Bowl season isn’t what it once was in college football. Unless it’s a playoff game, most teams disregard their bowl games in this new era with NIL deals, hundreds of transfers, and opt-outs. But every year, a few bowl matchups can be program-building wins.
The Colorado Buffalo’s Head Coach, Deion Sanders, talked about the importance of non-playoff bowl games, “We’re going to finish. We’re not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season.” And his team’s bowl matchup with the BYU Cougars can be a program-building win for both teams.
The Alamo Bowl
The Buffs and the Cougars will essentially be playing the Big 12 third-place game on December 28th. Neither of these teams were considered legitimate playoff threats going into 2024 but were alive in the Big 12 up until the final week of the season.
As Coach Prime said, losing a bowl game can throw off the trajectory of the next season, and even his players leaving for the NFL Draft are bought into that idea. Despite being projected top three picks, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders will play in the Alamo Bowl.
This is what makes the Alamo Bowl so influential. It’s been years since players projected this high have played in a non-playoff bowl. If Sanders and Hunter see any bump in their draft stock after this game, we may see a drop in opt-outs in future seasons. Once again, Coach Prime is making waves in college football, but this time, it could bring back bowl season to what it once was.
The Citrus Bowl
The Citrus Bowl bowl features a classic Big 10 vs. SEC matchup between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Both of these teams finished with an impressive 9-3 record. South Carolina ended the season ripping off six straight wins and finished as the 15th-ranked team in the nation, just missing out on the playoffs. Illinois finished the season ranked 20th, but their Head Coach, Bret Bielema, believed his Fighting Illini had a better case than the SEC teams ranked above them.
I couldn’t agree more @Lane_Kiffin here is a thought for the @CFBPlayoff
Ole miss #31 strength of schedule and has 3 losses to unranked Kentucky, Florida and 8-4 LSU team 🤷♂️#Illinois HAS #30 strength of schedule and has 3 losses to #1 Oregon and #4 Penn State and a one… https://t.co/Bw8haGFf8s
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) December 2, 2024
Now Bielema and his squad get an opportunity to not only prove themselves as a more worthy playoff contender, but also that the Big 10 should garner the same respect as the SEC.
In the past there’s been speculation that the SEC gets a certain bias that other conferences don’t receive. A win from Illinois could prove that Big 10 teams deserve to be viewed in the same light as the SEC. But, if Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks continue their hot streak, it could display why the SEC is regarded as the top conference in the sport.
The Pinstripe Bowl
The Boston College Eagles and Nebraska Cornhuskers bowl game features two former NFL head coaches facing off in Bill O’Brien and Matt Rhule. Although Boston College only finished 7-5, O’Brien had the Eagles looking as competitive as they have in a long time. Nebraska finished the year just 6-6, but this is the Cornhuskers first bowl game since 2016.
Both teams are looking for a program changing win. Now this game won’t necessarily give them that, but it will right the ship. In this game it is much more important to not lose than to win. That sounds ridiculous but both of these teams almost always seemed to find a way to lose close games. If Boston College can come out with a win he’ll hand Matt Rhule and Nebraska another losing season, putting Rhule on the hot seat and Bill O’Brien will lead the Eagles to an eight win season. If Nebraska comes out on top it would be a huge confidence booster for the program, and more importantly Dylan Raiola. Raiola had an up and down freshman campaign, but with a win could carry some momentum into 2025
The Birmingham Bowl
This bowl match up features two of college football’s biggest spoilers in Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. Georgia Tech handed Miami their first lost of the season, and the Hurricanes ended up missing the postseason. And after years of blowouts Clark Lea finally got his Commodores to beat Alabama, who also ultimately missed out on the post season.
This game isn’t just the spoiler bowl though, it may be the most exciting non-playoff bowl games. Vanderbilt exceeded expectations and only had two of its six losses be by more than one score. Diego Pavia was a breakout star and named the AP SEC Newcomer of the Year. The opposing quarterback, Haynes King, is just a exciting of a player. At times King struggled to be the passer the Yellow Jackets need him to be. But after King passed for 303 yards and rushed for 110 yards for five combined touchdowns in a rivalry week, eight over time loss to Georgia, it seems as if King has regained Brent Key’s trust.
These two programs have been at the bottom of college football for a while now, and in what should be an electric bowl game, the winner could get a much needed win. And even if you aren’t a fan of these two teams, this game should be a must-watch because King and Pavia are Heisman sleepers for 2025.
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