Bowl Mania is essentially the most wonderful time of the year in College Football. While these bowl games don’t have any significance outside of bragging rights and trophies, they are great ways to add exclamation points to strong seasons. They are also talked about much less compared to the grandaddy of them all: the College Football Playoff. So, what’s been happening during the first week of this year’s Bowl Mania?
Cricket Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State Bulldogs vs. Prairie View A&M Panthers
What better way to start off bowl mania than a four-overtime 40-38 win for MEAC champion SC State over SWAC champion Prairie View A&M in this annual HBCU postseason contest. Bulldogs QB Ryan Stubblefield threw the game-winning two-point pass to Tyler Smith, as the defense would hold off the Panthers on the following possession. Wide receiver Jordan Smith was the star of the show in Atlanta, catching nine passes for 152 yards and two scores, and rushing for another score on 5 carries for 28 yards. This 4 OT thriller allows South Carolina State to finish 10-3; Prairie View finishes 10-4 in year one under Tremaine Jackson.
Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk: Boise State Broncos vs. Washington Huskies
The Huskies took care of business 38-10 against a team that was in the CFP just one year ago: the Boise State Broncos. Washington QB Demond Williams Jr., who is more known for his ground game, erupted through the air with his four touchdown passes. Washington finishes the season 9-4, while Boise State heads into the offseason 9-5.
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Troy Trojans vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks
In a low-scoring game, Jax State head coach Charles Kelly finished his first season at the helm with a 17-13 dub over Troy in Montgomery, Alabama. The Gamecocks end the year at 9-5, as Troy sinks to 8-6.
StaffDNA Cure Bowl: Old Dominion Monarchs vs. South Florida Bulls
Once considered contenders for the College Football Playoff, South Florida ended the Alex Golesh era on a sour note, losing 24-10 to Old Dominion. Monarchs QB Quinn Henicle ran wild, tallying 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 24 carries. Old Dominion finishes its season with a strong 10-3 record, but the Bulls dwindle to 9-4 on the season.
68 Ventures bowl: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns vs. Delaware Blue Hens
Delaware might’ve only arrived in Mobile due to there being an insufficient number of bowl-eligible teams, but they didn’t disappoint with their 20-13 win over Louisiana. Despite a late charge from the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Blue Hens held them off for their first bowl game win in program history. Delaware’s inaugural season in FBS ends with a 7-6 record, as Louisiana becomes our first team with the ever-so-inevitable 6-7 record.
XBOX Bowl: Missouri State Bears vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves
In a QB masterclass, Arkansas State downed Missouri State in the inaugural XBOX (Formerly Bahamas) Bowl, 34-28. Both QBs combined for seven TD passes and 637 passing yards. Red Wolves WR Corey Rucker recorded 166 receiving yards and a TD on six catches. Butch Jones and his Arkansas State team received the XBOX console trophy from Master Chief and ended 7-6, but hats off to Missouri State in their first bowl game since their promotion from FCS, who also finished 7-6.
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State Owls vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Lance Taylor and his Western Michigan Broncos concluded their historic season with a 41-6 win in Conway, South Carolina – spoiling Kennesaw State’s inaugural bowl appearance. RB Jalen Buckley tallied 174 yards and a TD on eight carries for the Broncos. WMU follows up a conference title and a win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl with a 10-4 record; the Owls finish with an impressive 10-4 record in year two at the FBS level, too.
Union Home Mortgage Gasaprilla Bowl: Memphis Tigers vs. NC State Bulldogs
Like USF, the Memphis Tigers were a strong Group of 5 candidate to make the playoffs – but instead ended the Ryan Silverfield era in a way they hadn’t hoped by losing 31-7 to NC State in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Wolfpack finished 8-5, while the Tigers prepare for the Charles Huff era with an identical record.
The week of 12/22-12/27 has an exciting slate of bowl games, including…
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State
- Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans: Toledo vs. Louisville
- New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
- Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio
- Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl: California vs. Hawaii
- GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
- Rate Bowl: New Mexico vs. Minnesota
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Florida International vs. UTSA
- Go Bowling Military Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina
- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson
- Wasabi Fenway Bowl: UConn vs. Army
- Pop Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU
- Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State
- Isleta New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. San Diego State
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri
- Kinder’s Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston
