The third and final week of Bowl Mania has come to a close, and this was arguably the most stacked lineup of games yet. The NCAA always saves their strongest bowl games for last, as these games primarily featured strong teams who were not talented enough to make the College Football Playoff, among the usual teams who barely made it to a .500 record. Without any more interruptions, it’s time to jump right into the final Bowl Mania recap!
JLAB Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers
Before bowl season started, fans were concerned about whether or not the Birmingham Bowl was even going to happen, due to all of the bowl opt-outs this year. However, Appalachian State decided to accept the invite, and face off against Georgia Southern once again (They lost 25-23 against them at home on November 6). The Eagles ended up making history by becoming the first college football team ever to beat a team in both the regular season and a non-playoff bowl game. Georgia Southern became 7-6 after this victory; the Mountaineers fell to a 5-8 ending.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech relied on a strong 17-point, two-interception fourth quarter to defeat Coastal Carolina, 23-14. The Bulldogs defense held strong the entire second half, as the Chanticleers failed to score a point. LA Tech finishes their season strong at 8-5, while Coastal Carolina enters the Ryan Beard era rebuilding off a 6-7 record.
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
David Olano kicked the game-winning field goal with three seconds remaining to lift Illinois to a 30-28 win over close-to-home Tennessee, as the SEC’s postseason struggles continued. This was the inaugural meeting between the two teams. The Fighting Illini finish another solid season with a 9-4 record; Josh Heupel and the Vols must plan out next season after an 8-5 2025.
Valero Alamo Bowl: #16 USC Trojans vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Our second overtime game this bowl season (Rate Bowl) saw TCU tied with #16 USC at 24 after Horned Frogs kicked Kyle Lemmermann tied the game at the end of regulation. The TCU defense forced the Trojans to kick a field goal on the first possession of OT, but three plays later, Jeremy Payne caught the-game winning TD pass to earn a 30-27 victory for the Frogs. QB Ken Seals started the post-Josh Hoover era going 29/40 for 258 yards, a TD, and an INT. TCU’s first win over the Trojans since 1998 allows both teams to finish 9-4.
ReliaQuest Bowl: #23 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #14 Vanderbilt Commodores
Down by two scores at the start of the third quarter, Vanderbilt tried to hang in with Iowa. However, it wouldn’t be enough, as the #23 Hawkeyes upset the #14 Commodores, 34-27. Freshman TE DJ Vonnahme was the star of the show for Iowa, catching seven passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Kirk Ferentz, who elevated Iowa to a 9-4 record in 2025, became the first Big Ten coach to win 11 bowl games. Meanwhile, Vandy’s historic season ends on a sour note at 10-3.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Duke Blue Devils
Darian Mensah’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Que’Sean Brown with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Blue Devils, as they came away with a grrreat 42-39 win over the… Sun Devils. Duke was a monster on the offensive side of the ball; Mensah threw 4 TDs on 327 passing yards, RB Nate Sheppard ran for 170 yards and a score, and Brown had two touchdown catches on 178 receiving yards. The ACC champs conclude the season 9-5, while Arizona State’s disappointing season finally ends at 8-5. This was also the final game for CFB on CBS analyst Gary Danielson before he retires this offseason.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: #18 Michigan Wolverines vs. #13 Texas Longhorns
In our second of two Kellogg’s-sponsored bowls, #13 Texas’s 41-27 dub over #18 Michigan was all about Arch Manning. The Longhorns signal-caller threw two touchdowns in the air on 221 passing yards, but fans were amazed at his ground game. He rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Also, the Texas defense intercepted Michigan QB Bryce Underwood three times. The horns go up for Texas thanks to their 10-3 conclusion, but the Wolverines must walk into the Kyle Whittingham era at 9-4.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. #15 Utah Utes
Another team with a notable QB performance from scrimmage was the #15 Utah Utes and Devon Dampier. Dampier threw two TDs on 310 yards through the air, and a whopping three touchdowns on 148 yards on the ground. Utah enters the Morgan Scalley era with an 11-2 2025 season, as Nebraska’s nightmare ending finally comes to a close at 7-6.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Rice Owls vs. Texas State Bobcats
After a low-scoring 10-7 first half in favor of Texas State, the Bobcats offense took complete control in the second half. They scored 31 second-half points, and limited Rice to just a field goal in the fourth quarter, eventually winning 41-10. QB Brad Jackson threw three touchdowns, as Texas State improves to 3-0 in bowl games since joining FBS (All in the previous three seasons. The Bobcats end 2025 with a 7-6 record; Rice sinks to 5-8 after this game.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Navy Midshipmen vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Coming off their second consecutive Army-Navy game victory two and a half weeks prior, as well as a victory over Oklahoma in last year’s Armed Forces Bowl, the Midshipmen defeated the power four Cincinnati Bearcats in the Liberty Bowl, 35-13. QB Blake Horvath is more known for his ground game but threw two touchdown passes in this game. Navy makes it case at 11-2, while Cincinnati’s up-and-down 2025 crosses the finish line at 7-6.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
It was first-year head coach Jake Dickert’s turn to get the Duke’s Mayo bath, as he led the Demon Deacons to their first bowl win since 2022, with a 43-29 victory over Mississippi State. QB Robby Ashford went 20/33 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Wake Forest ends their first season in the Dickert era at 9-4 and looks to make some noise in the ACC next year. On the other hand, the Bulldogs become the third team in this recap to finish 5-8.
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl: #17 Arizona Wildcats vs. SMU Mustangs
Gus Johnson and the CFB on FOX team ended their season covering the Holiday Bowl. In this game, SMU was shutting out #17 Arizona 24-0 at the half. However, the Mustangs failed to score a point in the second half, as Arizona charged hard. Unfortunately, the comeback was too little, too late for the Wildcats, as the Mustangs walked away with a 24-19 win. After missing out on the playoffs following their appearance in the previous season, SMU ended 2025 at 9-4; Arizona ended with an identical record.
And with that, the 2025-26 edition of Bowl Mania comes to an end. The strongest conference in these non-playoff bowl games was by far the Big Ten, as they won every time up until USC lost to TCU in the Alamo Bowl. Speaking of TCU, we also got a glimpse of some players that are expected to step up in training camp next season, after being buried on the depth chart in 2025. Meanwhile, some players got their last hurrahs of their college, and potentially football, careers.
With Bowl Mania over, the College Football Playoff will continue through Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where the NCAA will crown a national champion in Miami Gardens, FL.
