By Woodrow Carroll
With the most uneven college football season in history coming to an end at 7 p.m. Monday, when Alabama will square off against Ohio State in the college football playoff championship game, we might offer thanks to Georgia and Ball State.
Only Alabama, 12-0, and Ohio State, 7-0, have yet to taste defeat this season, among the schools playing at the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision). Last week’s bowl games took care of a couple of pretenders who came into their bowl games with unblemished records.
First, Ball State thrashed San Jose State, 34-13, in the Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Ariz. to leave the Spartans with a 7-1 final record. Undefeated Cincinnati almost survived! The Bearcats lost, 24-21, to Georgia’s late heroics in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Thus, Cincinnati finished 9-1.
Regardless of who wins when Alabama and Ohio State game the Southeastern Conference (SEC) will end the leader in bowl victories. We must not forget that 19 bowl games were canceled, thanks to the COVID-19. Those who think there are too many bowl games got their wish, although not under the best of circumstances.
The SEC is 6-2 in bowl games with Alabama waiting in the wings. The Big Ten Conference, 3-1 in bowl games, can match the SEC in percentage, although raw numbers are lacking.
Big Ten bragging rights are riding on an Ohio State victory over the Crimson Tide Monday.
After beating California, 20-14, in the 1949 Rose Bowl, the Northwestern Wildcats lost nine consecutive bowl games before beating Mississippi State, 34-20, in the 2013 Gator Bowl. The Wildcats’ victory apparently turned Northwestern’s gridiron fortunes around.
With a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl Friday, Northwestern has won five of its last six bowl games.
The Age of Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern in 15 seasons has been good, in spite of last season’s 3-9 finish. Two appearances in the Big Ten championship game the past three seasons, a steady string of bowl invitations, five consecutive victories over Illinois and counting: Life is good in Evanston.
Big 12 Conference backers are waving their hands to be heard and with good reason!
No Big 12 team was invited to the final four, called the college football playoff, this year, following LSU’s championship last year. The Conference teams apparently had chips on their shoulders.
Five Big 12 teams, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and West Virginia, were invited to bowl games. So was TCU, however, the pandemic ended TCU’s Texas Bowl game with Arkansas. Five from the Big 12 returned with scalps.
There is a dark side to bowl game tabulations. There are no tie games. One team is victorious, the other side loses! Zero sum!
Notre Dame and Clemson were cobbled together in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season. Both stumbled in bowl games with Notre Dame’s falling, 31-14, to Alabama followed by Ohio State’s 49-28 smack down of Clemson. The ACC was 0-6 in bowl games.
Conference-USA was 0-6 in bowl games and the AAC (All American Conference) was 1-5. Cincinnati was the AAC standard bearer this season. however, it was AAC’s Memphis’ 25-10 victory over Florida Atlantic in the Montgomery Bowl that provided the AAC its lone bowl victory.
There were just two bowl games for MAC teams, however, two victories for a conference that needed a boost.
First, Ball State beat Buffalo, 38-28, in the MAC championship game. From there, the Cardinals went on to end San Jose State’s undefeated season in the Arizona Bowl as stated above. Buffalo, earned an invitation to the Camelia Bowl where the Bulls took down Marshall, 17-10.
Northern Illinois played Buffalo and Ball State in its shortened six-game winless season. The Huskies lost, 49-30, to Buffalo in their home opener and dropped a 31-25 decision at Ball State.