screenshot-2025-01-07-at-6-31-41-pm.png
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports design

Take a breath. You did it. College football's finish line following a robust bowl season slate is a few steps away. Ohio State and Notre Dame will cap the 2024-25 season in the national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Who knows how the bowl slate will look in the coming years, but December and early January provided ample overtimes and two scintillating College Football Playoff semifinal contests that kept us captivated throughout the postseason.

People tend to look sideways when you mention a continued desire for "too many bowl games," even the contests involving teams with interim coaches and rosters depleted by opt-outs and transfer portal departures. The narrative surrounding these games outside of the playoff falls flat when you speak with the coaches and players involved: they want to win them all, as do the diehards. 

We hope you enjoyed bowl season's 41 matchups as much as we did. Let's rank 'em!

41. New Mexico Bowl

TCU 34, Louisiana 3: Four touchdown passes from Josh Hoover was more than enough for TCU to paste Louisiana in one of bowl season's most lopsided matchups. It's hard to believe the Ragin' Cajuns won 10 games this season considering their failure to score a touchdown in the Sun Belt Championship Game and then this stinker to end it. Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares avoided the shutout with a field goal late in the fourth.

Pregame ranking: No. 39

40. Arizona Bowl

Miami (Ohio) 43, Colorado State 17: The RedHawks scored 19 points off four turnovers to bash the Rams, who were making their first bowl appearance since a 2017 loss to Marshall in New Mexico. Miami (Ohio) moved to 9-7 all-time in bowl games, and its ninth win of the season was fueled by two touchdowns each from Kevin Davis and Jordan Brunson.

Pregame ranking: No. 33

39. Bahamas Bowl

Buffalo 26, Liberty 7: Former South Carolina assistant Pete Lembo punctuated his first season at Buffalo with a convincing win over the Flames in the Bahamas. Liberty was without star quarterback Kaidon Salter and several others, who entered the transfer portal after the regular season. Upton Bellenfant kicked four field goals for Buffalo, who put the game away in the fourth quarter on linebacker Red Murdock's 31-yard pick six.

Pregame ranking: No. 38

38. Myrtle Beach Bowl

UTSA 44, Coastal Carolina 15: It's a shame this game gets an abhorrent 11 a.m. local start time at the beach, but in this season's case, it was deserving and few actually realized it was on. UTSA scored the first 27 points, and the Chanticleers never had a shot against a stronger, more complete Roadrunners squad.

Pregame ranking: No. 25

37. Fenway Bowl

UConn 27, UNC 14: Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick didn't make the trip to Boston to see his new team play their final game, and it's a good thing he remained in Chapel Hill. An ugly performance offensively was a quick reminder of why a coaching move was made from Mack Brown. UConn's turnaround under Jim L. Mora appears to be underway.

Pregame ranking: No. 29

36. Mayo Bowl 

Minnesota 24, Virginia Tech 10: We still like coaches getting doused with mayonnaise as long as it's the right brand. Sorry — Carolina boy here who only lathers sandwiches with Duke's and wouldn't touch the others. P.J. Fleck got the five-gallon tub of the white stuff after his Golden Gophers scored 21 points in the second quarter to put it away.

Pregame ranking: No. 21

35. Gator Bowl

Ole Miss 52, Duke 20: Watched this one in its entirety from 40,000 feet, which is about the distance away Duke's secondary was from the Rebels' pass-catchers throughout. Jaxson Dart punctuated his Ole Miss career with a seismic performance, throwing for 404 yards and four scores in a beatdown of nine-win (but shorthanded) Duke. The Blue Devils now await the arrival of Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah, will reportedly receive $8 million over the next two seasons.

Pregame ranking: No. 8

34. Gasparilla Bowl

Florida 33, Tulane 8: Torched by the transfer portal, the Green Wave's best players were absent and it showed. The AAC's runner-up was smashed by a streaking Gators team under Billy Napier and freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who overcame a couple turnovers to win the game's MVP honors inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Pregame ranking: No. 28

33. Los Angeles Bowl

UNLV 24, Cal 13: With its 11th win, UNLV enjoyed its best season in the FBS ranks and first bowl victory since 2000. The Runnin' Rebels managed the feat without coach Barry Odom, who left for Purdue. New UNLV coach Dan Mullen watched the game from a luxury box.

Pregame ranking: No. 27

32. Boca Raton Bowl

James Madison 27, Western Kentucky 17: JMU captured its first bowl win in program history behind Billy Atkins, who threw for 181 yards and a touchdown during his first start since 2022. The Dukes trailed at halftime before scoring the game's final 10 points, taking the lead for good on Taylor Thompson's 21-yard reception with 9:20 to play. A year after losing coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana, JMU posted an impressive follow-up with Bob Chesney. 

Pregame ranking: No. 34

31. Independence Bowl

Army 27, Louisiana Tech 6: Bryson Daily, who led college football in rushing touchdowns this season, scored three times to help Army bounce back from a loss to Navy. Touchdown No. 32 broke the single-season FBS record by a quarterback, which was previously by former Midshipmen star Keenan Reynolds. Louisiana Tech (5-8) was a late bowl-season add after Sun Belt champion Marshall pulled out of the matchup.

Pregame ranking: No. 22

30. 68 Ventures

Arkansas State 38, Bowling Green 31: Corey Rucker caught four passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, Zak Wallace rushed for 99 yards and a score, and the Red Wolves held off Bowling Green in Mobile, Alabama. After Falcons star tight end Harold Fannin Jr. failed to win the Mackey Award, he proceeded to prove a point by notching 17 catches for 213 yards and a score for Bowling Green.

Pregame ranking: No. 31

29. First Responder Bowl

Texas State 30, North Texas 28: In this battle of Texas-based teams played in Dallas, Bobcats running back Lincoln Pare broke free on a 73-yard touchdown run with 2:25 remaining to put North Texas away. Texas State won eight games for the second straight year for the first time since the 1981-82 seasons. The Mean Green played without starting quarterback Chandler Morris, who transferred to Virginia. Backup Drew Mestemaker threw for 393 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first start.

Pregame ranking: No. 30

28. Cure Bowl

Ohio 30, Jacksonville State 27: Bowl season's only game that featured two conference champions. Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro ran for three touchdowns and passed for another in the first half as the Bobcats built a 20-point lead. They had to hold on, though. Jacksonville State running back Tre Stewart found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to pull his team within three points, but that was as close as the Gamecocks would get.

Pregame ranking: No. 32

27. New Orleans Bowl

Sam Houston 31, Georgia Southern 26: Sam Houston forced five turnovers — including an interception that was retuned for a 29-yard touchdown by Jaylon Jimmerson — and never trailed in New Orleans. Hunter Watson's second touchdown run of the contest with 11:37 to play in the game provided the Bearkats with a comfortable two-score lead despite a lack of big plays out of the offense.

Pregame ranking: No. 40

26. Salute to Veterans

South Alabama 30, Western Michigan 23: The Jaguars capped former Texas star Major Applewhite's first season as coach with a comeback win behind Jeremiah Webb's six receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns. South Alabama played without quarterback Gio Lopez and Jamaal Pritchett, the all-conference wideout who produced 91 catches for 1,127 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. 

Pregame ranking: No. 41

25. Alamo Bowl

BYU 36, Colorado 14: We got to see Heisman winner Travis Hunter and projected top pick Shedeur Sanders play one final collegiate game under Deion Sanders, but the rest of the Buffaloes failed to show in Texas. These two high-tier Big 12 teams did not play during the regular season, yet BYU easily cruised to its 11th win by jumping out to a 27-point lead early in the second half.

Pregame ranking: No. 13

24. Holiday Bowl 

Syracuse 52, Washington State 35: Orange quarterback Kyle McCord gave NFL scouts plenty to fawn over after throwing for 453 yards and five touchdowns during Syracuse's blowout win. Fran Brown's squad won four straight to end the season, one of which knocked Miami from the ACC title game and playoff. Few teams experienced as many opt-outs and transfer portal departures as the Cougars, who fought to score 35 points and make it respectable against a 10-win team.

Pregame ranking: No. 11

23. Liberty Bowl

Arkansas 39, Texas Tech 26: If you're into offense, there were plenty of fireworks with sound tackling optional between the Razorbacks and Red Raiders. Arkansas jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first half behind Dazmin James' dazzling 94-yard touchdown reception and never trailed in its seventh win.

Pregame ranking: No. 18

22. Birmingham Bowl

Vanderbilt 35, Georgia Tech 27: Just before Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia was granted another year of eligibility, he capped a transformative season for Vanderbilt with five total touchdowns vs. the Yellow Jackets. The transfer from New Mexico State threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more.

Pregame ranking: No. 10

21. Pinstripe Bowl

Nebraska 20, Boston College 15: Not only did Matt Rhule end the Cornhuskers' streak of consecutive seasons without a bowl appearance, but Nebraska held on to win its postseason contest to finish 7-6. Freshman phenom Dylan Raiola threw for 228 yards and a touchdown as the Huskers built an 18-point lead before holding on in the fourth quarter to spoil Bill O'Brien's first season at Boston College.

Pregame ranking: No. 20

20. Texas Bowl

LSU 44, Baylor 31: Three touchdown passes from Garrett Nussmeier plus a kickoff return for a touchdown paved the way for a Tigers win, this coming a few weeks after LSU coach Brian Kelly guaranteed a playoff appearance in 2025 following a win over Oklahoma. Considering the Tigers currently hold the top-rated transfer class in the country, perhaps he's correct.

Pregame ranking: No. 15

19. ReliaQuest Bowl

Michigan 19, Alabama 13: All was not lost in Sherrone Moore's first season with the Wolverines, who beat Ohio State and Alabama to end the year coming off of 2023's unbeaten run to a national championship. Michigan's second straight victory over the Crimson Tide was defensive driven after the Wolverines forced three turnovers and held Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to seven yards rushing thanks to five sacks. Alabama finished a surprising 9-4 in Kalen DeBoer's first season.

Pregame ranking: No. 9

18. Rose Bowl

Ohio State 41, Oregon 21: The most anticipated rematch of the season was over before it started in Pasadena. Ohio State scored the Rose Bowl's first 34 points in a blowout of previously unbeaten and top-ranked Oregon. The Ducks got a bad draw in the playoff, but Dan Lanning refused to make excuses after his team was torched by Jeremiah Smith and Will Howard. That result was far different than Oregon's one-point win over Ohio State back in October. 

Pregame ranking: No. 4

17. Music City Bowl

Missouri 27, Iowa 24: Trailing by 10 points midway through the second half, the Tigers scored the game's final 13 points, highlighted by a 56-yard go-ahead field goal from Blake Craig with 4:36 to play. Quarterback Brady Cook managed 341 yards of total offense and a pair of TDs in his final game. Mizzou hits double-digit wins and a top-20 finish for the second consecutive season.

Pregame ranking: No. 19

16. Fiesta Bowl 

Penn State 31, Boise State 14: Penn State's defense put the clamps on Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty, limiting the nation's leading rusher to 3.5 yards per carry and two fumbles. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a two-score lead in the first quarter behind a pair of touchdown passes from Drew Allar and never looked back. All-American tight end Tyler Warren found the end zone twice in a playoff quarterfinal rout.

Pregame ranking: No. 5

15. Frisco Bowl

Memphis 42, West Virginia 37: These two combined for 38 points in the second quarter and eclipsed 1,000 yards total offense for the game as Memphis held on to win and finish 11-2. Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns while Mario Anderson Jr. added 70 yards and a score, finishing with 1,362 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season after transferring from South Carolina.

Pregame ranking: No. 35

14. Potato Bowl

NIU 28, Fresno State 20 (2 OT): Known as the team that gave Notre Dame its only regular-season loss, NIU held off Fresno State for its eighth win thanks to freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos' 25-yard touchdown pass in double overtime. NIU walk-on quarterback Josh Holt finished with two touchdown passes and a 2-point conversion catch in overtime. Fresno State was missing 14 players in the contest, including starting quarterback Mikey Keene (who transferred to Michigan) and a pair of top wideouts.

Pregame ranking: No. 36

13. Armed Forces Bowl

Navy 21, Oklahoma 20: Quarterback Blake Horvath made history with a 95-yard touchdown run, and Navy ended its 10-win season with victories over Army and the Sooners to cap an incredible year out of the AAC. Oklahoma had a chance to win the game with six seconds left, but the Sooners' 2-point conversion attempt failed. Brent Venables' squad finished a disappointing 6-7 overall in their first season as a member of the SEC.

Pregame ranking: No. 24

12. Rate Bowl

Kansas State 44, Rutgers 41: Behind 196 yards rushing from Dylan Edwards, the Wildcats erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to throttle the Scarlet Knights. Edwards, a Colorado transfer, had two scores on the ground and a 26-yard touchdown reception. Antwan Raymond rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns for Rutgers after star ballcarrier Kyle Monangai opted out.

Pregame ranking: No. 26

11. Las Vegas Bowl

USC 35, Texas A&M 31: You had to stay up late on the East Coast for this one, but the Trojans made it worth it with a 17-point comeback in the second half that left Aggies coach Mike Elko disgusted with his defense after the game. Lincoln Riley and USC bookended the 2024 season with wins over LSU and Texas A&M in Vegas, but fell short of preseason expectations as a top-25 team.

Pregame ranking: No. 14

10. Military Bowl

East Carolina 26, NC State 21: How could a rivalry matchup during bowl season not live up to its billing? Eight players were ejected and an official was left with a cut across his face after a brawl in the final seconds. Pirates running back Rahjai Harris torched the Wolfpack for 220 yards on the ground, including an 86-yard score with 1:33 to play that nullified NC State's 14-point turnaround in the fourth quarter. 

Pregame ranking: No. 23

9. Sun Bowl

Louisville 35, Washington 34: Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. hooked up with Giles Jackson for two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter, but Washington's 2-point try in the final seconds was batted down by Louisville linebacker Antonio Watts. Jackson had four touchdown receptions in the game and Williams accounted for five total scores, but it wasn't enough against nine-win Louisville and coach Jeff Brohm.

Pregame ranking: No. 16

8. GameAbove Sports Bowl

Toledo 48, Pittsburgh 46 (6 OT): Toledo trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter and three times in overtime, but managed to send Pittsburgh to its sixth straight loss to end the season. The Panthers were 7-0 and ranked 18th at one point before unraveling down the stretch. Pat Narduzzi opting for a 19-yard field goal in the second overtime rather than go for the win at the 1-yard line was disappointing.

Pregame ranking: No. 37

7. Sugar Bowl

Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10: The game was pushed back a day following the New Orleans truck attack. The Fighting Irish were the stronger team here. The loss for Georgia pushed the top four seeds in the playoff to 0-4 and eliminated the SEC's champion before the semifinal round. It was also Notre Dame's biggest win as a program, arguably, in 25 years.

Pregame ranking: No. 3

6. Citrus Bowl

Illinois 21, South Carolina 17: The skirmish between Bret Bielema and Shane Beamer was worth the price of admission in Orlando — and the two continued the spat on social media for nearly a week following the game. The Illini's 10th win was set up by a dramatic fourth-and-goal stop midway through the fourth quarter that allowed the Illini to run out the clock from there. Illinois returns 16 starters in 2025, while the Gamecocks are expected to be a preseason top-15 team.

Pregame ranking: No. 12

5. Hawaii Bowl

USF 41, San Jose State 39 (5 OT): The Bulls and Spartans provided plenty of good TV while wrapping presents deep into the night on Christmas Eve during their multi-overtime marathon in Hawaii. USF quarterback Bryce Archie's pass to Keshaun Singleton was the walk-off winner in the fifth overtime, this coming after both teams failed to score in the fourth extra session. San Jose State erased a double-digit deficit in the contest despite Biletnikoff Award runner-up WR Nick Nash opting out.

Pregame ranking: No. 17

4. Cotton Bowl

Ohio State 28, Texas 14: College football's No. 1 and No. 3 teams in total defense did not disappoint at AT&T Stadium, and it was a defensive touchdown late in the fourth quarter that sent Ohio State to the national title game. Jack Sawyer's sack and strip of Quinn Ewers led to an 83-yard fumble return that rocked the Longhorns to the canvas. Texas was facing fourth-and-goal with a chance to tie the game before Sawyer got pressure and made the decisive play. 

Pregame ranking: No. 1

3. Pop-Tarts Bowl

Iowa State 42, Miami 41: The theatrics on the field between the Cyclones and Hurricanes were just as scintillating as the mascot masquerade surrounding this contest. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht capped a 15-play, 84-yard drive with a fourth-and-goal plunge from the 1-yard line with 56 seconds to play to lift the Big 12 runner-up. Heisman finalist Cam Ward threw three touchdown passes in the first half but sparked controversy for not playing in the second. And let's go ahead give the Pop-Tarts Bowl the label it deserves — this is the best non-playoff entity.

Pregame ranking: No. 7

2. Orange Bowl

Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24: The first playoff semifinal lived up to its billing after the Fighting Irish erased a 10-point deficit and picked off Drew Allar in the final minute of the fourth quarter to set up Mitch Jeter's game-winning 41-yard field goal. The victory pushes Notre Dame one win shy of its first national championship since 1988. This team has won 13 consecutive games since its lone loss to NIU, most in dominant fashion.

Pregame ranking: No. 2

1. Peach Bowl

Texas 39, Arizona State 31 (2 OT): From my vantage point inside the press box at the Rose Bowl, the eyes of every media member covering the game were glued to several televisions as the Longhorns and Sun Devils battled to the wire in Atlanta. Thanks to Quinn Ewers' game-saving touchdown pass to Matthew Golden on fourth down in overtime, Texas outlasted Arizona State in the playoff quarterfinals despite two missed field goals late in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter from Bert Auburn. The Sun Devils erased a 16-point deficit in the final frame to force overtime thanks to Cam Skattbo's brilliant performance. He rushed for 143 yards, had 99 yards receiving and tossed a 42-yard touchdown in an MVP performance. 

Pregame ranking: No. 6