vs. Oregon (-18.5)

Fiesta Bowl · Monday, Jan. 1

The opt-outs are coming for Oregon, with running back Bucky Irving being the biggest name on the list thus far. The good news for the Ducks is Bo Nix's status for the game, as the quarterback doesn't want the loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship to be his last snap in college football .

With backup quarterback Ty Thompson in the portal, Nix may be the most valuable position player to the point spread across the entire bowl schedule.

Liberty has potential opt-outs as well, namely quarterback Kaidon Salter.

The Flames played the easiest schedule in the nation, running through Conference USA like manure through a tin horn.

Not matter if Salter plays, Liberty would need Nix and the Oregon rush defense to play its worst game of the year to win the Fiesta Bowl.

  • Pick: Oregon · Confidence: 41

Alabama vs. Michigan (-1.5)

Rose Bowl · Monday, Jan. 1

A soft strength of schedule has disguised the potential ceiling of the Michigan defense. Its Big Ten schedule never produced a quarterback who could run inside zone, scramble and throw a deep ball quite like Jalen Milroe.

The Wolverines will be getting peak Alabama playing on house money after escaping Jordan-Hare Stadium with a victory.

The biggest question might not be on the Michigan defensive side of the ball, but rather if Alabama can stop the ground game with Blake Corum.

J.J. McCarthy failed to pass for more than 150 yards in Michigan's final four games, putting this contest squarely on the inside zone attack of offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore.

Alabama has logged a 54% Success Rate against inside zone over the course of the season, holding Georgia to just three yards per carry in the SEC Championship game. Those numbers are enough to beat a one-dimensional Michigan offense.

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  • Pick: Alabama · Confidence: 22

Washington vs. Texas (-4)

Sugar Bowl · Monday, Jan. 1

The Longhorns have this game won in almost every direction. No team in college football can produce a rushing attack against the Horns' front seven, including Dillon Johnson and the Huskies.

Texas also has the advantage in special teams, third downs and Defensive Havoc.

Only two areas could keep Steve Sarkisian's team from playing in the national title game.

The Longhorns continue to struggle in scoring position, ranking 72nd in the nation in Finishing Drives. The red-zone issues didn’t show with so many explosives against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship, but they could creep up on the big stage in New Orleans.

Another factor is the secondary, an issue Washington can expose. Safety Jalen Catalon was a clubhouse leader but is now in the transfer portal. Safety Derek Williams Jr. will miss the first half of this game for a targeting ejection. Freshman Malik Muhammad has been targeted frequently at cornerback, allowing 20-of-30 targets to be caught.

If Texas has no complications in the red zone on offense and a decent secondary grade on defense, the Longhorns will be playing for a national title.

  • Pick: Texas · Confidence: 16

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Bowl Schedule

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Select... ACC American Big 10 Big 12 Conference USA MAC Mountain West PAC-12 SEC Sun Belt Independents

College Football     Bowl Games College Football Championship Cotton Bowl     Alamo Bowl     Texas Bowl

About the Data

  • Times shown are Eastern Time Zone.
  • 1 - The highest-ranked champion from a Group of Five conference is guaranteed one berth in one of these four major bowls slotted by the playoff committee. The eligible conferences are the American, CUSA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt.
  • 2 - The Outback Bowl in Tampa becomes the ReliaQuest Bowl
  • 3 - The 2023 Bahamas Bowl is being relocated to Charlotte, NC due to renovations of stadium in Nassau, and is renamed as "The Famous Toastery Bowl".
  • 4 - Rob Gronkowski picked up sponsorship of the L.A. Bowl
  • 5 - Cheez-It Bowl becomes Pop Tarts Bowl as sponsor (Kellogg's) switches brands to highlight
  • 6  - Lending Tree Bowl becomes 68 Ventures
  • By agreement with the ACC, Notre Dame is eligible for all ACC bowl games.

Additional Information

Amounts shown are actual 2018-2019 (updated 12/9/19) total payouts per information available from the NCAA. Conferences have different methods by which bowl money is divided among its membership and participating teams. Some bowl agreements call for higher payouts to one conference than the other, depending on such factors as which is the "host" conference.

Total postseason payout increased to 185,541,894 in 2018 from $95,529,361 in 2017 for a difference of $90,012,134. Most of the difference came from an additional Rose Bowl payout of $76,239,890 and additional  Sugar Bowl payout of $10,500,000.

If you include the College Football Playoff Distribution Policy explained below, the total payout was $647,975,001 in 2018 for an increase of $87,380,566 over the $560,594,435 total payout in 2017. Again, the bulk of the difference came from the additional payouts from the Rose and Sugar Bowls.

The 2016 payout was $622,600,033.

The final year of the BCS (2013) generated $309,900,000.

Information for seasons after 2018-2019 had not been located as of June 29, 2022.

Playoff Revenue Distribution Policy

The following is a breakdown of the CFP revenue distribution:

For the 2023-24 academic year: Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school’s football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a postseason football game. Each independent institution will also receive $300,000 when its football team meets that standard. A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for a Playoff Semifinal. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement. Each conference whose team participates in a Playoff Semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach bowls, or in the national championship game will receive $2.85 million to cover expenses for each game. Based on calculations from the 2022-23 season, the following distributions were made in the spring of 2023 (Estimates for the 2023-24 season will be finalized following the 2024 CFP National Championship.): Each of the 10 conferences received a base amount. For conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose, or Sugar bowls, the base combined with the full academic performance pool was approximately $79.41 million for each conference. The five conferences that do not have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar bowls received approximately $102.77 million in aggregate (full academic pool plus base). The conferences distribute these funds as they choose. Notre Dame received a payment of $3.89 million by meeting the APR standard; the other six independents shared $1.89 million. Certain conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision received approximately $3.08 million in aggregate.

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2023-24 college football bowl games schedule, CFP matchups

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The 2023-24 college football bowl season is here.

There are 43 bowl games, beginning Dec. 16 with Georgia Southern facing Ohio in the Myrtle Beach Bowl and ending Jan. 8 with the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The College Football Playoff National Championship is set as Michigan and Washington will meet for the title.

Here's a look at all of this season's games (all times ET).

More bowl coverage: Predicting scores for every game (ESPN+) First look at semifinal matchups Betting lines, odds for CFP games

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College Football Playoff schedule

Monday, jan. 1.

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CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) No. 1 Michigan 27, No. 4 Alabama 20 (OT)

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CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) No. 2 Washington 37, No. 3 Texas 31

Monday, Jan. 8

CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T No. 1 Michigan (14-0) vs. No. 2 Washington (14-0)

NRG Stadium (Houston) 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

New Year's Six

Friday, dec. 29.

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Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) No. 9 Missouri 14, No. 7 Ohio State 3

Saturday, Dec. 30

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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) No. 11 Ole Miss 38, No. 10 Penn State 25

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Capital One Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) No. 6 Georgia 63, No. 5 Florida 3

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Vrbo Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) No. 8 Oregon 45, No. 23 Liberty 6

Complete college football bowl schedule

Saturday, dec. 16.

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Myrtle Beach Bowl Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina) Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21

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Cricket Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) Florida A&M 30, Howard 26

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R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31 (OT)

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Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Appalachian State 13, Miami (Ohio) 9

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Isleta New Mexico Bowl University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10

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LA Bowl SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) UCLA 35, Boise State 22

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Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana) Texas Tech 34, California 14

Monday, Dec. 18

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Famous Toastery Bowl Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte, NC) Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT)

Tuesday, Dec. 19

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Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) UTSA 35, Marshall 17

Thursday, Dec. 21

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RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida) South Florida 45, Syracuse 0

Friday, Dec. 22

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Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) Georgia Tech 30, UCF 17

Saturday, Dec. 23

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Birmingham Bowl Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama) Duke 17, Troy 10

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Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19

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Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) Air Force 31, James Madison 21

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Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho) Georgia State 45, Utah State 22

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68 Ventures Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama) South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10

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SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) Northwestern 14, Utah 7

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EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu) Coastal Carolina 24, San Jose State 14

Tuesday, Dec. 26

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Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field (Detroit) Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24

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SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas) Texas State 45, Rice 21

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Guaranteed Rate Bowl Chase Field (Phoenix) Kansas 49, UNLV 36

Wednesday, Dec. 27

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Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland) Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20

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Duke's Mayo Bowl Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10

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DirecTV Holiday Bowl Petco Park (San Diego) USC 42, Louisville 28

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TaxAct Texas Bowl NRG Stadium (Houston) Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23

Thursday, Dec. 28

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Wasabi Fenway Bowl Fenway Park (Boston) Boston College 23, SMU 14

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Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY) Rutgers 31, Miami 24

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Pop-Tarts Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Kansas State 28, NC State 19

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Valero Alamo Bowl Alamodome (San Antonio) Arizona 38, Oklahoma 24

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TaxSlayer Gator Bowl EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida) Clemson 38, Kentucky 35

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Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas) Notre Dame 40, Oregon State 8

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AutoZone Liberty Bowl Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee) Memphis 36, Iowa State 26

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TransPerfect Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) Maryland 31, Auburn 13

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Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona) Wyoming 16, Toledo 15

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ReliaQuest Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) LSU 35, Wisconsin 31

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Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Tennessee 35, Iowa 0

😮‍💨 UNC's RJ Davis drops record 42 points

➡️ Men's hoops scoreboard

🏀 Women's scores

📊 Houston tops men's Power 36

🐯 Reese, LSU re-enter WBB Power 10

Stan Becton | NCAA.com | February 23, 2024

  • Breaking down the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters, how to watch and more

bowl games value

The 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl is here, and there are 105 players on rosters for the HBCU football all-star game. With talent coming from HBCUs across the country and divisions, here's a look at where the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl selections played, how to watch the game and more.

What is the HBCU Legacy Bowl?

The HBCU Legacy Bowl is a postseason HBCU football all-star game, highlighting the top draft-eligible prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The HBCU Legacy Bowl began in 2022 and is presented yearly by the Black College Football Hall of Fame. In 2023, the HBCU Legacy Bowl partnered with the NFL to host the HBCU Combine ahead of the game. In 2024, Allstate joined the HBCU Legacy Bowl as a title partner.

How to watch the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl

Here's how you can watch the second-annual HBCU Legacy Bowl in 2024.

  • When:  Saturday, Feb. 24
  • Time: 4 p.m. ET
  • TV:  NFL Network
  • Location:  Yulman Stadium (on the campus of Tulane) in New Orleans, Louisiana

MORE:  What happened in the 2023 HBCU football season  |  2023 Celebration Bowl  |  Final 2023 Rankings

2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl coaches

The two HBCU Legacy Bowl teams are Team Gaither and Team Robinson, named after legendary HBCU head coaches Jake Gaither (Florida A&M) and Eddie Robinson (Grambling State). Team Gaither will be led by co-head coaches Larry Scott  (Howard) and Alvin Parker  (Virginia Union). Team Robinson will be led by co-head coaches  Chennis Berry (South Carolina State — coached at Benedict in 2023) and Bubba McDowell  (Prairie View A&M).

2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl roster breakdown

Hbcu legacy bowl rosters by school.

Florida A&M and Jackson State lead all HBCUs with seven players each on 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters. Benedict and Fayetteville State lead all Division II HBCUs with five players each on rosters, while Florida Memorial is the only non-NCAA HBCU with players in the bowl game with two players.

Every FCS HBCU except Mississippi Valley State is represented on rosters. Twelve Division II HBCUs do not have a player on the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters: 

  • Bluefield State
  • Johnson C. Smith
  • Lincoln (PA)
  • Livingstone
  • Saint Augustine's
  • Central State
  • Clark Atlanta
  • Savannah State
  • Lincoln (MO)

HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by conference

From a conference perspective, the SWAC leads the way with 39 players in the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl. However, the MEAC has the highest percentage of players per team of any HBCU conference.

HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by division

As expected, there are more FCS players in the HBCU Legacy Bowl than DII players. See the full breakdown below.

HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters by position

There are 51 offensive players in the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl. The big-three of the quarterback group are North Carolina Central's Davius Richard, Florida A&M's Jeremy Moussa and Howard's Quinton Williams, all looking to become the first HBCU signal-caller drafted to the NFL since Alabama State's Tavaris Jackson in the second round of 2006. Like many of college football all-star games, most of the offensive linemen at the HBCU Legacy Bowl are positionless and should swing across the offense lines. 

BEST IN CLASS: The top HBCU football players, by position, from the 2023 season

In the secondary, Eric Smith (Florida A&M) looks to build off of his electrifying 4.3 40-yard dash at the HBCU Combine, the fastest of any participant. Smith is part of a great group of defensive backs on Team Robinson that also features John Huggins (Jackson State), Jordan Carter (Southern) and Demetri Morsell (Southern).

FAMU DB Eric Smith runs a blazing 4.32 forty yard dash at the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl @NFL Combine today. @FAMU_FB @FAMUAthletics @AlisonPosey14 @HBCUSports1 @HBCUNightly @NFLMedia @nflnetwork @wyche89 @BuckyBrooks pic.twitter.com/DM0DtxNPu2 — HBCU LEGACY BOWL (@HBCULegacyBowl) February 19, 2024

There are two kickers/punters and one long snapper per team in the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

Full 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters

Team Gaither — consisting of players from the MEAC, CIAA, NAIA or non-HBCU conference HBCUs — has 48 players in the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl and Team Robinson — consisting of SWAC and SIAC players — has 57 players. Here's a complete list of the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters.

PAST ROSTERS: See the roster from last year's HBCU Legacy Bowl in 2023

Team Gaither

Team robinson.

*Player participated in the HBCU Combine. Click or tap here for results from the combine.

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How the College Football Playoff works

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How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work: Teams, schedule, bids

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College Football Playoff 12-team field to include highest-ranked conference champions

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  • Here's when the 2024 college football season starts
  • 2024's post-transfer portal top 10 returning FCS quarterbacks
  • The colleges of every player in the NFL playoffs
  • South Dakota State wins back-to-back FCS titles
  • South Dakota St. vs Montana: 2023 NCAA FCS championship highlights

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COMMENTS

  1. Bowl Game Payouts: The Cash Paid for All 43 Bowl Games

    Notre Dame automatically gets $3.89 million if it meets that APR review; all other independents split about $1.89 million. Each conference gets $6 million for every football team it sends to a CFP playoff semifinal game. They also get an additional $4 million for participation in one of the other non-playoff New Year's Six bowl games.

  2. College Football Playoff Payouts 2023-2024

    This will be the first bowl game since 2020, as last year the bowl had to be cancelled due to issues with COVID. Quick Lane Bowl: 12/26/2022: Big 10, MAC, or ACC: $2,000,000: The Detroit Lions, who host the Quick Lane Bowl, is the only professional team to own and operate a bowl game. Camellia Bowl: 12/27/2022: Sun Belt vs. MAC: $300,000

  3. Bowl Game Opening Lines, Early Odds. Where Are The Values?

    Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Oregon vs Liberty Fiu First Guess: Oregon -16.5 Line: Oregon -14.5, o/u: 63.5 Capital One Orange Bowl Georgia vs Florida State Fiu First Guess: Georgia -16 Line: Georgia -14, o/u: 45.5 CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl Michigan vs Alabama Fiu First Guess: Michigan -2 Line: Michigan -1.5, o/u: 46 CFP Semifinal Sugar Bowl Washington vs Texas

  4. College bowl payouts surpass $500 million

    Thanks to the College Football Playoff, bowl games paid more than a half billion dollars to conferences and schools last season, the largest payout ever and an increase of almost $200 million from ...

  5. Are bowl games really worth the hassle anymore, especially as Playoff

    The contract bonuses are also nice: Athletics director Gene Smith, for example, gets a $35,000 Christmas present because Ohio State is playing in a New Year's Six game, while its fan base seethes...

  6. Big score: College bowl game payouts surpass $500 million

    Thanks to the College Football Playoff, bowl games paid more than a half billion dollars to conferences and schools last season, the largest payout ever and an increase of almost $200 million from the final season of the Bowl Championship Series.

  7. College Football Bowl Season Payouts: How much is each team ...

    For example, a Big 12 team participating in a semifinal can receive a $2.5 million participation subsidy and a travel subsidy of $450 per one-way mile, or a $2.1 million participation subsidy and...

  8. Do Bowl Games Still Matter?

    "That really delivers them great value." Still, bowl games will pay out somewhere around $375 million to conferences in exchange for their teams' participation in the 40 non-CFP matchups alone, a figure similar to last year's payout. CFP bowl games pay conferences $6 million for each participant, a number that will only grow in the future.

  9. Every bowl game, ranked by entertainment value

    Every college football bowl game ranked by entertainment value - ESPN Full Scoreboard » ESPN NCAAF Home Bowl Results Scores Schedule Teams Standings Stats Rankings More From Arkansas...

  10. 2021-22 Bowl games: Ranked from 1 to 42

    (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) It's back. A year after the pandemic helped shrink the bowl season to just 25 contests plus the national championship game, the schedule is back to 42 games in...

  11. Ranking the 41 college football bowl games for 2022-23: Playoff

    40. Las Vegas Bowl. No. 14 Oregon State 30, Florida 3: The saddest field goal of all time occurred in this game, but it didn't do anything for its ranking.Florida came into the game with a streak ...

  12. Bowl season guide to all 42 college football games

    Total QBR. SP+ Rankings. Class Rankings. Tickets. Player Rankings. Awards. SEC Network. With 42 games on the slate, the bowl season can seem overwhelming. Here's your guide to all of the action.

  13. CFP Expansion Expected to Increase Value of Other Bowl Games

    CFP Expansion Expected to Increase Value of Other Bowl Games. The College Football Playoff recently announced it would be expanding from four to 12 teams for the 2024 season. The additional game inventory is expected to generate $450 million in gross revenue over the final two years of the current television contract and billions more in the ...

  14. Bowl Games Matter, but not for Reasons you Think

    College Football Playoff Trophy Inglewood, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) / The debate for the last several years is whether or not bowl games matter. Do they create value in recruiting, etc. when so many players sit out now-a-days? The answer may be yes, and it may be no.

  15. College Football Bowl Betting Guide: Odds, predictions and best bets

    Bill Adee - December 20, 2023 296 College football bowl season: Expert picks, betting odds, and predictions We will link to the best of VSiN's college football news and information to help you handicap the college football bowl menu, adding more links as new stories are published. Bowl game opt-outs, transfer portal, coaching changes

  16. College Football's 'Meaningless' Bowl Games Are Full of Value

    College Football's 'Meaningless' Bowl Games Are Full of Value | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report Home > College Football College Football's 'Meaningless' Bowl...

  17. 3 Best Value Bets for Bowl Season: How to Win Big this Bowl Season

    Sorting through all the bowl games to find the best bets and the best odds at each sportsbook can be a bit tedious. Therefore, we have done the work for you. ... Value bets for bowl season picks ...

  18. Ranking the 42 college football bowl games from best to worst

    2. Cotton Bowl: Alabama (12-1) vs. Cincinnati (13-0) Cincinnati became the first Group of Five program to reach the College Football Playoff, and now it has to go up against mighty Alabama. The...

  19. 'These games mean something': Dan Lanning, Oregon eager to ...

    The value of bowl games, including those not in the College Football Playoff, is among the topics the coaches of Oregon, Alabama and Georgia agree. In the aftermath of Georgia's 63-3 decimation ...

  20. Swinney still sees value in bowl games despite current ...

    Swinney still sees value in bowl games despite current college football landscape. JACKSONVILLE, FL - Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney still sees the importance of bowl games and hopes to use the ...

  21. College Football Bowl Confidence Pool Rankings: Collin Wilson's Picks

    For example, if a participant feels that Oregon will blow out Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl, then the Ducks would be the selection with the highest point total (41) assigned in the pool. Conversely, if a bowl game has plenty of turnover in terms of coaching, transfer portal and opt-outs, then a player could assign the lowest point value to that game.

  22. Are bowl games really worth the hassle anymore?

    The contract bonuses are also nice: Athletic director Gene Smith, for example, gets a $35,000 Christmas present because Ohio State is playing in a New Year's Six game, while its fan base seethes about losing once again to Michigan.

  23. 2023 Bowl Schedule

    About the Data. Times shown are Eastern Time Zone. 1 - The highest-ranked champion from a Group of Five conference is guaranteed one berth in one of these four major bowls slotted by the playoff committee. The eligible conferences are the American, CUSA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt. 2 - The Outback Bowl in Tampa becomes the ReliaQuest Bowl; 3 - The 2023 Bahamas Bowl is being ...

  24. 2024 Pro Bowl Games

    The 2024 Pro Bowl Games were the National Football League all-star game for the 2023 NFL season.This was the second year that the event consisted of skills competitions and a non-contact flag football game, rather than an actual tackle football game. The first block of skills competitions took place on February 1, 2024, around various venues in Central Florida, while the flag football game and ...

  25. Big 12 tiers: Where do OU, Oklahoma State football bowl games ...

    Nine of the Big 12's 14 teams are bowl bound. In this week's edition of Big 12 tiers, I'm sorting the nine games by entertainment value.

  26. 2023-24 college football bowl games schedule, CFP matchups

    The 2023-24 college football bowl season is here. There are 43 bowl games, beginning Dec. 16 with Georgia Southern facing Ohio in the Myrtle Beach Bowl and ending Jan. 8 with the College Football ...

  27. HBCU Legacy Bowl 2024: Rosters, Top Prospects for College Football Game

    NFL scouts and football fanatics alike have reasons to play close attention to the upcoming HBCU Legacy Bowl. Now in its third year, this showcase of players…

  28. How to Watch HBCU Legacy Bowl Game

    The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame, is a postseason all-star game showcasing the best NFL draft-eligible football players from Historically Black ...

  29. Breaking down the 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl rosters, how to watch and more

    In 2023, the HBCU Legacy Bowl partnered with the NFL to host the HBCU Combine ahead of the game. In 2024, Allstate joined the HBCU Legacy Bowl as a title partner. How to watch the 2024 HBCU Legacy ...