Throughout the season college teams work with one common goal in mind: a National Championship. Although many teams show dominance throughout the season only one will wear the crown and have the honor of being called "Reigning National Champion". All the other 6-win or better programs play in bowl games to round out their season against a team they wouldn't usually play. The most prestigious of these competitions are the New Year's Six bowl games. These bowls feature the twelve best teams from the past season pitted head to head.
2021 Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl
#12 Pittsburgh Panthers 21
#10 Michigan State Spartans 31
Annually played in Atlanta, Georgia, the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl was the first of the six bowl games this year. This game pitted the #10 Spartans against the #12 Panthers, both teams without their stars. Pitt was playing without senior quarterback Kenny Pickett who finished third in Heisman voting, while Michigan State was without breakout star Kenneth Walker III who declared a year early for the NFL draft to pursue his dream of playing at the highest level. High off an ACC Championship the Panthers looked to show what they are capable of against a very strong Michigan State team. The game began with a quick three and out by Pitt, followed by a short punt and decent return. Then only three plays later Payton Thorne found his highschool buddy, Jayden Reed, for a 28 yard touchdown to strike first. On the ensuing drive, Nick Patti led the Panthers down the field and capped off the drive with a 16 yard touchdown run. Patti, however was slow to get up and would not return to the game with a shoulder injury. Tied at 7 the Spartans received the kickoff and drove down the field to cash in for three points by senior kicker Matt Coghlin. This began a scoring drought for both teams that wasn't broken until late in the first half when Davis Beville, Pitt's third-string quarterback, connected with Jared Wayne to put the Panthers ahead heading into halftime. Only 20 seconds out of halftime Payton Thorne fumbled into the arms of Pitt's Cam Bright who returned the ball for a touchdown, putting the Panthers up eleven. After another streak of scoreless drives the Spartans marched down the field and scored a touchdown, Thorne to Connor Heyward, tight-end and son of "Ironhead" Heyward. Michigan State, however, failed the two-point conversion. After forcing a quick punt, MSU drove down the field again but this time it was Thorne to Reed again. After the two-point try was succeeded, the Spartans gave Davis Beville and Pitt one last shot at the win. Beville worked the clock well and drove his team all the way into field goal range before throwing an interception to lose the game. He was looking for Biletnikoff winner, Jordan Addison, on a shallow-crossing route but throw was stepped in front of by Cal Halladay and returned 78 yards for the game-sealing pick-six. Halladay was named Defensive MVP and Reed was named Offensive MVP as the Spartans took the first of the New Year's Six games.
2021 Goodyear Cotton Bowl
#4 Cincinnati Bearcats 6
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide 27
As expected the Crimson Tide went into AT&T Stadium and easily took care of business against the Bearcats. The Bearcats were the first group of 5 team to make the CFP, so low expectations were set for them. The Bearcats kept it close for a while but could find no answer for Will Anderson Jr. and the Alabama defense. Will Anderson Jr. was a Heisman finalist snub and he showed it against Cincinnati. With two sacks and countless quarterback pressures on Desmond Ridder he showed why he is a valuable asset to his teams defense. Cincinnati's offense scored on their first drive of both halves but were utterly useless against the Crimson Tide otherwise. Alabama didn't start off quickly either. They scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game but were held to ten total points until only a minute left in the second half. In the second half the Crimson Tide only scored ten total points but that may be due to their large lead and practically guaranteed win at that point. Unlike most of the season, Alabama found success running behind their iffy offensive line. Those woes were overcome on New Year's Eve as the Tide averaged almost 6.5 yards per carry. Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 204 yards on 26 carries and was named the J. Curtis Sanford offensive MVP in the 86th ever Cotton Bowl. Will Anderson Jr. earned the defensive honors as Alabama rolled to an easy victory looking very solid headed into the January 10th national championship.
2021 Capital One Orange Bowl
#3 Georgia Bulldogs 34
#2 Michigan Wolverines 11
To wrap up 2021 Georgia and Michigan faced off in Miami to earn the final spot in the National Championship. Georgia closed as 7.5 point favorites to beat the Wolverines but it was never that close. Georgia's defense reproved their dominance against a very strong Michigan run game. The wolverines were held to just 91 yards on the ground and a pathetic 3.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Stetson Bennett was in full command of the Georgia offense. The Georgia Bulldogs led 27-3 at halftime and then rested starters in the second half. Georgia was the first team in Orange Bowl history to score on their first 5 offensive drives. This led to Bennett being named offensive MVP for his 313 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Derion Kendrick, a Clemson transfer in his first year with the Bulldogs, won the defensive MVP for his two picks off of Michigan starter, Cade McNamara.
2022 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
#9 Oklahoma State Cowboys 37
#5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 35
` In the first major game of 2022 the Cowboys faced off with the Fighting Irish. Coming off a loss to Baylor in the Big 12 championship the Cowboys had something to prove. They were strong contenders to make the CFP but they just couldn't pull it together in time. Oklahoma State fell behind early, trailing 28-7 late in the first half. Spencer Sanders took over for the cowboys as they rattled off 30 unanswered points to take a solid lead. Sanders threw for 371 passing yards and rushed for 125 to add to his total yards. That wasn't even the most dominant quarterback performance though as Jack Coan threw for over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns, setting Fiesta Bowl records. Another stunning performance came from WR Tay Martin as he caught 10 passes for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. Spencer Sanders took home the offensive MVP, though, for his no interception game. Meanwhile, Malcom Rodriguez was named defensive MVP for his 11 tackles and the games only interception.
2022 Capital One Rose Bowl
#11 Utah Utes 45
#6 Ohio State Buckeyes 48
In a game where scoring was not hard to come by the Ohio State Buckeyes took home the crown as the 2022 Rose Bowl champions. Early on the Utes looked dominant, making Ohio State punt on their first two drives and fumble on their last of the half. Meanwhile, their offense showed command of the field, scoring touchdowns on five straight drives in the first half. These TDs included an electric kickoff return for a touchdown and a 55 yard quarterback "sneak". Heading into halftime the Utes had a two touchdown lead and felt that they were headed to victory. The second half was nothing but falling apart. On their first three drives of the second half, the Utes scored three points and turned the ball over twice. The Buckeyes took control of the momentum and eventually took the lead with a strike from CJ Stroud to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Cam Rising was injured for the Utes and they brought in backup quarterback, Bryson Barnes, who had never thrown a pass in his collegiate career. The backup went 2/2 on the Utes final drive resulting in a touchdown. With the game tied at 45 the Buckeyes had one last chance to win it. They drove down the field to kick the game winning field goal. Britain Covey had one chance and :09 seconds to work with on his return but he never got going downhill and the Buckeyes won the 107th Rose Bowl. In doing so CJ Stroud threw for a record 573 yards and 6 touchdowns while only throwing one pick. His #1 receiver also got going as Jaxon Smith-Njigba went for 347 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in a record day of his own. Due to this Smith-Njigba was named offensive MVP and Tommy Eichenberg was named defensive MVP for his 17 tackles against the Utes.
2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl
#8 Ole Miss Rebels 7
#7 Baylor Bears 21
The main story line of the Sugar Bowl was the injury to top quarterback prospect, Matt Corral. Throughout the bowl season many players have sat out as to preserve their potential futures in the NFL, most notably, Kenneth Walker III, Kenny Pickett, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. Meanwhile, a man who had a bright future and finished 7th in Heisman voting played his game. Late in the 1st quarter Corral got taken down from behind and stayed down. He was later carted off the field and returned on crutches. Cole Maxwell made the sack that probably lost Corral millions of dollars. After Corral left the field the outcome was basically decided. NO quarterback could replace his influence on the game. Baylor scored in the first quarter and Ole Miss in the third and it seemed like neither team could get going. Finally the Bears scored on consecutive drives to go up 14 with minimal time remaining. In a game where scoring was scarce and only one MVP was awarded, it only seemed fit for a defensive player to receive the honor. Baylor's Terrell Bernard was named the games MVP for his sugar bowl record 17 tackles.
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