Winners and Losers of 2015-16 College Football Bowl Season

It goes by so fast, doesn't it?

Just yesterday, it seems, the 2015 college football season was kicking off. Now, we have just one game remaining: the College Football Playoff National Championship between No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama.

(OK, so there are actually two games left if you count the Football Championship Subdivision title game between Jacksonville State and North Dakota State on Saturday. You should watch that, by the way. It's good football, and your opportunities are running out.)

With the postseason now behind us, it's time to look back at what happened with a special bowl edition of Winners and Losers. Because we already did a W&L for the New Year's Day games, we'll avoid double-dipping our chip and focus on the other games.

From arguably the greatest bowl comeback (and collapse) ever to the anticlimactic playoff semifinals, we'll dive into all that was wonderful, terrible and unexpected about the bowl season.

Have any additions you'd like to make? Sound off in the comments section below.

Winner: The Greatest Tip-Drill Catch of the Bowl Season

It's more difficult than you realize to come up with the greatest catch of the bowl season. There are so many, and most of them are forgotten the next day. It's going to be hard to forget West Virginia's tip-drill reception against Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl, though.

The reception didn't go for a touchdown and wasn't made with one hand, but Mountaineers receiver Daikiel Shorts made the play of the game by being Johnny on the Spot. In the first quarter, Skyler Howard's pass bounced off West Virginia wideout Shelton Gibson, pinballed off Sun Devils linebacker Salamo Fiso and caromed right into Shorts' hands.

Howard must've been at Camp Anawanna because he was saluting his Shorts.

[Takes the Mountaineer musket and fires it into the air.]

West Virginia won, 43-42.

Loser: Oregon's Colossal Meltdown

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

TCU's 47-41 come-from-behind, triple-overtime win over Oregon in the Alamo Bowl was one for the ages. However, because these things never operate in a vacuum, it also included a spectacular meltdown by the Ducks.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Horned Frogs' 31-point rally in the second half matched the largest comeback in bowl history. So how did it happen?

It begins with Oregon losing its best player, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., to a head injury coupled with a leg injury to starting center Matt Hegarty. The backup quarterback-center combination of Jeff Lockie and Doug Brenner couldn't keep the offense moving. The Ducks also had special teams miscues, and their porous pass defense began allowing big plays.

Credit TCU, too. The Horned Frogs had to make plays to orchestrate the comeback (more on that in a bit), and they did. But, mercy, that collapse ignited all the hot takes.

Winner: TCU QB Bram Kohlhausen

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Raise your hand if you'd ever heard of Bram Kohlhausen before Saturday. Now put your hand down, you liar. 

The fifth-year senior, career backup and Houston transfer doesn't own any TCU passing records, but he'll be remembered among the Frogs fanbase for life after his Alamo Bowl performance. Against Oregon, Kohlhausen threw for 351 yards, rushed for another 45 and tallied four total touchdowns. Despite suffering a hip injury midway through the second half, Kohlhausen finished the game after sitting out for just a play.

Kohlhausen was given the starting nod two days before the bowl because Trevone Boykin was suspended for his role in a bar altercation in which he reportedly hit an employee. Coupled with a wrist injury to leading receiver Josh Doctson, it didn't look like TCU had the offense to keep up with the Ducks. At first, that appeared to be the case, as Oregon held a 31-0 halftime lead.

Of course, you know how the game turned out. The Frogs should celebrate the unsung heroes who were responsible for the win. The biggest, considering the circumstances, was Kohlhausen, who received a shoutout from Johnny Manziel on Twitter.

Loser: Semifinal Busts

Joe Skipper/Associated Press

The College Football Playoff so far has been a disaster in every imaginable way. The average point differential of the semifinal games (Clemson vs. Oklahoma and Alabama vs. Michigan State) was 29. At least the Sooners kept the Orange Bowl close for a half before the Tigers pulled away. The Spartans never had a chance against the Crimson Tide.

What gives? Were Michigan State and Oklahoma paper tigers? Not entirely. Most predicted the Spartans would have a tough matchup against Alabama. Perhaps not everyone saw a 38-0 final coming, especially if you were to say Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry would be held under 100 yards, but this was definitely a game that favored head coach Nick Saban's team.

The 37-17 Orange Bowl blowout is a bit more surprising, but it's explainable if you look a bit deeper. The Sooners' only regular-season loss was to Texas, and the Longhorns outrushed Oklahoma 313-67. As college football writer Zach Barnett pointed out, Clemson outrushed the Sooners 312-67. The key to beating Oklahoma isn't rocket science: Run the dang ball between the tackles, and stop the run. 

To add insult to injury, viewership for the semifinals, held on New Year's Eve, was down significantly from last year, according to Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch. The combination of bad games and bad timing resulted in a loss for college football. Yet plenty more semifinals are scheduled for New Year's Eve in the coming years. 

Either the average fan needs to get used to this, or college football's bigwigs need to make a change.

Winner: 5-7 Teams

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Oh, what's that? There are too many bowl games? Five-win teams are a disgrace to the purity of the postseason?

Allow us to take a moment and laugh heartily at this assertion. 

OK, we're good now.

Let's hear it for Minnesota, Nebraska and San Jose State, the three 5-7 teams that, due to their Academic Progress Rates, went bowling. All three won their games. The Golden Gophers beat a better-than-its-record-indicated Central Michigan team 21-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl. The Cornhuskers surprised everyone by topping UCLA 37-29 in the Foster Farms Bowl. And the Spartans traveled cross-country to beat Georgia State 27-16 in the Cure Bowl.

Remember: The difference between a 5-7 team and a 7-5 (or even 8-4) team can be a matter of a few plays. The margin is thin.

How can anyone say there are too many bowl games now? Some of the better bowls were the ones that "didn't matter," while the playoff semifinals and New Year's Six games were snoozers.

Loser: Memphis' Great Game-Ball Theft

Every bowl season, there's one odd moment that stands out above the rest. Congratulations to Memphis cornerback Reggis Ball, who took the top honor this year.

Following his Tigers' surprising 31-10 loss to Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl, Ball was captured on video stealing a game ball from an opposing equipment staffer and then running off the field. According to Dana Sulonen of the Opelika-Auburn News, Ball also displayed the classic one-finger salute on his way off. Ball later posted a picture of the ball, autographed, on social media.

Apparently, stealing footballs from opposing teams after games in which he records an interception—Ball had two against the Tigers and returned one for Memphis' only touchdown—is a thing for him. It won't be a thing anymore, however. Though a senior, Ball was "removed" from the team following the incident, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com.

I don't think anyone is mad about this—just confused.

Winner: Baylor's Frankenstein Offense

Alex Menendez/Getty Images

Technically, Baylor did have a quarterback for the Russell Athletic Bowl against North Carolina: third-stringer Chris Johnson. Practically, though, the Bears were quarterback-less. Yet they still ran all over the Tar Heels in a 49-38 victory.

This is meant quite literally. Baylor had a bowl-record 645 yards rushing. Six. Hundred. Forty. Five. 

The Bears' adapted version of the single-wing offense had to be frustrating to defend (or not defend, as the case may be). There's no threat of the pass and no trickery. It's just a matter of lining up and stopping it. Except North Carolina couldn't stop it. At all.

It is firmly believed around these parts that Baylor should ditch the spread and adopt this offense full time moving into next season. On a more serious note, kudos to head coach Art Briles and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles for basically throwing out their playbook and starting over. When given time to prepare, it's clear the Briles family is among the best schemers in college football.

Loser: USC HC Clay Helton

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

The official, non-interim Clay Helton era at USC is not off to a great start. Since Helton was named the full-time successor to Steve Sarkisian in November, the Trojans are 0-2. They lost to Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl. If you want to scrutinize, Helton has lost three of his last four games stretching back into the regular season.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opined it's unfair to judge Helton based on the bowl loss. That's rational considering Helton's body of work is small. However, recall that Helton's hire was considered underwhelming and placed a lot of pressure on athletic director Pat Haden, as B/R colleague Bryan Fischer noted. 

The point being, it's not unfathomable to think Helton enters 2016 already in a critical light. He deserves time to prove doubters wrong, but his mistakes won't be forgiven so easily. With the talent USC has returning, high expectations are warranted.

Winner: Cal QB Jared Goff

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

The 2016 NFL draft class for quarterbacks isn't particularly strong, but there's some serious potential at the top. That group includes Cal quarterback Jared Goff, who declared for the draft after the Golden Bears beat Air Force 55-36 in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Against the Falcons, Goff threw six touchdown passes. Some of them were absolute dimes that resembled NFL throws.

Unfortunately, many people who didn't watch Goff all season will point to his five-interception game against Utah in October. It was a bad game for Goff, to be sure, though not every turnover was his fault. However, every quarterback has bad games. Outside of that contest, Goff threw 41 touchdowns to eight interceptions in 12 games.

It's hard to believe Goff's college career is already over. Even though he started from Day 1 as a freshman, it feels like the last three seasons have blown by. Say this, though: He went out on top, breaking Marcus Mariota's Pac-12 record for touchdown passes in a season and Cal's bowl-game record for passing yards, which had previously been held by Aaron Rodgers.

Loser (But Too Scared to Identify Him as Such): Penn State LB Ben Kline

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Just to be clear: I'm not actually calling Penn State linebacker Ben Kline a loser. It's just that we have to categorize things, you know. Shoot, his name is Ben, so he has to be a cool guy, right?

What I'm saying is this: Please don't head-butt me. 

Kline got emotional before the Nittany Lions' TaxSlayer Bowl matchup against Georgia. While firing up a group of his teammates, Kline, not wearing a helmet, head-butted every one of them, all of whom were wearing helmets.

Here's a video of the pregame speech (Warning: NSFW language) and a photo of the result. 

You can't say Kline isn't willing to bleed for his team. But the whole thing was for naught since the Bulldogs won, 24-17.

Winner: First-Time Bowl Victors

Michael Chang/Getty Images

The expansion of bowl season does have at least one positive outcome: It allows smaller and newer programs to celebrate monumental moments. Generally speaking, a bowl win or loss might be little more than a blip on the radar for a program like Ohio State. However, for the likes of Akron, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Western Michigan, winning a bowl game is a big deal.

All four programs got their first bowl wins this year. And though Georgia State lost to San Jose State in its first bowl game, given the upward trajectory of the program, it's not unfathomable to think the Panthers will get theirs before long.

Lesser-known bowls may annoy some fans or be little more than background noise for others, but they also serve as extra opportunities to compete for players. Finishing the year with a postseason win is always a bonus.

Loser: #collegekickers or #collegerefs?

What would bowl season be without a controversial ending?

The Pinstripe Bowl between Duke and Indiana turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the postseason, but it ended with a botched call—or a correct call, depending on your allegiance. 

Down 44-41 in overtime, Hoosiers kicker Griffin Oakes attempted a 38-yard field goal that went directly—and we mean directly—over the right upright. The officials called the kick no good, but Oakes maintained the kick was good. It wasn't reviewable.

Good call? Bad call? You be the judge.

Winner: Virginia Tech HC Frank Beamer

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Frank Beamer farewell tour has been going on for a couple of months now. Since the Virginia Tech head coach announced at the beginning of November that he would retire upon season's end, the college football world has paid close attention to Blacksburg, Virginia. In the postseason, it monitored the Independence Bowl between Beamer's Hokies and Tulsa.

Virginia Tech came away with a dramatic 55-52 win over the Golden Hurricane to send Beamer out as a winner. After racing to a 45-31 halftime lead, the Hokies were outscored 21-10 in the second half. 

Normally, a lower-tier bowl against a Group of Five opponent would make one question Virginia Tech's motivation. However, there was no question the Hokies wanted to win one more for Beamer.

"To be able to stay in one place in this business for 29 years, I've kind of amazed myself. I'd have kicked myself out of there a long time ago," Beamer said after the game, per Ava Wallace of the Washington Post.

Loser: College Football Without Keenan Reynolds and Dak Prescott

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Life will always go on, but it's hard to imagine the game without guys like Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott. Both players were of the once-in-a-generation variety for their respective programs. Both went out as big winners.

Reynolds had four touchdowns and in the process set the Football Bowl Subdivision record for touchdowns (88) and points (530) in a career. He also set the FBS record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (4,559). It's a shame Reynolds never received enough recognition to make it to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Invitations shouldn't be career-oriented, but with the season Reynolds had, that hardly would have been the case.

As for Prescott, he was the perfect fit in head coach Dan Mullen's offense and a cornerstone of the Bulldogs' emergence as serious SEC West players. Prescott finished his career with 11,985 total yards, 114 touchdowns and a 51-28 win over North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl.

Winner: Getting Weird with Trick Plays

Bowl season is great for breaking out the trick plays head coaches have been holding on to for a while. It's one game with no bearing on the season, so what's there to lose, right? 

This year's contests were full of awesome trick plays, including a few that, well, weren't so awesome. We'll concentrate on the great ones, though.

There was Houston receiver Demarcus Ayers' 20-yard touchdown pass to Chance Allen against Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Among the other successful trick plays were the following:

• Ole Miss' touchdown run featuring offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil just before halftime in the Sugar Bowl.
• Stanford's fake-fumble touchdown pass from quarterback Kevin Hogan to Michael Rector in the Rose Bowl.
• Florida's reverse pass for a touchdown from wide receiver Antonio Callaway to quarterback Treon Harris in the Citrus Bowl. 
• Georgia's Wildcat touchdown pass by wide receiver Terry Godwin to Malcolm Mitchell in the TaxSlayer Bowl. 
• And, of course, who could forget Clemson punter Andy Teasdall redeeming himself with this fake-punt pass to defensive lineman Christian Wilkins for a first down that led to the Tigers' first touchdown in the Orange Bowl?

Never change, college football. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com and ESPN.com.