The 2024-25 college football bowl season produced a lot of cliffhangers, end-to-end action, and big stories. From top-flight fights at the CFP semi-final matchups to the mother-of-pearl quirkiness of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, here’s a ranking of all 41 bowl games, spotlighting this year’s good and bad stuff.
CFP Semifinal: Rose Bowl- Michigan vs. Texas
This match lived up to the classic mold that fans love: There were dramatic lead changes, big plays, and a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. In a tight match, Michigan finally managed to edge by Texas to take the last spot in the championship game.
CFP Semifinal: Sugar Bowl – Georgia vs. Florida State
With a thrilling victory against Florida State, Georgia continued its rampage. The much-vaunted offensive and defensive powers of the Bulldogs came out in the game, which had its edge close only in the fourth quarter.
|Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State vs. North Carolina
Pop-Tarts Bowl was whacky in its name and true to its name as well. It hosted a fun game and rather weird tradition: the winner’s coach was to be “frosted” with Pop-Tarts at halftime. Kansas State won secure in an always-beating-then-and-again puff of points, with the festive twist being a big hit, aside from the fun with the Pop-Tarts.
Orange Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington
The heavyweight of some instant classic. Washington had a strong enough defense in the last minutes to give the Huskies another tough close win against the Buckeyes.
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Penn State
Oregon’s high-powered offense proved too much for Penn State. Ducks quarterback Bo Nix had the game of his life to win this year’s CFP final.
Recap of the Rest
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Utah was the most thrilling final-scoring game both teams have played, combining points to reach over 80 for each. Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Notre DameThe SEC has beaten Notre Dame; LSU snagged the glory in a defensive mad scuffle with ND.
Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Louisville
Did Alabama recover from playoff blow with a comprehensive victory?
Middle-of-the-Road Games
Other bowls, like the Gator Bowl (Tennessee vs. Iowa) and Outback Bowl (Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin), were slightly better than average, while not a single bowl game was too exciting, and several contained actual NFL talent had enough ignite left, as with the Cure Bowl and Boca Raton.
Bottom of the Barrel
There weren’t that many great games-most of them were incredibly one-sided, or had no talent in the first place. The worst of them all were probably the New Mexico and Hawaii Bowls; both ended in a non-too-dramatic way.
Last Thought
The wraps were everything in between the dramatic best of the College Football Playoff semifinals and the everything in between: the sweet flakiness of the Pop-Tarts Bowl
and nye-inspiring playoff game from other fan-favorite events. This year, Americans responded by not letting their bowl line compromise the reputation and integrity of the NCAA game at the competitive stage in the sporting calendar.
