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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Pete Fiutak

Bowl Grades For Every Team, Conference: How Did Everyone Do This Bowl Season?

What grade did each team and conference earn this 2020-2021 bowl season? Which leagues and teams did the best job?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

We still have one relatively important game to go, but until then – and with this updated after the College Football Playoff National Championship – how did every team do this bowl season compared to expectations?

Which teams showed up, which teams didn’t, and how did all of the conferences do?

We assign a grade for each team based on relative performance. Winning the game is all that really matters, but did the team play up to its capabilities, or did it have to push a bit too hard against an inferior opponent? Did the losing team come up with a strong fight, or did it get embarrassed?

They’re the final exams, and here’s how they all did.

ACC Bowl Grades

ACC Bowl Grade: C-

ACC Straight Up: 0-6
ACC Against The Spread: 1-5

Okay, here’s why the ACC catches a huge grade break despite going 0-for-the-bowl season and getting blasted in two College Football Playoff semifinals – that’s sort of what was supposed to happen.

Clemson is the outlier. It was favored to beat Ohio State, but the team that showed up in New Orleans was not the Ohio State of the regular season. Notre Dame was supposed to get housed by Bama. Miami gets a break because it fought back after losing D’Eriq King, North Carolina was great despite missing a slew of stars, NC State lost a 50/50 game, and Wake Forest was a double-digit dog to Wisconsin.

Clemson Bowl Grade: C-

AllState Sugar Bowl

Line: Clemson -7.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Clemson 38, Ohio State 27
Final Score: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Sugar Bowl

It’s hard to get too mad at a team that ran into a buzzsaw. Lost in how good Ohio State was how good Clemson looked and played at the start, up 14-7 after the first ten minutes with the offense running like normal. There wasn’t any hope against the deep passes, the Buckeyes looked and played a half-click quicker, and it was simply one of those games when one amazing team was on and the other couldn’t do anything about it.

Miami Bowl Grade: B

Cheez-It Bowl

Line: Oklahoma State -1, o/u: 62.5
Prediction: Miami 36, Oklahoma State 30
Final Score: Oklahoma State 37, Miami 34
– 10 Things To Know from the Cheez-It Bowl

The Hurricanes don’t get extra credit for coming back after getting down 21-0 in the first quarter and looking and playing totally unprepared, but they get extra credit for battling back when they could’ve easily have phoned it in. The game appeared to be over, D’Eriq King suffered a knee injury, and yet Miami pushed back to only lose by three. It was a loss, but it was a good one to build on.

North Carolina Bowl Grade: B

Capital One Orange Bowl

Line: Texas A&M -7.5, o/u: 66.5
Prediction: Texas A&M 34, North Carolina 20
Final Score: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Orange Bowl

No, the Tar Heels didn’t win, and they didn’t cover, but they were missing their top two running backs, their top receiver, and they managed to make this a fight deep into the fourth quarter. The defense might have melted down late, but it was a strong performance by a hamstrung team that made it a fight without any excuses.

NC State Bowl Grade: B-

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Line: Kentucky -3, o/u: 50.5
Prediction: NC State 27, Kentucky 23
Final Score: Kentucky 23, NC State 21
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Gator Bowl

Kentucky is a rough team to play against with its style and tempo, but the Wolfpack didn’t do themselves any favors. They couldn’t stop the run, couldn’t do anything on the offensive front, turned it over three times, got caught up in the battle of penalties, and never lead. However, even with all of the problems, they were RIGHT THERE with a shot in the final five minutes.

Notre Dame Bowl Grade: C

Rose Bowl Game Presented By Capital One

Line: Alabama -19.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Alabama 44, Notre Dame 23
Final Score: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Rose Bowl

The expectations were low for the Irish, and they played exactly as everyone thought they would. It’s not their fault that Alabama is so amazing, but it’s the College Football Playoff – it shouldn’t have been that easy for the Tide. At no time did it seem like the Irish had any real possibility to make this a game. Even after a fantastic long scoring march pulled them within seven in the first half, Bama squashed the fun by scoring with ease. Notre Dame did cover, but the game was basically over at halftime.

Wake Forest Bowl Grade: C

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Line: Wisconsin -10, o/u: 51.5
Prediction: Wisconsin 34, Wake Forest 20
Final Score: Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28
– 10 Things To Know from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

This was a rough matchup for the Demon Deacons. Wisconsin had the exact wrong style, and yet the Wake Forest offense was able to look amazing in the beginning on the way to a 14-0 lead, ended up with over 500 yards of total offense, and … besides the four interceptions thrown for 176 yards, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

NEXT: American Athletic Bowl Grades

American Athletic Conference Bowl Grades

American Athletic Conference Bowl Grade: D+

American Athletic Conference Straight Up: 1-5
American Athletic Conference Against The Spread: 2-4

The individual team grades don’t add up to the D+, but going 1-5 doesn’t deserve any better grade as a whole with four of the six teams favored to win.

Yeah, Cincinnati played well against Georgia … and lost. If the goal overall was to make a statement that the conference needs to be included in the College Football Playoff discussion, that perception – TOTALLY unfair as it might be that everyone isn’t realistically in the mix – took a monster hit.

UCF got blasted, Houston was bad, and Tulsa went from losing the AAC championship game to losing to a horrible SEC team. Memphis was great, but this was the bowl season to rise up. The ACC was bad, the Pac-12 was worse, and the AAC wasn’t able to make up any ground in the battle to win hearts and minds.

Cincinnati Bowl Grade: B-

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Line: Georgia -8.5, o/u: 53
Prediction: Georgia 34, Cincinnati 26
Final Score: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Peach Bowl

Yeah, Georgia had more talent, and yeah, Cincinnati was a big underdog, and … yeah, Cincinnati wanted to be the No. 4 team in the College Football Playoff and couldn’t beat the fourth-best team in the SEC.

The Bearcats proved they could hang with a top ten-caliber powerhouse, but that wasn’t really the point. The played well enough, they had this won, and thanks to poor clock management and a missed third down play, they couldn’t close.

Houston Bowl Grade: D+

New Mexico Bowl

Line: Houston -10, o/u: 60
Prediction: Houston 34, Hawaii 20
Final Score: Hawaii 28, Houston 14
– 10 Things To Know from the New Mexico Bowl

The Cougars had a rocky season that could’ve and should’ve been made better by finishing off with a good bowl win up the road in Frisco against an okay Mountain West team that struggled on the road and … Hawaii was the far better and more aggressive team early on.

The Cougar O didn’t wake up until it was too late, and then team was put back to sleep with a Rainbow Warrior kickoff return for a score after the game got close. There were no answers after that in a double-digit loss for a double-digit favorite.

Memphis Bowl Grade: A

Montgomery Bowl

Line: Memphis -9, o/u: 52
Prediction: Memphis 36, Florida Atlantic 20
Final Score: Memphis 26, Florida Atlantic 10
– 10 Things To Know from the Montgomery Bowl

Can we applaud Memphis for doing exactly what it was supposed to? Yeah – it came out strong, got up 18-0 in the first half, and answered immediately after things got a wee bit interesting in the second half. Always give credit to the team that’s supposed to win big in a bowl game for winning big in a bowl game.

Tulane Bowl Grade: C-

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Line: Tulane -1.5, o/u: 57
Prediction: Tulane 30, Nevada 27
Final Score: Nevada 38, Tulane 27
– 10 Things To Know from the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The Green Wave were supposed to win – at least they were favored – but they struggled in the first half, couldn’t get over the hump in the fourth quarter, and it was a double-digit loss to a good-not-amazing Mountain West team. Just under 24 minutes of possession time, -3 in turnover margin, and a loss- this wasn’t how the bowl season was supposed to go.

Tulsa Bowl Grade: B-

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Line: Tulsa -2.5, o/u: 46
Prediction: Mississippi State 24, Tulsa 20
Final Score: Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26
– 10 Thoughts on the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Not to be harsh, but Tulsa was the second-best team in the American Athletic Conference and it didn’t beat an awful SEC team. Granted, things probably would’ve been different if the Golden Hurricane had star LB Zaven Collins, and the offense outplayed that SEC by a mile, but this year the team was past the whole moral victory thing. Throw in the ugly fight at the end, and this was a huge disappointment.

UCF Bowl Grade: D

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Line: BYU -6.5, o/u: 75.5
Prediction: UCF 37, BYU 34
Final Score: BYU 49, UCF 23
– 10 Things To Know from the Boca Raton Bowl

It wasn’t a home game – whatever that meant this bowl season – but it was just down the road for UCF, the offense was supposed to gear it up with a big effort, and … 21-0 BYU after the first quarter and 35-7 late in the second. It was more about the Cougars being great than the Knights not showing up, but it wasn’t even quite as close as the final score with two late UCF touchdowns making things seem a wee bit better.

NEXT: Big Ten Bowl Grades

Big Ten Bowl Grades

Big Ten Bowl Grade: B+

Big Ten Straight Up: 3-1
Big Ten Against The Spread: 3-1

Grade the Big Ten on a bit of a curve, and the grade goes up fast if Ohio State plays well against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship, forgetting about if it wins it.

The Buckeyes pulling off an all-timer of a performance for that storied program makes everything look a whole lot better, but the grade gets dragged down by the horrible offensive performance by Indiana in the Outback. Northwestern came through, and Wisconsin did what it was supposed to do – sort of – but it’s all about the Buckeyes, and they made the Big Ten look great.

Indiana Bowl Grade: D+

Outback Bowl

Line: Indiana -7.5, o/u: 65
Prediction: Indiana 40, Ole Miss 34
Final Score: Ole Miss 26, Indiana 20
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Outback Bowl

Indiana was the Big Ten’s second-highest ranked team, and it lost to the SEC’s 8th-to-10th best team.

Ole Miss came into this game with the nation’s worst defense and Indiana couldn’t seem to figure it out until it was too late. You and a few good friends could’ve scored more than two field goals on this Rebel D in the first three quarters, but what should’ve been an offensive firefight became a grind. The IU O did pick up, it did tie the game in the fourth, and then the defense couldn’t hold.

Northwestern Bowl Grade: A

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

Line: Northwestern -3.5, o/u: 43.5
Prediction: Northwestern 23, Auburn 20
Final Score: Northwestern 35, Auburn 19
– 10 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Citrus Bowl

The Wildcats got up 14-0 in the first half, the defense held Auburn to field goals in the second quarter to start in control, and the offense became the more aggressive and physical of the two in the second half. To be fair, Auburn was dealing with a coaching change, but even up just 14-13 in the third quarter the the Cats had this. Auburn played hard and gave it a run, but Northwestern was just better.

Ohio State Bowl Grade: A+

AllState Sugar Bowl

Line: Clemson -7.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Clemson 38, Ohio State 27
Final Score: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Sugar Bowl

What more could you have possibly wanted? The only reason it’s not an A+ is because the team got down early, got flagged nine times, and stalled a bit late as the … what are we doing here? The Buckeyes were better than they could’ve ever dreamed of, Justin Fields was incredible, and the program got their moment to eliminate the bad memories of last season’s Fiesta Bowl loss.

Wisconsin Bowl Grade: B

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Line: Wisconsin -10, o/u: 51.5
Prediction: Wisconsin 34, Wake Forest 20
Final Score: Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28
– 10 Things To Know from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

A win is a win is a win, especially if it’s by 14 points after looking completely outclassed early on. There wasn’t much of a running game, the secondary was torched, and the defense that was among the best in the country got lit up for 518 yards. However, last year Wisconsin outplayed Oregon and lost the Rose Bowl – a win is a win is a win. The defensive adjustments and four picks ended the rough Badger year on a great note, but this game showed how much work there is to do.

NEXT: Big 12 Bowl Grades

Big 12 Bowl Grades

Big 12 Bowl Grade: A

Big 12 Straight Up: 5-0
Big 12 Against The Spread: 4-1

Okay, so it probably should’ve been an A-, but 5-0 is 5-0 is 5-0.

None of the games were in the College Football Playoff, the conference was favored to win every game, it had a few struggles when things should’ve been a lot easier in West Virginia’s win over Army and Oklahoma State’s victory over Miami when QB D’Eriq King went down.

There was the break of Florida missing too many key guys against Oklahoma, and … 5-0 is 5-0 is 5-0. Blasting the Gators, beating the Pac-12 champion, and going unbeaten is amazing no matter what.

Iowa State Bowl Grade: A

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Line: Iowa State -4, o/u: 58
Prediction: Oregon 26, Iowa State 24
Final Score: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Fiesta Bowl

The Cyclones were favored, so it wasn’t that much of a shocker that they pulled off the win over the Pac-12 Champion, but it’s so much more than that. This was – somewhat arguably – among the biggest wins in the program’s history, and it was certainly the biggest bowl victory.

So you didn’t think Iowa State deserved a New Year’s Six bowl over, say, Indiana, or Coastal Carolina, or maybe BYU? +4 in turnover margin, almost 43 minutes of possession time, and a emphatic 17-point win over a brand name team in the Fiesta Bowl – that’s fantastic.

Oklahoma Bowl Grade: A

GoodYear Cotton Bowl

Line: Oklahoma -8.5, o/u: 65
Prediction: Oklahoma 38, Florida 30
Final Score: Oklahoma 55, Florida 20
– 10 Thoughts on the Cotton Bowl

Of course that wasn’t the Florida team that pushed Alabama so hard in the SEC Championship. That’s not on Oklahoma that the Gators didn’t feel like this game was big enough for several star parts to hang around. You don’t care enough, Florida? Fine, here are 684 yards and 55 points for you.

The Sooners did what they’re were supposed to on the big stage and – outside of two turnovers – were offensively flawless to the point of 1) getting social media to blast away on the SEC, 2) looking like they probably should’ve been the CFP’s No. 4 team which 3) should give them that little extra benefit of the doubt that Ohio State received this year going forward. Oh yeah, and it was Lincoln Riley’s first bowl victory.

Oklahoma State Bowl Grade: B+

Cheez-It Bowl

Line: Oklahoma State -1, o/u: 62.5
Prediction: Miami 36, Oklahoma State 30
Final Score: Oklahoma State 37, Miami 34
– 10 Things To Know from the Cheez-It Bowl

The Cowboys got the win, but it was a shakier game than it should’ve been. The team and the coaching staff were fantastic for the first 20 minutes getting out to a big 21-0 lead and looking fantastic, but it was way too much of a struggle to put the game away despite Miami losing QB D’Eriq King. No matter what, it was a toss-up game, and Oklahoma State got it.

Texas Bowl Grade: A

Valero Alamo Bowl

Line: Texas -8, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Texas 37, Colorado 23
Final Score: Texas 55, Colorado 23
– 10 Things To Know from the Alamo Bowl

Texas was brilliant. It came out smoking hot, was balanced and explosive, and it managed to overcome the loss of QB Sam Ehlinger with an even more impressive second half than the first. The Longhorns rolled up 638 yards of total offense, they were able to enjoy themselves, and they did exactly what you want out of a team in a bowl game … and then Tom Herman got fired.

West Virginia Bowl Grade: B

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Line: West Virginia -7, o/u: 41
Prediction: West Virginia 30, Army 14
Final Score: West Virginia 24, Army 21

Originally this was supposed to be against Tennessee, but it was tough enough with the fill-in. This is one of those any-landing-you-can-walk-away-from-is-a-good-one bowl wins for West Virginia and the conference.

On the one side, it’s inexcusable for a team with Power Five talent to have rushed for just 42 yards against this Army team – granted, it was good, but a Big 12 offensive line is supposed to be able to take over – and need a late score to survive, but it’s Army. You get the win against the always-dangerous team with its always-dangerous style, and you’re happy.

NEXT: Conference USA Bowl Grades

Conference USA Bowl Grades

Conference USA Bowl Grade: D+

Conference USA Straight Up: 0-6
Conference USA Against The Spread: 1-5

To be fair – and the only reason the grade isn’t much, much worse – Conference USA teams were the underdogs in all six of their games. However, they still only covered in one of them.

Technically, they weren’t supposed to win any of them, and they really, really didn’t with just two of the losses by fewer than double-digits. It didn’t help that conference champion UAB couldn’t play after South Carolina had to back out of the Gasparilla Bowl, but the six teams that did go didn’t pick up the slack.

Florida Atlantic Bowl Grade: C

Montgomery Bowl

Line: Memphis -9, o/u: 52
Prediction: Memphis 36, Florida Atlantic 20
Final Score: Memphis 26, Florida Atlantic 10
– 10 Things To Know from the Montgomery Bowl

It’s sort of hard to get too down on the team when the game went almost exactly like it was supposed to. The Owls had little to no offense all year, Memphis had the veteran quarterback in Brady White who went off, and that was about it. The Owls get credit for adjusting after halftime down 18-0, but they couldn’t build on the momentum after pulling within eight.

Louisiana Tech Bowl Grade: D-

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Line: Georgia Southern -7, o/u: 47.5
Prediction: Georgia Southern 27, Louisiana Tech 24
Final Score: Georgia Southern 38, Louisiana Tech 3
– 10 Things To Know from the New Orleans Bowl

Louisiana Tech had won six straight bowls in six straight seasons under Skip Holtz, was coming off a shocking bowl win over Miami the year before, and then … thud. The Bulldogs were awful with four interceptions, 232 yards of total offense, and a total thud of a game. To be fair, they were without QB Luke Anthony and other key parts, but Anthony doesn’t play D. Louisiana Tech allowed 448 yards of Georgia Southern offense.

Marshall Bowl Grade: C+

Camellia Bowl

Line: Buffalo -4.5, o/u: 54
Prediction: Marshall 23, Buffalo 20
Final Score: Buffalo 17, Marshall 10
– 10 Things To Know from the Camellia Bowl

It was a tough loss in a good battle, but the Herd needed a good win to get past the awful finish of the regular season. Marshall was without star RB Brenden Knox, but Buffalo was missing RB Jaret Patterson and still found a way to get the win. The defense was almost strong enough to pull off the win, but it couldn’t seem to get off the field and the O didn’t do anything to help in the second half.

North Texas Bowl Grade: C-

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Line: Appalachian State -21, o/u: 65
Prediction: Appalachian State 48, North Texas 24
Final Score: Appalachian State 56, North Texas 28
– 10 Things To Know from the Myrtle Beach Bowl

The Mean Green were three-touchdown underdogs, they came into the game with a struggling defense, and they still managed to struggle to do much of anything right – at least defensively – in the blowout loss. The run defense was never able to adjust or come up with a meaningful stop, but the strong offense was at least able to put up close to 500 yards and had a little fun.

UTSA Bowl Grade: B+

SERVPRO first Responder Bowl

Line: Louisiana -14, o/u: 55
Prediction: Louisiana 31, UTSA 16
Final Score: Louisiana 31, UTSA 24
– 10 Things To Know from the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

The Roadrunners put up a great fight in a tough loss against a strong team whose only loss was to Coastal Carolina and beat Fiesta Bowl champion Iowa State. Louisiana was running away with it, but UTSA came back from 17 down to tie it in the fourth. It was still a loss, but the team – a two touchdown underdog – outgained the Ragin’ Cajuns and made it a great game.

WKU Bowl Grade: D+

LendingTree Bowl

Line: Georgia State -3, o/u: 50
Prediction: Georgia State 26, WKU 20
Final Score: Georgia State 39, WKU 21
– 10 Things To Know from the LendingTree Bowl

Yuck. This was supposed to be an interesting, tough fight, and the Hilltoppers were able to get up early with a terrific long drive – and that was the end of the fun. The momentum completely turned, and there was nothing the team could do to slow it down. The WKU defense gave up 27 straight points in the first half and got down 39-14 before tacking on a late score.

NEXT: Independent Bowl Grades

Independent Team Bowl Grades

Independent Bowl Grade: A-

Independents Straight Up: 2-1
Independents Against The Spread: 3-0

It certainly helped to not have Notre Dame as a part of the independent world this time around. The three that did get a shot in the bowl games were terrific. Liberty handed Coastal Carolina its only loss of the year, BYU was amazing against UCF, and Army fought the great fight against West Virginia.

Army Bowl Grade: B

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Line: West Virginia -7, o/u: 41
Prediction: West Virginia 30, Army 14
Final Score: West Virginia 24, Army 21

The team got a bowl after its tie-in with the Independence Bowl fell through when the game got canceled, and it played great. The offense didn’t do what it was supposed to, and there’s no such thing as a moral victory with this bunch, but West Virginia is a Big 12 team with Big 12 talent, and it needed a late score a rally from down 21-10 to survive.

BYU Bowl Grade: A

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Line: BYU -6.5, o/u: 75.5
Prediction: UCF 37, BYU 34
Final Score: BYU 49, UCF 23
– 10 Things To Know from the Boca Raton Bowl

Unfortunately, this bowl game was totally awful – thanks, BYU. It was supposed to be a wild shootout, it was supposed to be a lot of fun, and … it was 49-10 Cougars midway through the third quarter. It was a dominant performance with 655 yards, no giveaways, and a great finish for an outstanding team.

Liberty Bowl Grade: A-

FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl

Line: Coastal Carolina -7, o/u: 59.5
Prediction: Coastal Carolina 34, Liberty 30
Final Score: Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 OT
– 10 Things To Know from the Cure Bowl

Liberty was the only team this year to beat Coastal Carolina, and it found a way to come up with the win, but is also almost came up with an all-time royal screw up at the end when it got cute trying not to score a TD, and then trying, and then fumbling the ball away. The Flames survived and won on a blocked kick in overtime, but they turned it over too much, were outgained, and … they won.

NEXT: MAC Bowl Grades

MAC Bowl Grades

MAC Bowl Grade: A

MAC Straight Up: 2-0
MAC Against The Spread: 2-0

The MAC only got to play in two bowl games, and it obliterated the Mountain West champion and got a good a win over a team that probably should’ve won the Conference USA championship. Don’t get too into how the sausage was made in either of those games – the MAC was unbeaten in the bowl season against two of the 2020’s strongest Group of Five teams.

Ball State Bowl Grade: A

Oferpad Arizona Bowl

Line: San Jose State -8.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: San Jose State 34, Ball State 24
Final Score: Ball State 34, San Jose State 13
– 10 Thoughts on the Arizona Bowl

It stinks that San Jose State had so many key players who couldn’t go, but the game went on, and Ball State came up with a fantastic game for the first bowl win in the program’s history. It’s not fair to the Cardinals to put the blowout win all on the problems on the Spartan side – those obviously were a big deal – as the MAC champion came out and dominated from the start. You play the team that’s on the field, and the Cardinals did their job.

Buffalo Bowl Grade: A-

Camellia Bowl

Line: Buffalo -4.5, o/u: 54
Prediction: Marshall 23, Buffalo 20
Final Score: Buffalo 17, Marshall 10
– 10 Things To Know from the Camellia Bowl

The Bulls got the win, and they did it without star RB Jaret Patterson. Kevin Marks carried the load, the defense was able to stuff the awful Marshall offense, and it turned into a strong win over a team that was supposed to win the Conference USA championship. It wasn’t a good enough win to make up for the loss in the MAC Championship, but it was the program’s second bowl win ever.

NEXT: Mountain West Bowl Grades

Mountain West Bowl Grades

Mountain West Bowl Grade: B

It would’ve been nice if Boise State was in the bowl season and if San Diego State and Air Force were in the mix, but Hawaii and Nevada each winning by double-digits was great for the league. The San Jose State disaster soured the bowl season, but the program caught a really, really bad break.

Mountain West Straight Up: 2-1
Mountain West Against The Spread: 2-1

Hawaii Bowl Grade: A

New Mexico Bowl

Line: Houston -10, o/u: 60
Prediction: Houston 34, Hawaii 20
Final Score: Hawaii 28, Houston 14
– 10 Things To Know from the New Mexico Bowl

The team from Hawaii took care of the Texas team from the American Athletic Conference in the New Mexico Bowl played in Frisco, Texas. It wasn’t anything pretty, but the defense stuffed the Cougar running game, came up with three picks, and got up 21-0 at halftime and overcame a second half scare with a kick six just as it looked like things were about to get close. Don’t get caught up in how the game looked or how mediocre the offense was – the Rainbow Warriors were double-digit dogs and won by two touchdowns.

Nevada Bowl Grade: A-

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Line: Tulane -1.5, o/u: 57
Prediction: Tulane 30, Nevada 27
Final Score: Nevada 38, Tulane 27
– 10 Things To Know from the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The only thing keeping this from being an A – it was a double-digit win for the underdog, after all – were the ten penalties along with the struggles early in the second half. The passing game was great, the offense dominated the time of possession fight, and it was a fantastic end to a somewhat surprising season.

San Jose State Bowl Grade: Incomplete

Oferpad Arizona Bowl

Line: San Jose State -8.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: San Jose State 34, Ball State 24
Final Score: Ball State 34, San Jose State 13
– 10 Thoughts on the Arizona Bowl

This wasn’t fair to San Jose State’s season, its program, or its players. The game probably should’ve been canceled after so many key parts couldn’t go – with it all announced an hour before the game – but the Spartans pushed forward and tried to play anyway. It was a complete and total nightmare of a game for a team that was a shadow of the champion that put together such an epic campaign, getting down 27-0 in the first quarter and 34-0 before finally getting on the board.

NEXT: Pac-12 Bowl Grades

Pac-12 Bowl Grades

Pac-12 Bowl Grade: D+

Pac-12 Straight Up: 0-2
Pac-12 Against The Spread: 0-2

It would’ve been nice if the conference got to take away something from this bowl season. The Pac-12 only had two shots at doing anything, and it sputtered in both.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the grades don’t add up, but even though Colorado and Oregon were underdogs, this bowl season confirmed that the Pac-12 – at least this year – is the distant fifth-best conference of the Power 5

The Pac-12 champ lost to the Big 12 championship loser, and a Colorado team that was the third or fourth best team in the Pac-12 got trucked by the third-best team in the Big 12.

Colorado Bowl Grade: C-

Valero Alamo Bowl

Line: Texas -8, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Texas 37, Colorado 23
Final Score: Texas 55, Colorado 23
– 10 Things To Know from the Alamo Bowl

The Buffs were big underdogs – they weren’t supposed to win this – but it wasn’t just that they got their doors blown off. They were -3 in turnover margin, allowed 260 yards of total offense, and they just couldn’t find anything that consistently worked on either side of the ball. It’s fine, the team got to a good bowl game, but this also showed just how far the program has to go.

Oregon Bowl Grade: C-

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Line: Iowa State -4, o/u: 58
Prediction: Oregon 26, Iowa State 24
Final Score: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Fiesta Bowl

Oregon was the Pac-12 Champion. That might not have meant as much as it usually does in this weird year, but it still never raised the level of its game to where it needed to be. This was a good, sound, veteran Iowa State team the Ducks lost to, but they had more talent.

They had more next-level guys, and they never, ever looked or played like it as they were pounded on and thoroughly outplayed. Worst of all, this game raises a whole slew of question marks going into the offseason and about the team going forward.

NEXT: SEC Bowl Grades

SEC Bowl Grades

SEC Bowl Grade: B+

SEC Straight Up: 6-2
SEC Against The Spread: 3-5

Considering social media couldn’t jump all over Florida fast enough and scream “overrated” after every SEC opponent’s first down, 6-2 isn’t bad. Going 3-5 against the spread, though, was sort of indicative that it wasn’t the dominant bowl run the league probably should’ve had.

Florida missing guys mattered – but a fully-functional UF wasn’t beating that Oklahoma team on that night. Mississippi State took care of the second-best AAC team, Georgia saved face by taking care of the AAC’s big fish. Texas A&M did what it needed to do, Kentucky got the 50/50 game, and Auburn losing to Northwestern really wasn’t that big a deal.

Oh yeah, and Ole Miss took out the Big Ten’s second-highest ranked team, and Alabama barely had to play more than five minutes to all but end a College Football Playoff semifinal.

Alabama Bowl Grade: A

Rose Bowl Game Presented By Capital One

Line: Alabama -19.5, o/u: 65.5
Prediction: Alabama 44, Notre Dame 23
Final Score: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Rose Bowl

Alabama did exactly what it was supposed to do against a vastly inferior opponent. It got up fast, answered instantly after there was the slightest bit of a threat in the first half, and was able to put it into cruise control from there. No, the Tide didn’t cover, but so what if they allowed a touchdown run with less than a minute to play? The team pitched a gem.

Auburn Bowl Grade: C

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

Line: Northwestern -3.5, o/u: 43.5
Prediction: Northwestern 23, Auburn 20
Final Score: Northwestern 35, Auburn 19
– 10 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Citrus Bowl

Northwestern’s offense was miserable against everyone except the miserable, and yet QB Peyton Ramsey all of a sudden turned into Aaron Rodgers against the Auburn secondary and RB Cam Porter went Derrick Henry on a late drive. To be fair, the coaching change mattered, and not having RB Tank Bigsby hurt, but there were still chances to pull this off down 14-13 in the second half and it didn’t happen. The Wildcats were the tougher, better team.

Florida Bowl Grade: D

GoodYear Cotton Bowl

Line: Oklahoma -8.5, o/u: 65
Prediction: Oklahoma 38, Florida 30
Final Score: Oklahoma 55, Florida 20
– 10 Thoughts on the Cotton Bowl

It’s not fair to the players who stuck around and gave it their all that the missing pieces all but gutted the team’s chances against a jacked up Oklahoma squad looking to prove a point. Even so, the defense was a disaster – as expected – and the offense just couldn’t function well enough to the point of Heisman finalist Kyle Trask being benched. The Gators did pull within four late in the first half, and then came the landslide. A program with this much talent should’ve been able to avoid being embarrassed like this.

Georgia Bowl Grade: B

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Line: Georgia -8.5, o/u: 53
Prediction: Georgia 34, Cincinnati 26
Final Score: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Peach Bowl

Okay, it’s a big win in a big bowl game in sort of a no-win situation for Georgia. This is one of the most talented teams in the country, it was the fourth-best team in the SEC, and it was going against a team that struggled to get by a Tulsa squad that lost in the bowl season to Mississippi State.

And it took bad Cincinnati clock management and a bomb of a field goal to get the win. But it’s a W, it’s an exhale moment for Kirby Smart and the SEC, and it’s the only loss UC suffered all year. It wasn’t the statement Georgia made last year against Baylor, though.

Kentucky Bowl Grade: B

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Line: Kentucky -3, o/u: 50.5
Prediction: NC State 27, Kentucky 23
Final Score: Kentucky 23, NC State 21
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Gator Bowl

On the plus side, Kentucky got the win. Don’t ask any questions how, but just take it, end the rough season on a high note, and don’t worry about what happened.

The running game was great, the team dominated the time of possession battle, and it was + 3 in turnover margin. What was the problem? Ten penalties were rough, and it was way too close late considering UK created most of its own breaks.

Mississippi State Bowl Grade: B

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Line: Tulsa -2.5, o/u: 46
Prediction: Mississippi State 24, Tulsa 20
Final Score: Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26
– 10 Thoughts on the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

The offense didn’t work, it was a struggle to put the game away, and the fight at the end was horrific. But other than that …

In normal times, Mississippi State beating Tulsa would be just another day and just another yawner of a win. But after struggling so much over the season, and considering it was the 10thish best SEC team going against the second-best American Athletic Conference team – and a Tulsa squad that pushed Cincinnati in a loss on a walk-off field goal – take the win, don’t ask questions, and move on to 2021.

Ole Miss Bowl Grade: A

Outback Bowl

Line: Indiana -7.5, o/u: 65
Prediction: Indiana 40, Ole Miss 34
Final Score: Ole Miss 26, Indiana 20
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Outback Bowl

This is how a bowl win can totally make a season. The horrible defense that got lit up by everyone all year allowed just two field goals before the fourth quarter and held on when it had to late. The receiving corps was missing Elijah Moore, but the passing game roasted the Big Ten’s second-highest ranked team for 346 passing yards as Lane Kiffin ended his first year with a win in a restaurant quality bowl game.

Texas A&M Bowl Grade: B+

Capital One Orange Bowl

Line: Texas A&M -7.5, o/u: 66.5
Prediction: Texas A&M 34, North Carolina 20
Final Score: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27
– 5 Thoughts Reaction, Analysis: Orange Bowl

It wasn’t exactly the performance the team needed to make everyone jump on the “Texas A&M deserved the fourth spot” train in the after-the-fact College Football Playoff debate. North Carolina was missing way too many key parts for this to have been as close as it was, and it took an Orange Bowl record 24 fourth quarter points to put it away, but A&M rolled how A&M rolls – it methodically kept pushing its way to a double-digit New Year’s Six bowl win.

NEXT: Sun Belt Bowl Grades

Sun Belt Bowl Grades

Sun Belt Bowl Grade: A-

Sun Belt Straight Up: 4-1
Sun Belt Against The Spread: 3-2

The only way this bowl season – and the entire 2020 campaign – could’ve been any better is if Coastal Carolina had pushed past Liberty in the Cure Bowl. It was a great game, but it stinks that the league’s best team couldn’t pull off the win. As bowl losses go, that was as acceptable as they come, though. The rest of the Sun Belt – and, really, Coastal Carolina, too – was fantastic with a few blowouts and dominant performances.

Appalachian State Bowl Grade: A

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Line: Appalachian State -21, o/u: 65
Prediction: Appalachian State 48, North Texas 24
Final Score: Appalachian State 56, North Texas 28
– 10 Things To Know from the Myrtle Beach Bowl

The Mountaineers not only led off the bowl season with a dominant win, and they not only managed to cover the monster spread, but they did it with a phenomenal, jaw-dropping performance with 35 first half points and 500 rushing yards. It was a relentless bowl win that more than exceeded the expectations.

Coastal Carolina Bowl Grade: B

FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl

Line: Coastal Carolina -7, o/u: 59.5
Prediction: Coastal Carolina 34, Liberty 30
Final Score: Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 OT
– 10 Things To Know from the Cure Bowl

If was a dogfight of a game that turned into a classic with one of the crazier finishes in bowl history – there’s no real negative here in a one-team-had-to-lose sort of way. Coastal Carolina played well, but Liberty and QB Malik Willis were just a wee bit better in the overtime thriller. It was a massive disappointment after a phenomenal season, but the Chanticleers outgained the Flames, was -2 in turnover margin, and they almost pulled off the win.

Georgia Southern Bowl Grade: A

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Line: Georgia Southern -7, o/u: 47.5
Prediction: Georgia Southern 27, Louisiana Tech 24
Final Score: Georgia Southern 38, Louisiana Tech 3
– 10 Things To Know from the New Orleans Bowl

Would Shai Werts play or not? The veteran Eagle quarterback got over a shoulder injury and was fantastic for a Georgia Southern offense that got up 21-0 and ripped through the Bulldog D for 322 rushing yards and four scores. The other side of the ball wasn’t bad with four takeaways in a stress-free, easy blowout.

Georgia State Bowl Grade: A

LendingTree Bowl

Line: Georgia State -3, o/u: 50
Prediction: Georgia State 26, WKU 20
Final Score: Georgia State 39, WKU 21
– 10 Things To Know from the LendingTree Bowl

The Panthers made this a laugher with a huge second quarter and 27 straight first half points for a blowout win in what was supposed to be a good, tight fight. It got out of hand in the second half, Georgia State finished with 200 more yards, a +2 turnover margin, and one of the more dominant wins of the bowl season.

Louisiana Bowl Grade: B

SERVPRO first Responder Bowl

Line: Louisiana -14, o/u: 55
Prediction: Louisiana 31, UTSA 16
Final Score: Louisiana 31, UTSA 24
– 10 Things To Know from the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

It’s never a bad thing when Louisiana is able to come up with a bowl win, but after being disrespected in the rankings all year, and after getting an okay bowl spot despite its only loss coming to Coastal Carolina, it struggled to put the game away up 24-7 in the second half. The team came through when it had to, but it would’ve been nice to have made a big statement to earn the national respect the program deserved.

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