Winners and Losers of 2023 Bowl Season Part 2
Following a hectic and enjoyable start to the 2023 bowl season, more of college football's big-name teams have started to take the field in the days after Christmas.
Some of them—USC in particular—have enjoyed a terrific finish to the campaign. Others, such as Miami, didn't fare so well.
As always, though, our attention is whipping around the country. We'll celebrate the first bowl victory for Texas State, the best sponsor of the postseason and Arizona's exclamation point on a tremendous year, among others.
It truly is the best time of the year, isn't it?
Part 2 of B/R's winners and losers from bowl season includes the games played from Dec. 26-30. This piece will be updated.
Winner: Tuesday's Trio
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We can't possibly be limited to one of these winners.
In the matinee, third-stringer Cole Kramer made his first and last college start at Minnesota. The longtime backup with an impending career in sales only threw for 26 yards on 16 attempts yet tossed two touchdowns and rushed for a third, helping the Golden Gophers beat Bowling Green 30-24 in the Quick Lane Bowl.
(Minnesota running back Darius Taylor scampering for 208 yards and a score did not hurt, either, that is true.)
Texas State followed that contest with the program's first-ever bowl win, cruising to a 45-21 rout of Rice in the First Responder Bowl.
The nightcap featured Kansas ending a 15-year drought, outlasting UNLV 49-36 for the Jayhawks' first bowl victory since 2008. KU's Jason Bean racked up 449 yards and six scores through the air.
Loser: North Carolina's Late Slide
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Last season, North Carolina ripped off a 9-1 start but dropped four straight games to close the campaign.
History sort of repeated itself in 2023.
Following an impressive 6-0 surge, the Tar Heels mustered only two wins in their last seven games. In a lackluster Mayo Bowl, they trudged to a 30-10 loss while rolling out a star-depleted roster—no Drake Maye, Tez Walker or Cedric Gray—against West Virginia.
Mack Brown has clearly elevated the program in his second stint at the school, and that should not be discounted.
The false hope is likely tiresome for UNC fans, though.
Winner: Miller Moss' Debut in USC's Goodbye
3 of 10Safe to say I didn't see this one coming.
Talent has never been a concern for Miller Moss, who signed with USC as a 4-star prospect in 2021. The issue has been opportunity.
After understandably sitting behind Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart as a freshman, Moss remained a backup when Lincoln Riley brought Caleb Williams from Oklahoma. Again, not shocking. Williams is a Heisman Trophy winner and the potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Williams opted out of the Holiday Bowl to focus on the pros, however, and Moss fully capitalized on his first career start.
Moss shredded Louisville with a 23-of-33 line for 372 yards and six touchdowns. He earned Offensive MVP honors, leading USC to a 42-28 triumph in its final game before leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Loser: Miami in a Bowl, as Usual
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Since winning the MPC Computers Bowl in 2006, Miami has endured a remarkably awful postseason run.
The program lost six straight bowls and finally ended the skid in 2016, the first season of Mark Richt's tenure. However, the losses have returned—and kept on coming. Miami fell to Rutgers 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl, dropping a fifth straight late-December outing.
In short: That's a 1-11 stretch.
Yes, the 'Canes started third-string quarterback Jacurri Brown and didn't have several NFL-bound defenders. That's a factor. It was also Rutgers, a program that never beat Miami in 11 meetings as Big East foes.
Mario Cristobal remains an elite recruiter, but Miami's game-day performance needs to improve immensely in 2024.
Winner: All Hail the Pop-Tarts Bowl
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Rumor has it Kansas State beat North Carolina State 28-19 in a football game on Thursday night. I cannot confirm.
What I do know, however, is the Pop-Tarts Bowl became the star of the postseason show. Brands, I am speaking directly to you: Take notes. This is how seriously you should be taking yourselves.
For the pregame coin toss, the referee handed the pretty important token to "the most edible mascot in bowl history."
Also, see that picture? As rumblings of "toast that mascot" sounded, Strawberry descended into the depths of h...I mean, the oversized appliance. Moments later, K-State coach Chris Klieman and quarterback Avery Johnson ate pieces of a gigantic, edible Pop-Tart.
What a time to be alive. All hail the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Winner: Arizona's 10-Win Finish
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Another rumor I heard is Oklahoma wanted to leave for the SEC because it was scared Arizona might eventually join the Big 12.
Who's to say whether it's true, really. I guess we'll never know.
Miserable jokes aside, Arizona capped its breakout season with an excellent 38-24 victory in the Alamo Bowl.
After the Sooners overcame a 13-0 deficit and built a 24-13 lead, Arizona safety Gunner Maldonado's 87-yard touchdown sparked the Cats. They snagged an interception that led to a tying field goal, forced a punt, scored a touchdown, recovered a fumble and scored again.
In total, Arizona generated six takeaways to secure its first bowl victory since 2015 and only the program's fourth 10-win season ever.
Jedd Fisch, if the school can keep him, could be building something special as Arizona begins its Big 12 era.
Loser: Kentucky's Final Quarter
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For about 40 minutes, Kentucky was clearly the better team in the Gator Bowl. Clemson put together two scoring drives but otherwise failed to gain 20 yards on any other possession, falling behind 21-10.
However, as they say, it's not how you start.
Clemson capped a 14-play drive with a touchdown on the opening snap of the fourth quarter. Kentucky proceeded to lose a fumble, throw an interception and lose another fumble on its next three drives. Along the way, the 'Cats saw their 11-point edge become a 27-21 deficit.
Now, to UK's credit, the offense bounced back. They rattled off a pair of three-play, 75-yard touchdown drives to take a 35-30 lead.
But then, it was the defense's turn to falter. Clemson scored its winning touchdown with 17 seconds to play, sending Kentucky home with a missed opportunity in a 38-35 loss.
Loser: Offense in the Cotton Bowl
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Ohio State and Missouri each entered the Cotton Bowl averaging 32-plus points. Even as transfers and opt-outs affected Ohio State's offense, oddsmakers listed the total around 51.
Well, that's not exactly what happened. Ohio State led 3-0 through three quarters, and Missouri ended up with a 14-3 win.
Seventeen points. Sixteen punts. Not quite a shootout!
None of that is meant to dismiss the value of the result for Missouri. Entering the season, Eli Drinkwitz had only a 17-19 record in a three-year tenure. The program hadn't surpassed eight wins since 2014. Ending a breakout season with an 11-2 mark and upset of Ohio State is massive for the Tigers, especially on the recruiting trail.
Still, if you hoped to close a busy day with an entertaining back-and-forth game, better luck Saturday!
Winner: Ole Miss Sets a Record
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Ole Miss closed the regular season with a victory over rival Mississippi State to earn a 10th win. It marked the ninth year in program history that the Rebels hit double-digit victories.
Unfortunately for Ole Miss, that pesky 11th triumph has been elusive—most recently in 2021.
The streak is over. Long live the new streak.
Jaxson Dart ripped apart Penn State's elite defense, throwing for 379 yards and three scores while rushing for a fourth touchdown. Tight end Caden Prieskorn caught 10 passes for 136 yards and two scores, and wideout Tre Harris reeled in seven receptions for 134 yards.
Penn State surrendered 540 yards—the most it allowed in 2023 by a staggering 175 yards—in the 38-25 Ole Miss win.
Loser: A Competitive Orange Bowl
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Any reasonable college football fan anticipated a lopsided Georgia win against a short-handed Florida State team.
That...was still incredibly worse than expected.
Georgia amassed a dizzying 673 yards in a 63-3 obliteration of what truly was a shell of the 13-0 Seminoles. They didn't have 14 starters for the Orange Bowl, and—obviously—it showed.
Carson Beck and backup Gunner Stockton both tossed two touchdowns. Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards each scored twice on the ground, and the Dawgs scampered for 372 yards on an absurd 7.9 per carry. Milton, Edwards and Roderick Robinson II each had 62-plus yards.
Someone out there is probably using this annihilation as proof FSU shouldn't have made the College Football Playoff. I'm not your guy.
But I wish the Orange Bowl would've served as a showcase for two stellar teams, not simply a glorified scrimmage for the Dawgs.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
