Winners and Losers of 2025 College Football Bowl Season
While the greatest time of the year on the college football calendar looks different these days, bowl season remains a holiday treat.
From mid-December to the early days of January, we've watched dozens of matchups. There's been midweek matinees, busy Saturdays and showdown-filled days on either side of New Year celebrations.
As always, we have winners and losers—listed in reverse chronological order—from the postseason contests.
The bowls are focused on takeaways in games from outside the College Football Playoff, which are featured in this piece.
This piece was updated through bowl season.
Winner: ACC's Final Statement
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Two games dotted the final window of non-CFP bowl season, and the ACC came out with a victory in both matchups.
SMU held off a surge from Arizona to secure a 24-19 victory in the Holiday Bowl. The offense put together three touchdown drives of 83-plus yards during the opening half, sending SMU to a third consecutive nine-win record.
Wake Forest made it interesting late because of a special-teams miscue. However, the Demon Deacons stood up defensively before Ty Clark III's 62-yard touchdown iced the 43-29 win over Mississippi State in the Mayo Bowl.
As a result, the ACC—when you include Miami's two CFP wins—has notched eight bowl victories, which only trails the Big Ten.
Sure, the significance of that number is debatable. It's as important as you whatever you need for your argument. But after the ACC trudged to a 2-11 last postseason, this was a pleasant turnaround for the league narrative.
Loser: Cincinnati's Familiar Slide
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This particular result is not the story.
In the wake of standout QB Brenden Sorsby entering the transfer portal, Cincinnati was a clear underdog against Navy in the Liberty Bowl. The game played out in unsurprising fashion with Navy cruising to a 35-13 rout.
Still, the loss meant Scott Satterfield's Cincinnati has now ended a second year in a row on a five-game losing skid.
Last season, it was 5-2 to 5-7. This time, it was 7-1 to 7-6.
Satterfield opened the campaign on a hot seat, and Cincy's hot start cooled that noise. But that conversation is back again as the offseason begins.
Winner: 4-Letter Words
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Don't worry, mom, not those words.
All three winners in the last three non-CFP contests on New Year's Eve each included four letters in their school name.
Iowa bested Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt 34-27 in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Utah routed Nebraska 44-22 in the Las Vegas Bowl and Duke clipped Arizona State 42-39 in a Sun Bowl littered with cereal dives.
Within that group, Utah quarterback Devon Dampier—who wears No. 4, by the way—put together the most memorable day. He threw for 310 yards, rushed for 148, totaled five touchdowns and propelled the Utes to a final 11-2 record.
Duke wideout Que'Sean Brown also excelled, catching 10 passes for 178 yards and two scores—including the game-winning TD late in the fourth quarter.
Good things come in fours, apparently.
Loser: Arch Manning's Quiet Offseason
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Kids these days, man. Arch Manning could've just had a straightforward day in the Citrus Bowl and entered the offseason in peace.
But, no-ooo, he just needed to have a fantastic game.
In a 41-27 victory over Michigan, Manning hit 21-of-34 passes for 221 yards and two scores. He sealed the triumph with a 60-yard touchdown run, finishing with 155 yards and two more trips to the end zone on the ground.
Texas closed its adventurous season at 10-3, which—although it wasn't what the preseason No. 1 team wanted—is still a fine campaign. Manning didn't emerge as the superstar most expected in 2025, yet he still produced more than 3,500 yards with 36 total touchdowns.
Welcome back, Heisman Trophy hype. It'll be a familiar offseason for Arch.
Winner: Illinois' Program Record
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Celebrate the small stuff.
While that advice is helpful in many areas of life, it's also a wise principle in college football. Only one program wins a national championship, and judging every team by that standard undermines the beauty of the sport.
So, yeah, a round of applause for Illinois, which beat Tennessee 30-28 in the Music City Bowl to record consecutive nine-win seasons for the first time ever.
Progress is relative, and it deserves recognition.
Sure, the Fighting Illini entered the 2025 season thinking they might be a little more competitive on that national scene. The early blowout loss to Indiana shattered that idea, but U of I still recovered to notch a 9-4 record with a few quality wins against Duke, USC and Tennessee.
Bret Bielema has Illinois moving in a positive direction.
Winner: Ken Seals' TCU Debut and Finale
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Amid the championship-focused frenzy of the College Football, I hope you still understand the importance of bowl season.
Ken Seals provided an ideal reminder.
Back in 2020, he enrolled at Vanderbilt and spent four seasons with the program. Seals logged 22 starts during that time, then transferred to TCU in 2024 and spent the last two years as a backup to Josh Hoover.
But when Hoover entered the transfer portal earlier in December, that pushed Seals into TCU's starting lineup for the first and last time.
Seals helped the Horned Frogs clip USC at the Alamo Bowl. Along with a rushing score, he completed 29-of-40 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown—one that sealed TCU's dramatic 30-27 overtime win.
That meaningless game, as some would call it, became an unforgettable moment for the sixth-year QB.
"It felt like a movie," Seals told reporters. "I just can't even … I'm not processing it. This is just an unbelievable experience. The week leading up to it, the last 10 days, and then finishing it in this fashion is just more than any guy can dream."
Winner: BYU's Redemptive Finale
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In the aftermath of Championship Week, frustration set in around BYU. Sure, the Cougars lost to Texas Tech again, and the CFP dream died. But why didn't Alabama drop in the same ranking?
I can't answer that question. BYU clearly did not dwell on it, though.
As was normal this season, the Cougars faced a double-digit deficit but recovered to win. They trailed 21-10 in the fourth quarter before a pair of short touchdown runs pushed BYU to its 25-21 winning edge in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Knocking off Georgia Tech will not remedy the hurt of a narrow CFP miss. Still, earning a 12-2 record is a real accomplishment for BYU, which had never won 11 games in consecutive years until now.
BYU is entering the offseason on a dangerously positive note.
Loser: Pitt's Efficiency
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Look, I'm not one to overreact about a bowl result. Do not mistake this for a terribly critical review of Pitt.
Also, the offense had a long day of squandered chances.
In a 23-17 setback at the Military Bowl, the Panthers lost two turnovers on downs on East Carolina's side of the field, two fumbles and an interception. They outgained ECU by 125 yards and still lost by six.
As if that's not bad enough, Pitt scored seven of its points on a fumble return for a touchdown. It simply was a rough afternoon for the offense.
The loss finished a slow descent for the Panthers, who started 7-2 but fell to Notre Dame, Miami and ECU within the last four games.
Winner: Big Ten Surge
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After an expected win from Oregon in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Big Ten enjoyed a perfect start to the bulk of its bowl season.
Northwestern dropped a hammer on Central Michigan, rolling to a 34-7 victory. Preston Stone threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Griffin Wilde 10 times for 97 yards and two scores.
Later on, Minnesota extended its FBS-best bowl win streak to nine consecutive triumphs. It took overtime, but Minnesota clipped New Mexico 20-17.
The conference's run continued on Saturday.
In the Disappointment Bowl—err, the Pinstripe Bowl—Penn State scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and outlasted Clemson 22-10.
As those matchups went final, the Big Ten improved to a perfect 4-0 in bowls.
Loser: Cal's Collapse
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If you missed the Hawaii Bowl while spending time with loved ones on Christmas Eve, well, you missed a banger.
Cal roared out to a 21-0 lead thanks to a trio of eight-play touchdown drives. It seemed the Golden Bears—fresh off the tremendous news of QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele saying he would be back in 2026—would enter the first offseason of the Tosh Lupoi era in style, upsetting SMU and winning a bowl.
The latter part, however, vanished at the hands of Hawaii.
Micah Alejado threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, sparking a comeback that Luke Weaver finished. A hard hit knocked out Alejado on the desperation drive, but Weaver connected with Nick Cenacle for a 22-yard score that pushed the Rainbow Warriors to their 35-31 victory with 10 seconds left to play.
The result left Cal with an all-too-familiar, bitter feeling of a wasted opportunity marred by its own lapses.
Winner: Ohio's Bowl Streak
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Pretty? Nope. Effective? You bet.
In a low-scoring Frisco Bowl clash, Ohio—merely a few days removed from the dismissal of head coach Brian Smith—outlasted UNLV 17-10.
Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown, while the defense locked down a talented UNLV attack. An offense that had collected 459.1 yards per game managed just 281 against the Bobcats.
Ohio, which was under the direction of interim coach John Hauser, extended its bowl win streak to seven in a row.
Fittingly, the school has since promoted Hauser to the permanent coach.
Loser: Kennesaw State's First 15
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When I say Western Michigan controlled the Myrtle Beach Bowl from the first snap, I mean it completely literally.
Jalen Buckley took a handoff, burst through a hole on the right side of the WMU offensive line and scampered 65 yards for a touchdown. Then on Kennesaw State's opening drive, Rodney McGraw forced a fumble that Kreshawn Fisher returned 47 yards for another score.
Before some KSU fans had even taken a seat, the Owls trailed 14-0.
It would get worse, though. After a Kennesaw three-and-out, Western scored again. Following another KSU punt, Buckley ripped off a 56-yard run to set up WMU's fourth touchdown of the first quarter.
While it's possible to have a worse 15 minutes, that was realistically just about the worst-case scenario for Kennesaw State.
All told, Western cruised to a 41-6 rout and secured its 10th win of the year.
Winner: Delaware's Memorable Debut
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Thanks to the new trend of teams declining bowl invitations—hate it, by the way, don't let that continue—Delaware had a rare opportunity as a first-year program to participate in the postseason.
And the Blue Hens took advantage.
They jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Louisiana in the 68 Ventures Bowl and ultimately held on late for a 20-13 victory. Most memorably for Delaware, its defense made a goal-to-go stand as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Delaware joined Jacksonville State (2023) as the only FBS debutants to end their initial season with a bowl victory.
"To bring this trophy back," UD coach Ryan Carty told reporters after the game, "to bring a seventh win back, and to really prove that we belong where we are right now is special."
Loser: Cure Bowl QB Battle
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Let's be clear immediately: This is not a judgment of the players who suited up, and this is not a criticism of those who did not, either.
Rather, it's a lament of what could have been.
Old Dominion posted a 9-3 record this season, matching the best of the program's short FBS history. South Florida enjoyed a hot start with a win over Florida and ultimately went 9-3, as well. Great matchup for the postseason!
Unfortunately, though, the portal stung the offenses. ODU's Colton Joseph and USF's Byrum Brown—dynamic dual-threat QBs who both surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2025—elected to sit out after deciding to transfer. That's a logical choice in today's era, given the NIL money they will command in January.
Quinn Henicle posted 234 yards and two touchdowns in ODU's 24-10 win. Gaston Moore had 236 yards before leaving with an injury, and Locklan Hewlett tried his best to pick up the pieces for USF. They all dealt with a tough situation.
Look, the injury risk is real. Moore himself is the evidence.
But my hope, while acknowledging it could be wishful thinking, is that successful Group of Five programs have a chance to finish what they started.
Winner: Washington's Big Day
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In the first game of the postseason, Washington put a smackdown on Mountain West champion Boise State in the LA Bowl.
Washington trotted out a near-full roster, and it showed. Demond Williams Jr. threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns, while UW's top NFL prospects capped their college career on a high note. Jonah Coleman rushed for 85 yards and a score, and Denzel Boston brought in six passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Oh, and the defense was awesome, too.
Washington snared five interceptions, including three of those takeaways in a six-play stretch during the fourth quarter.
The result was an emphatic 38-10 triumph for Washington, which wrapped up the campaign with a solid 9-4 record.
