TWIF Notes 1/4/2021

Welcome Back!

The bowl season is over!  The final 15 bowl games were pretty exciting, with 6 being decided by 6 points or less, and several going down to the wire.  There were a few others that were close until the final minutes, but a late score made the margin more than 7.  Let's get to the reviews!

Tuesday, December 29

Oklahoma State defeated Miami 37-34, holding the Hurricanes off after building a 21-0 1st quarter lead.  The win moved the Cowboys to 8-3 on the season, and 20-11 in bowls, a .645 winning percentage.  The Canes end their season also at 8-3, but are 19-23 in bowls.

Texas demolished Colorado 55-23, turning a close game at halftime into a rout.  The Longhorns outscored the Buffaloes 38-13 in the 2nd half to break open a 17-10 halftime score and piled up 638 total yards almost evenly distributed between rushing (303 yds) and passing (335 yds).  UT finishes at 7-3 with a bowl record of 31-24-2, while CU ends their season at 4-2, and 12-18 in bowls.

Wednesday, December 30

Wisconsin outscored Wake Forest 28-14 in the 2nd half, winning 42-28, as they broke a 14-14 tie at halftime.  The Badgers finish 4-3, and moved their bowl record to 17-15.  The Demon Deacons fell to 4-5, with a 9-6 bowl record.

Oklahoma destroyed Florida  55-20.  The Sooners scored 14 points in the last 4 minutes of the 1st half, then obliterated the Gators in the 2nd half, outscoring UF 24-7 and amassing 684 total yards, including 435 on the ground.  OU finishes at 9-2, 30-23-1 in bowls.  The Gators fell to 8-4, losers of their last 3 games, and are 24-22 in bowls.

Thursday, December 31

Mississippi State won a thriller over Tulsa 28-26.  This was MSU's 1st bowl win against a ranked team since 1941.  The Bulldogs end up at 4-7, and 14-10 in bowls.  The Golden Hurricane dropped to 6-3, and are 10-12 in bowls all-time.

Ball State blitzed San Jose State, scoring 27 points in the opening frame, and then holding on for the 34-13 victory.  The Cardinals won the last 7 games of the season to finish 7-1, and won their 1st bowl game in history to move their bowl record to 1-7.  The Spartans saw their undefeated season come to an end, also finishing 7-1, but dropping their bowl record to 7-4.

In an exciting game, West Virginia came back from a 21-10 mid-3rd quarter deficit to defeat Army 24-21.  The Mountaineers solidified their winning season with a 6-4 record, and are 16-22 in bowls.  The Black Knights end their season at 9-3 and are 6-3 in bowls.

Friday, January 1

Georgia and Cincinnati started New Year's Day off right with a thrilling 24-21 come from behind Bulldog victory.  The Bearcats led 21-10 at halftime, but the Dawgs defense shut down the prolific UC offense in the 2nd half, winning with a 53-yard FG with 6 seconds left before tacking on a meaningless safety as time expired.  UGA ends their season at 8-2, and are an impressive 33-21-3 in bowl games, a .605 winning percentage.  The Bearcats suffered their 1st loss of 2020 (actually 2021, I guess), finishing 9-1, and their bowl record is now 9-10.

Northwestern jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, then allowed Auburn to close to within 14-13, only to pull away for the 35-19 victory.  The Wildcats had a wildly successful season, going 7-2, and they've now won 4 straight bowl games to improve their all-time record to 6-10.  The Tigers finish as a mediocre 6-5, and are 24-19-2 in bowls.

In the 1st CFP Semifinal, Alabama crushed Notre Dame 31-14 in a game that was never really in doubt.  The Crimson Tide move on to the National Championship Game on Jan 11, as they are 12-0, and 43-25-3 in bowl games, a .627 winning percentage.  The Fighting Irish dropped to 10-2, and dropped below .500 in bowl games at 19-20.

In the 2nd CFP Semifinal, Ohio State dominated Clemson 49-28 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated.  This was Clemson's worst loss since losing by 22 to Georgia Tech in November of 2014, a season which also saw them lose by 24 to Georgia in their opener.  The Buckeyes stayed undefeated at 7-0, and evened their bowl record at 26-26.  The Tigers fell to 10-2, and are 25-22 in bowls.  OSU will face Alabama for the National Championship on Jan 11.

Saturday, January 2

Kentucky held off NC State to win 23-21, despite only 99 passing yards.  The Wildcats ended their season on a high note, despite their 5-6 final record, but they are actually 11-9 in bowl games.  The Wolfpack had their 4-game winning streak broken as they dropped to 8-4, and saw their bowl record move to 17-15-1.

Ole Miss defeated Indiana 26-20, breaking a tie and scoring the winning TD with 4:19 remaining in the game.  The Rebels are another sub-.500 SEC team that won their bowl game, and evened their record at 5-5 with the win, running their bowl record to 25-13, a phenomenal .658 winning percentage.  The Hoosiers fell to 6-2, and had their bowl record drop to a dismal 3-10, as they have still not won a bowl game since 1991.

Iowa State held Oregon scoreless in the 2nd half as they won 34-17.  The Cyclones finish an impressive 9-3, but have an unimpressive 5-11 bowl record.  The Ducks finish only at 4-3, and drop to 15-19 in bowls.

Texas A&M finished the bowl season with a 41-27 victory over North Carolina, a game that was a lot closer than the final score indicates.  The Aggies and Tar Heels traded leads throughout until TAMU scored the final 14 points in the last 3:44 of the game.  The victory moves the Aggies to 9-1, and with their 3rd straight bowl win, they almost even their bowl record at 20-22.  UNC dropped to 8-4, and 15-20 in bowls.

That's all for today.  Feel free to leave a comment, and come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings.

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!