With Week 16 officially wrapping up, this was the end of the regular season of the 2024 College Football season. A season that rivals the great 2007 season, filled with teams exploding out of nowhere, champions arising out of nowhere, and most importantly: The Upset. Many teams like NIU, Vanderbilt, and Arizona State came out of nowhere to topple goliaths like Notre Dame, Alabama, and any BIG 12 team that was cursed by the remnants of the Pac-12. And now, the insanity known as Bowl Season is now upon us, as well as the quest for the National Championship. That’s why this week can be seen as the calmness before the insanity the other teams will have to show off one last time. But first…
America’s Game! Unranked Navy Demolishes #22 Army, 31-13, Ending An Insane Season With One More Upset
The season started with unranked Georgia Tech upsetting #10 Florida State in Dublin, Ireland. Oh, how Florida State fell so far…but now the regular season would end with America’s Game. And in this instance of this legendary rivalry, the Midshipmen would turn back into the era of the Great White Fleet, and crush whatever chance the Black Knights had. What the Midshipmen were able to do would be things that no other team, besides Notre Dame, would be able to accomplish against the Army: Run And Pass. QB Blake Horvath went 4/9 with 107 Yards and was able to pass for two crucial touchdowns. And, even outrushing the Heisman Runner Up, Bryson Daily, in rushing attempts with 25 attempts 204 yards, and 2 touchdowns! The defense was able to contain the demolishing Army rushing game, containing Bryson to only 59 yards. From 1930 to this year, the Navy has kept on crushing the Army, now holding a 63-55-7 series lead. With this matchup officially marking the end of the Regular Season, we now head into bowl season, where we were greeted with an extra two bowl games this week as well!
Cricket Celebration Bowl: Jackson State Beats South Carolina State, 28-7
No Deion Sanders? No problem. The Jackson State dynasty keeps on going, with them crushing SCS, with QB Joanes Fortilien and RB Irv Mulligan having two touchdowns both.
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: South Alabama Beats Western Michigan, 30-23
With this win, South Alabama now reigns over the top MAC Michigan teams, beating Eastern Michigan last year in a bowl game too. Now they just need revenge from last year against Central Michigan…then somewhere down the line, maybe the Michigan Wolverines?
Meet Travis Hunter: Your Newest Member of the Heisman Club!
Besides the games, the most important reward of the College Football season would end up being rewarded this week: The Elusive Heisman Trophy. This time, the special two-way player Travis Hunter becomes the 90th recipient of the Heisman. He scooched out Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, Miami QB Cam Ward, and Oregon QB Dillion Gabriel. While the two QBs had phenomenal years leading their programs, it seemed like the race would only come down to Ashton and Travis. And in the end, Travis would escape with the trophy with the slightest margin of victory, a score of 2231 to 2017. There definitely was controversy between the two players, with the majority of people saying Ashton should have run with it due to his stats and having the chance to become the best statistical RB of all time. And the fact that Travis would be the least-rated PFF-graded Heisman winner ever since Caleb Williams. However, the voters ended up loving Travis’s duel position play at WR and CB, which had not been seen since the legendary Charles Woodsen.
There is definitely controversy here, but soon enough, controversy will be the name of the game in these upcoming weeks. Who will take home one of the remaining forty-six bowl games? Who will fall into more irrelevancy afterward? And who will be able to claim a Natty in the season rivaling 2007’s chaos?
