The bowl season has officially ended – the College Football Playoff championship game is not a bowl. It was entertaining at times, head-scratching on other occasions and downright embarrassing for some teams.
Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the 2018 college football bowl season.
Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa. The much-anticipated matchup between the game’s two best players pretty much lived up to the hype. Tagovailoa (24 of 27, 318 passing yards, 4 touchdowns) had little trouble with Oklahoma’s leaky defense, while Murray (308 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 109 rushing yards, one touchdown) solidified his Heisman win against a strong Alabama defense.
Photo by fansided.com
Trevor Lawrence. Before Murray and Tua went head-to-head, the Clemson freshman quarterback continued to defy his collegiate status by having his way with Notre Dame’s defense in the Cotton Bowl. Lawrence was 27 of 39 for 327 yards and three touchdowns to help the Tigers reach the CFP final.
Arizona Bowl. On the biggest day of the bowl season (Dec. 29), it might have been the least-anticipated matchup that proved to be one of the most competitive of the day. Nevada edged Arkansas State 16-13 in overtime after the Red Wolves’ tied the game with a 32-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.
Photo by pilotonline.com
Conference USA. Congratulations to the teams from C-USA, who finished 4-2 during the bowl season. Middle Tennessee and North Texas were the only members to lose. UAB routed Northern Illinois for its first bowl win, FIU held off Toledo in a wild game in the Bahamas and Louisiana Tech clubbed Hawaii on its home field. Then there was Marshall, who beat South Florida to extend its bowl winning streak to seven games.
Tyler Trent. The college football world said lost one of its true inspirational figures Tuesday, when the 20-year-old Purdue super fan’s battle with a rare form of bone cancer came to an end. Trent captivated a nation – beyond sports for that matter – with his passion for Boilermakers football and positive attitude while courageously battling his disease. He may be gone, but his legacy will never die.
Photo by freep.com
Michigan. Sure, the Wolverines were minus some of their best players (Rashan Gary, Karan Higdon and Devin Bush) against Florida in the Peach Bowl, but they ended the season with consecutive lopsided defeats. Is Jim Harbaugh still the right man to guide this program? Seems like there are plenty of questions surrounding a team whose stellar 2018 season turned sour.
Notre Dame. First, the Irish were worthy of their spot in the College Football Playoff even though the nature of their loss to Clemson was not surprising. The issue: Notre Dame has dropped eight of its last nine postseason games either on or after New Year’s Day, part of the BCS or now the CFP. The gap between the Irish and the elite contenders is still pretty wide.
Photo by wdef.com
Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had a great opportunity in the Quick Lane Bowl to send coach Paul Johnson, who announced he was leaving the program following the game, out in style. Instead, they laid a major egg, losing 34-10 to middling Minnesota. Johnson deserved a better send off. That did not necessarily mean a win, but more effort from the Yellow Jackets would have been nice.
Oklahoma’s defense. Things actually could have been worse for the Sooners’ weak defense against Alabama. After struggling mightily early on, that unit dug deep and allowed Murray and the offense to attempt a comeback. The problem, though, is the that fixing Oklahoma’s defense won’t be easy. It’s hard to pinpoint one area of concern, so it will be interesting to see if progress can be quickly made.
Skipping bowl games. The list of players who skipped bowl games read like an All-American team. Will Grier, Deandre Baker, Bryce Love, Greedy Williams, Kelvin Harmon, Ed Oliver, etc. The reasons for these players to sit out makes sense in the long run, but it turned teams like Michigan, West Virginia and North Carolina State from likely bowl favorites to blown out losers. Some believe it also does not help the future of the bowl season, at least outside of the CFP.
Georgia’s effort. It seemed as if the Bulldogs, or at least a good number of them, had little interest playing Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Yes, Georgia rallied to make things interesting in its 28-21 loss to the Longhorns. Had the Bulldogs been part of the CFP, one can bet their performance would be more spirited. It’s a shame motivation is an issue for one of the nation’s best.
Photo by dcourier.com
UCF backlash. The Knight’s impressive winning streak has ended and so too the talk of them being a serious national title contender. They’ve become an easy target for the “I told you so” sect. Which is unfair and unnecessary, the program does not deserve any post-loss mocking or nose-rubbing. What is fair, is that if quarterback McKenzie Milton was healthy, UCF could have topped LSU in the Fiesta Bowl and that national championship talk would have continued.
Dexter Lawrence. As Clemson’s “other” Lawrence, awaits his fate for the national championship game, it’s still hard to believe, and somewhat insulting, that he and two teammates did not know how they tested positive for the illegal substance ostarine. While it’s important to offer the benefit of the doubt, it’s hard to buy, and Lawrence playing the role of a victim doesn’t work. The Tigers also showed they don’t need one of their stars to win a big game.
The photo by thedailycougar.com
American Athletic Conference. At one point during the season, the AAC had three undefeated teams (UCF, Cincinnati and South Florida), but the Bearcats were the one of that group to win a bowl game. In total, the AAC went 2-5 on the bowl season – only the Mid-American Conference fared worse at 1-5. South Florida, Houston and Temple lost by a combined 103 points.
Dallas weather. The threat of severe weather the day after Christmas in the Dallas area forced the cancellation of the First Responder Bowl featuring Boise State and Boston College. According to the NCAA, this was the first bowl game canceled because of weather.
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