2025-12-26 10:01

Merry X-Mas to everyone.
The 1st rounds for the college football playoffs are done and we have the matches for the years end set.

I will not spoiler you, wait for the recaps, but for sure we have some nice quarterfinals.

more coaching changes
Casey Woods was selected as new HC of Missouri State. He did serve so far as SMUs OC for the past 3 seasons.
It’s his 1st job as HC.
And Utah has a special situation with Kyle Whittingham going into retirement after 21 seasons with the Utes. Whittingham is the Utah coach with the most wins in school history, won the Mountain West conference once, the PAC-12 twice. His record so far is 177–88, with a 11-6 bowl record. But he will lead the team for one last Bowl. His successor is already found, it’s Utahs DC Morgan Scalley, who served in that role since 2016. He had that HC-in-waiting position already way in the past, but after an incident where he did use racial slurs for recruiting, he lost that tag and was suspended and had to take a paycut.

Only spots left are Ohio and Michigan.

Here are the reviews of the 1st round playoff matches.

1st round of playoffs

Fri., Dec 29
#9 Alabama @ #8 Oklahoma
If you like to see a game with a shift in momentum, this is your game.
Oklahoma did play great and Alabama bad for 1 quarter and roughly 4 minutes.
At that time, they led 17:0, after scoring a 2nd TD.
Then did Alabama answer and Oklahoma just fell apart.
At the half it was tied 17:17.
The Sooners had thrown a pick-six with a very bad throw.
And it got worse.
The offense line did just collapse in the 2nd half and by that did the Sooners offense just sputter for the rest of the game.
ON the other hand did Alabamas offense become better and better.
Wild catches, a better rushing attack, it did all add up.
Oklahoma lost the lead and even they did try to catch up, it was just not enough.
They were likely robbed on a field goal try, which did likely went in, but since it was very high, it was not reviewable and was ruled on the field no-good.
But that was not the real problem, the real problem was, that the big o-line of the Sooners was completely helpless against the pass-rush and the Sooners QB were unable to find the time and the targets in the whole 2nd half.
Alabama will play Indiana in the quarterfinal, Oklahomas season is over.
Jacks BOWL Score: 2-4

Sat., Dec 20
#10 Miami @ #7 Texas A&M
Oh man, that game did hurt my picks.
I had set up a bracket at ESPN with A&M winning it all, because they did play so good during the season.
Well, they did not play good here and that did matter and destroyed my bracket.
A very defense driven game and Texas was lucky, Miami did not get more out of their errors.
In the 1st quarter did Texas fumble the ball in FG-range and Miami got it but made nothing out of it. Still, a potential scoring drive gone for the Aggies.
In the 2nd quarter did A&M then try a field goal but was blocked.
A bit later did Miami try also one and missed the kick. And they did that again with a walk-off FG-try for the half. 0:0 at the half, because of bad special teams.
Right after the break did then Miami made a field goal to take the lead, intercepted the Aggies in their own half and then missed another FG-try.
My god, 3 missed kicks and the longest was 47 yards.
Beginning of the 4th did then A&M finally get their stuff together and kicked a field goal to tie the game.
Miami fumbled 2 plays later mid-field, and it did look like Texas would turn the game but had to punt and Miami got the ball back.
Then came likely the most important big-play of the game, with a 56-yard-rushing play on which the A&M defense did miss at least 2 tackles tries.
The Hurricanes did use that momentum for a scoring drive with a TD finish and took the lead.
But still a bit under 2 minutes left to play, A&M did march over the field, boosted by the home crowed, and was at the Miami endzone with 24 ticks left. And on 3rd and 5 did the A&M QB, who really had a bad day in that game, throw an INT in the endzone.
Miami did win the game 10:3 and will play Ohio State next. Texas A&M can drool in their tears after that bad bad performance.
Jacks BOWL Score: 2-5

#11 Tulane @ #6 Ole Miss
This went as expected, with a forty-burger on Tulane.
When a game ends 41:10, there is not much to talk about.
Tulane was just out of their league here, the whole game.
With the Tulane TD scored in garbage time, this could have gone even worse.
Ole Miss will play now Georgia, which will be a tough game, while Tulane can adjust to their new HC and the old HC can take over his new team.
Jacks BOWL Score: 3-5

#12 James Madison @ #5 Oregon
Same here, except James Madison did score more, and Oregon was forced to say they did not play according to their standards in this game.
What happened?
Well, the 1st half did go as expected, the Ducks did dominate, led 34:6 at the half.
Over, right?
Well, not totally, because James Madison did refuse to stay beaten and Oregon did play really bad in the 2nd half.
JMU scored a TD right after the break, Oregon answered and there all punts, until Oregon block a punt for TD and later throw and INT and gave JMU the ball for a long return and a few plays later for another TD.
Still 48:20, but that quarter did sting the Ducks.
And it came worse.
JMU scored another TD in the 4th, Oregon answered with a FG and the Dukes scored another TD!
The Ducks still big in the lead did decide to run down the clock and win it, 51:34, but a national contender does look different.
Oregon will have to play better against Texas Tech next, and JMU has also to adjust to a new HC, while their so far HC has to adjust to a new school.
Jacks BOWL Score: 4-5

That’s it for the 1st round matchups, let’s move to the next set of bowls reviews.

The SECOND SET OF BOWLs from Friday, 19th to Thursday, 25th of December.

Fri., Dec 19
Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by Engine
Kennesaw State vs Western Michigan
I make this fast, because there was basically no game here.
Western Michigan did destroy Kennesaw State 41:6.
I guess at WMU all are happy with the season, winning the conference, the Michigan-MAC-thingy and also the bowl.
Jacks BOWL Score: 5-5

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs NC State
Also, here we had a quite clear result with NC State winning 31:7.
I’m a bit surprised the result is that clear, but with a lost HC, you never know how the roster reacts.
It seems the motivation was not there.
Jacks BOWL Score: 6-5

Mon., Dec 22
2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Washington State vs Utah State
Wazzu did held Utah State scoreless for the 1st half and led 14:0 at the break. Both teams had errors in the 1st half, with the Cougars likely even more than the Aggies, still, they Aggies were unable to do something with the 2 INTs they caught.
After the break did Wazzu kick 2 field goals and with the 3 Int by the Cougars did Utah State finally get a TD on their next drive.
What followed was a great 4th quarter, featuring Utah State in a hurry to catch up, being down by just 13 points, and Washington State giving everything to keep the Aggies in distance.
After that Aggies TD for the 20:7 score did Wazzu score, and Utah State did answer fast. But Wazzu did again score, and Utah State did the same.
Now with under 2 minutes left to play did then Utah State kick an onside-kick and failed, which led the Cougars to run down the clock and winning 34:21.
Jacks BOWL Score: 7-5

Tue., Dec 23
Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans
Toledo vs Louisville
This game went totally weird.
The 1st quarter had a Louisville TD, a Toledo fumble, a Louisville FG-try blocked and a successful Toledo field goal.
Then ... punts, all the way in the 2nd quarter, only Louisville did try to raise the mood by a fumble, which did not help Toledo in a big way, only in field position.
So, 7:3 at the half for the Cardinals.
The 3rd quarter? Toledo missed a field goal try, the Cardinals did score again a TD and Toledo did punt once, that’s it.
And then came the explosive 4th quarter with Louisville scoring a TD, Toledo finally also, then they stopped Louisville and get also a field goal afterwards.
Still down by 7 did Louisville again get the ball and scored a TD, with a DEFENSE 2-pointer afterwards!
Then did Toledo score a TD, tried also a 2-pointer and failed.
The regular kickoff with roughly 2:30 left went OK, but then did Toledo fail to stop Louisville fast and the time ran out.
The Cardinals won 27:22, not as good as I expected.
Jacks BOWL Score: 8-5

2025 New Orleans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss
This was an open game, until the Hilltopper did get to the 4th quarter and seemingly the Eagles not.
Southern Miss led 16:13 end of the 3rd and then did the Hilltoppers dominate the last quarter, scored 2 TDs and won this game, 27:16.
Jacks BOWL Score: 9-5

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
UNLV vs Ohio
The 1st half was clearly an example for doing-it-not-that-way.
Both teams had 2 turnovers and at the break did Ohio lead 6:0.
Not much and also very disappointing regarding that UNLV offense.
The 3rd quarter was a bit more Ohio than UNLV, so Ohio did extend the lead to 14:3.
Man, what a shame for that Rebels team, so they did try to make it right.
Held Ohio to a field goal, scored a TD and then ... allowed Ohio to burn away 4 and a half minutes until there was no time left to play.
Ohio did win, 17:10 and the Rebels should question their motivation big time.
Great win for Ohio under such conditions and against such a team.
Jacks BOWL Score: 9-6

Wed., Dec 24
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.
Cal vs Hawai’i
That must have been an exciting match, given the outcome and the fact that it was played on the homefield of Hawai’i.
Cal started better and held Hawai’is offense quite good in check.
They scored a TD, had some luck with a missed field goal by the Rainbows and continued to score, while Hawai’i needed to be down by 21 points, until they finally got on the scoreboard with a TD by themselves.
At the break it was 21:10 Cal.
Then came the 3rd quarter and the Call offense did sputter, but the Warriors did also not really light up the scoreboard and did only manage to kick a field goal.
So, 21:13 when Hawai’i got the ball and finally got a long drive going, which did stretch into the 4th quarter and was capped by a touchdown.
With a 2-pointer, suddenly the game was tied.
Cal was held for a field goal and Hawai’i scored another TD.
Man, now the Rainbows leading 28:24.
But Cal was not done and got their things together, went for a long, time consuming, drive and scored a TD to take the lead, 31:28.
Less than 2 minutes left, Hawai’i got the ball back and went over the field, and with 10 seconds to go did the QB find his receiver in the endzone and scored a TD to take the lead and the game, 35:31.
I’m happy for the Rainbows for that win and for that season.
I hope they did finally get the team back on track to be a force inside the Mountain West and eventually in the nation.
Jacks BOWL Score: 10-6

That wraps up the 2nd set of bowls and I can bring you now the next one.
Since now the bowls are just flooding in, the next set is only until Sunday.

The THIRD SET OF BOWLs from Friday, 26th to Sunday, 28th of December.

Fri., Dec 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan vs Northwestern
@Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
The bowl exists since 2014 and was named until 2023 Quick Lane Bowl. It did feature several teams from several conferences, with BIG10 and the MAC prioritized.
The MAC did so far play 7 times in this and won only 2, including last year.
The BIG10 has 5 matches and won 4.
The bowl is played on the home field of the Detroit Lions and this season is the 11th match of that bowl so far.
We got actually a MAC vs BIG10 game, but when I did see it, I thought ‘WTF’.
Central Michigan is 7-5 and did play an OK season, but did not really convince me as good team. They landed in the upper third of the standings inside the MAC, that’s it.
With the MAC not being a powerhouse conference in mind, a matchup against the Wildcats from the BIG10 does not strike as a game on equal terms.
Northwestern had a rough season inside the BIG10 and finished only 6-6 with losing 4 of the last 5 games but did that against BIG10 schools and in the lower mid-field of the conference.
Doesn’t sound great, but the quality of the talent should still be higher than at CMU.
Vegas does see that also and made the Wildcats a 10.5-point favorite.
I expect the Northwestern defense to keep CMU in check often enough.
I don’t expect a high scoring game, just good ball control and a grind down to a double-digit win.
Wildcats win.

Rate Bowl
New Mexico vs Minnesota
@Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
This bowl is played since 1989 and it is played as you-buy-it-you-name-it-bowl, this season for the 36th time.
It had several names in the past, from several sponsors.
Regardless, they play in the home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a baseball team, and it should feature a Big 12 vs BIG10 team matchup.
That does not always work that way, as we see it this season.
In this 30+ seasons the tie ins did change a lot, but the BIG 12 did send so far 21 teams to the game and won 16 matchups, including last year.
The BIG10 did send 13 teams so far and is 6-7.
The Mountain West was so far only 3 times here and is 1-2.
Well, this matchup is almost as bad as the one for the bowl above, but at least is the MWC a bit tougher.
New Mexico is 9-3 and did almost play inside the MWC championship. Only the weird tiebreaker (involving several computer rankings) did at the end deny the Lobos the spot.
Minnesota is 7-5 and did play from time to time great but also dump. They had problems with the contenders and lost against each of them they did play.
But New Mexico is not on that level, so maybe we can see them dominating here?
Vegas is not convinced and made them only a 1.5-point favorite.
I think, if they are 100% in the game, they will win.
But that thing is always hard to judge.
I fear the Golden Gophers defense is not in shape to take on the high scoring Lobos offense, so if the pass rush is not 100%, they will likely lose by not being able to score as often as New Mexico.
Played in a hot stadium is likely also not in favor for the frost proven Gophers, so I’m leaning towards the Lobos here.
Lobos win.

Servpro First Responder Bowl
FIU vs UTSA
@Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Operated since 2010, this had shifting tie ins, usually some power 5 school vs group of 5 school as intention.
The CUSA has send the most teams so far to the bowl and has a record of 4-3.
The American was here 3 times so far and is 1-2.
It's played on the home field of the SMU Mustangs.
On paper, this is also clear.
FIU is a struggling program, which went to a bowl last time 2019. Their new HC did get 7-5 out of them in his 1st season, which is a good sign. Still, the team is not the best inside the CUSA and the CUSA is one of the weakest conferences in FBS.
On the other hand, we have UTSA, which ended 6-6 this season and had also not a good season overall, but inside the AAC, the strongest conference of the group of 5 conferences, they were mid-field.
I would expect UTSA to be favored by a score, and Vegas does add something to this expectation and made the Roadrunners a 5.5-point favorite.
I think FIU has a chance, if they crack the UTSA offense down, control it, pass rush the QB, whatever.
If UTSA can play their pass-heavy game, they will win.
Since FIUs defense did not show so far such skills against a stronger opponents, I stay with the favorite.
Roadrunners win.

Sat., Dec 27
Go Bowling Military Bowl
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina
@Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland
Created in 2008 this should feature until 2025/2026 season an ACC vs AAC matchup (or Notre Dame).
It's played on the homefield of the Midshipmen.
Both conferences did send so far, the most teams, ACC 12 times, 7-5, including last seasons loss, the American 9 times, 4-5, including last seasons win.
You could add 1 appearance and win to the American, since Navy did play in 2008 as Indy and won and is now part of the AAC, but that would statistically not be correct.
Let’s start with East Carolina (8-4) who won actually last year here in this bowl against an ACC team, NC State.
They did play quite well, but not good enough to get to the championship game.
As the world sometimes likes it, the Pirates had to face NC State as season opener again and did lose at that time.
But their opponent this season in this bowl is Pittsburgh (8-4) and those Panthers had a good season, which did end with a big loss against Miami, which did send Pitt and 4 other teams into a tiebreaker scenario, which left Pitt out of the championship game.
My gut would say, Pitt is favored by a score here, and Vegas did say at the start it’s more a field goal, but the mood did shift heavy and made Pitt a 10.0-points favorite.
I expect Pittsburgh to control the line of scrimmage and to control the clock.
The team with less errors will win.
If the Panthers play concentrated, they should prevail against a tough, but not THAT tough Pirates team.
Panthers win.

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Penn State vs Clemson
@Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
The Pinstripe Bowl is played since 2010.
It should feature an ACC team against a BIG 10 team.
This matchup is valid since 2014 and of 10 games, the BIG 10 has won 9, including last seasons win, making it 8 wins in a row. (2020 no contest)
The ACC did play 10 times here and won only once, 2015.
Played inside the Baseball stadium of the NY Yankees, this should draw some attention by that already.
This season the matchup is some sort of pity bowl.
Penn State did suck big time this year and barely got the 6 wins together.
They fired their HC and did actually get the last 3 needed wins in the last 3 weeks.
Penn State was expected to play for a national championship and for a BIG10 championship and accomplished nothing of that.
Almost the same situation with Clemson. Also thought to be one of the biggest contender inside the ACC and national wide, with a senior QB, they started with 3 losses out of 4 games and did also lose crucial games inside the ACC on top, so team ended up with a 7-5 record and inside this bowl.
Which team is now better in this?
Well, Clemson got the favorite role with 3.0 points ahead by Vegas.
Whether that is OK, or not, it is hard to say.
I think both teams are capable to play better than their record did show, but how many of the players are willing to invest that in this game here, is open.
If Clemsons offense clicks, they will very likely prevail, even against a good Lions defense.
The Clemson QB will plays (he might have skipped for the draft, but will play), so I think Clemson has a case.
Tigers win.

Wasabi Fenway Bowl
UConn vs Army
@Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
A quite new bowl, with its 4th game now.
The game is in the stadium of the Boston Red Sox, a team from the MLB.
Fenway Park is a very old Baseball Stadium, which many Americans like a lot, because it's some sort of history.
It has those strange circumstances that there are external viewing sites on the houses next to the stadium.
The matchup was planned as ACC/AAC/Notre Dame.
We got an Indy Team vs an AAC team.
And fun fact, UConn did play here also last year and won.
The Huskies has a great season so far, 9-3, as independent team.
I think they are looking into the options for a conference join, but don’t get the offers they would like to have.
Notable is, that their 3 losses were all in OT, but against teams with totally different strengths. Syracuse, Delaware and Rice are not really on the same level.
And their wins were mostly against mid-level to low-level teams of weak conferences, but they did also win against Duke, the ACC Champ.
What to make out of this is a big question mark.
They were good enough to have a different school hire their HC away, so they will be under interims management and how that will do against Army is open.
And Army is 6-6 this season, a lot worse than last year, when they won the AAC, and they did not play good against winning teams. But UConn might be a bit boosted in the record, thanks to the Indy schedule.
Vegas favors Army by 9.5 points, which seems to be a lot.
Here is the key. If UConn controls on defense the ground, they will win.
But Army is very good in this, and they have a very mobile QB, so I doubt the Huskies will shut them out.
And I cannot anticipate, how good the UConn offense will do against that Army defense, which did limit Navy to under 100 yards passing on the last gameday.
So, I lean towards Army, but expect something surprising to happen, just not sure whether that might be a UConn win or a 40-burger by Army.
Black Knights win.

Pop-Tarts Bowl
#22 Georgia Tech vs #12 BYU
@Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
This bowl here is operated since 1990 and had so many names during that time it is useless to write them all down.
Another 'Sponsor buys the naming rights'-bowl.
Usually, it's ACC vs BIG-12 matchup.
The ACC did play already 30 games in this bowl and has a 17-13 record, including last years loss (2 in a row now).
The BIG-12 had so far 14 games and a 6-8 record, including last years win (2 in a row now).
The stadium is only used for Citrus Bowl and this you-name-it-bowl (Pop-Tarts Bowl).
Georgia Tech had a great season (9-3), even they did miss the ACC Championship game by an inch.
That program was very long a sure win for every team coming to town or hosting them and now, since a few seasons, the team has to be taken seriously again.
They have to play BYU, which also had a great season (11-2) so far, except they did lose the BIG-12 Championship game and they did miss the playoffs by 2 spots.
The bowl here could be a very interesting game.
BYU is favored by 4.0 points, but in such a bowl game, everything can happen.
Likely it will come down to motivation and errors here.
I expect a quite high scoring game, in which the team will win, which does bring the team willing to play and concentrated on every down.
Both coaches are known for that, so hard to say, who will do better here.
I pick GT, but only as gut feeling and because they had a game less.
Yellow Jackets win.

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop
Miami (OH) vs Fresno State
@Casino Del Sol Stadium, Tucson, Arizona
The Bowl exists since 2015 and is supposed to field a Mid-American team against a Mountain West team.
The contest is played on the home field of the Arizona Wildcats.
And yes, Snoop Dogg did let his alcohol brand sponsor the bowl and yes, the naming got even weirder and longer this season.
Quite new, the bowl did feature in all bowls so far (no contest in 2021) a Mountain West (10) team and they have a 5-5 record, including last seasons loss.
But in 2015 did TWO MWC teams fight against each other .... so, the stat is a bit tainted.
MAC Teams did play 4 games so far here and have a 3-1 record, including last seasons win.
And last seasons winner was actually Miami (OH), who do return this season after a 7-6 season and a lost championship game inside the MAC.
As opponent we have Fresno State, 8-4, which should be favored to win.
Vegas has them as favorite, but only by 5.5 points.
I would have guessed it would be more, since Fresno State did play a great season and did almost play for a Mountain West Championship.
Stronger conference, stronger team.
Fresno State did dominate most of the games against weaker teams, so it will be interesting to see, how they will play here.
I think they will only lose, if they have an off day.
We will see.
Bulldogs win.

Isleta New Mexico Bowl
#25 North Texas vs San Diego State
@University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Played on campus of the New Mexico Lobos, where it is played since the start at 2006.
It's an ESPN operated bowl and usually fields teams from MWC and CUSA.
The MWC did send 17 teams so far and did record 12 win and 5 losses.
The CUSA had 7 games with 1-6.
Last season it was totally off, with BIG-12 vs Sun Belt, this season we have AAC vs Mountain West.
The AAC was so far 2 times here and lost both games.
North Texas did stay ranked after they lost to Tulane in the championship game. Not sure why, to be honest, I would have guessed they would slip at least 1 or 2 slots.
With an 11-2 record the team did play an excellent season, despite the loss in the last game.
San Diego State was very close to play for the MWC championship, but the computer rankings did deny them the spot and placed them with 9-3 as 3rd in a 4-team tie inside the MWC.
UNT is favored by Vegas by 5.5 points.
I’m willing to follow that, even the team is under interims management.
The UNT offense will be a hard challenge for the San Diego defense.
SDSU did most of the time not allow too many points, but against explosive offense did they suck and North Texas has a very explosive one.
So, I stay with the favorite ...
Mean Green win.

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
#19 Virginia vs Missouri
@EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
This bowl is played on the home field of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was established in 1946 and does usually field teams from SEC, BIG10 or ACC.
Overall, the SEC did send 46 teams to the bowl so far and won 28 games (won last year).
Second is the ACC with 34 teams and 19 wins, including last years loss.
At third Indy teams did play with 24 matches, but only 10 wins.
Virginia (10-3) did somehow lost to Duke in the ACC championship game and did miss by that the title and a playoff spot.
They face a Missouri team (8-4), which had a good season, just not a great one.
It’s hard to say, how good Virginia really is, but Missouri as mid-level SEC team will give them for sure a hard time in this bowl and is favored by 4.0 points.
I’m not sure, whether this judgement is OK, but my gut feeling is, that Missouri will win here in double digit, based on the impression, that Virginia will have a hard time to score as often as they did in the ACC against the Tigers.
And I think the Tigers will score, plenty. I expect a high scoring game, even this might become a one-sided one.
Tigers win.

Kinder's Texas Bowl
LSU vs #21 Houston
@NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Since 2006 this bowl exists and is played in the home stadium of the Houston Texans.
It's a BIG 12 vs SEC bowl.
The BIG 12 has an 8-7 record, including the loss last year, while the SEC has officially a 3-6 record (won last year) by 10 appearances, because the win by LSU in 2015 season was vacated.
Last year did LSU win against Baylor, but this season their record (7-5) is worse, their HC is gone, and they face a quite hot Houston team (9-3).
When you read the matchup, it’s hard to believe that Houston is favored by 2.5 points, because LSU was so good the past seasons and Houston has still that AAC image, at least in my book.
But the season was tough for LSU and Houston did develop into a good BIG-12 teams, which lost at least one too many inside the BIG-12.
Not sure, how the Tigers will be in that game.
Facing the facts, likely bad.
Their HC is gone, the season bad, a new HC will come, which means there will be changes.
What will the senior do? The transfer willing?
Play? Playing hard?
I think Houston is on that side better equipped and likely more motivated.
If LSU brings the team motivated, I think they would win, but under the given circumstances, I think Houston will be more in this and will win.
Cougars win.

'Til next time
Jack6 on BLOCK OF GRANITE

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