College football fans, we are in the home stretch as we get closer to the College Football Championship. This post will be a bit of a hodgepodge of what has happened and what is coming up. Also I will <gulp> make predictions on the Final Four!
First, we will kick off with a bit of bookkeeping on some of our local Bay Area teams and how they did.
The California Golden Bears opened their Independence Bowl game nicely; scoring two touchdowns to lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders 14-0 in the first quarter. That was the end of the good news, and Cal went scoreless for the game, and lost, 34-14 to the Red Raiders.
I did not get a chance to see these games, but in the Hawaii Bowl (great location if you have to travel for a game), the San Jose State Spartans fell to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 24-14.
Finally, the Fresno State Bulldogs dominated New Mexico State 37-10 in the New Mexico Bowl. Ouch!
Some bowl games of note: With 2022 Heisman winner QB Caleb Williams sitting out as he prepares to enter the NFL Draft, the unranked USC Trojans went out and beat the #16 Louisville, 42-28, behind QB Miller Moss's six touchdown passes. I think the Trojans have their QB for the 2024 season!
In the Alamo Bowl, the #14th ranked Arizona Wildcats came from behind with a strong performance by their QB Noah Fifita, and a ball hungry defense (three interceptions) to defeat the #12 ranked Oklahoma Sooners, 38-24.
In the Sun Bowl, #15 Notre Dame rolled over #21 Oregon State, 40-8. In the Gator Bowl, Kentucky made a great comeback to take the lead, but left Clemson enough time on the clock to snatch the win in the final seconds by a score of 38-35 on a last minute touchdown.
Now we get into the Big Six games for New Years, but they started on Saturday, as to not overlap on New Year's Day. These are the six longest-running bowl games in college football.
For their consolation prize of not making the college playoffs, #7 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes met up with the #9 Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl. If you enjoy great defense and lots of punting, this was your game, as the Buckeyes led 3-0 going into the 4th quarter. The Tigers finally figured out how to score a touchdown, and had two drives in excess of 90 yards to upset the heavily favored Buckeyes, 14-3. Definitely not the prettiest game of the Big Six games.
The #10 Penn State Nittany Lions faced off against #11 Ole Miss Rebels in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Rebels came out with an up-tempo game, and basically they were in control throughout against the nation's #1 defense. Rebels QB Jackson Dart led the Ole Miss offense with 379 yards passing, and three touchdowns, while the Penn State offense just seemed listless and disconnected for most of the game. Ole Miss sets a school franchise record with (11) wins in a season as they smack down Penn State, 38-25.
In what would be the third semi-final college football playoff game next year, #6 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and #5 Florida State Seminoles met up in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles were a perfect 13-0, and had QB Jordan Travis steering the offense till he got injured. Apparently that injury led the selection committee to leave out an undefeated team, so Florida State was playing with a serious chip on their shoulder! Georgia had been ranked #1 most of the college football season, but the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game knocked them out of the top four, and a chance to play in the Championship semis. Florida State was playing with a lot of back-ups, as starters either opted out, or entered the college transfer portal, while Georgia had most of their starters for this bowl game. How did it go? Not well for Florida State, as they were crushed, 63-3. Here are some stats: Six Florida State turnovers Largest point difference in the history of college football bowl game: 60 points. Georgia scored touchdowns nine out of 11 possessions. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck left the game at half-time with a 42-3 lead. Georgia coach's son entered the game as quarterback near end of the game. Georgia with over 673 total yards in offensive yardage. An Orange Bowl record. And most of these Bulldog players will be returning next year! Upcoming for New Years Day Semi-final match-up: #4 Texas vs #2 Washington #3 Alabama vs #1Michigan My predictions: Washington defeats Texas 35-24. Michigan defeats Alabama 28-24. I want the Huskies to win the Championship, so my hopeful prediction is: Huskies defeat Wolverines, 45-41.
There you have it. If you have thoughts on any of this, comment below!
Comments