We’re down to one game left in this college football season, that of course being Monday’s national championship. But before we say goodbye to bowl season, it’s time to look back on some of our favorite moments. In games known for their odd sponsorships, amusing mascots and unpredictable on-field play—the 2022–23 slate didn’t disappoint (a shout-out to Twitter accounts Sickos Committee and no context college football, which have done a great job documenting the absurdity of the past two and a half weeks).
Best upset: TCU over Michigan
A 7.5-point spread might not be the most unlikely upset out there, but there’s no doubting the Horned Frogs were underdogs against Michigan. Many even assumed a Wolverines blowout was more likely than a TCU victory. All season long, the Frogs have been defying expectations, but their Fiesta Bowl win was their biggest yet, with reverberations across college football as one of its biggest brands fell to a more outsider program. TCU will have to pull an even larger upset if it wants to win the national championship—SI Sportsbook has it as a 13.5-point underdog to Georgia.
Best non-Playoff game: Liberty Bowl
A triple-overtime affair with 108 total points, this game featured Arkansas jumping out to a 31–7 first-half lead before Kansas—playing in its first bowl since 2008—stormed back. In the final 65 seconds, the Jayhawks used an onside kick, a 21-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to dramatically send the game to overtime. The teams then traded TDs in two extra periods before switching to college football’s two-point attempt OT format. After the Razorbacks completed theirs, Kansas QB Jalon Daniels (who threw for 544 yards on the night) sailed a pass over the end zone as the Jayhawks dropped a heartbreaker.
Best backup QB performance: Joe Milton III
The Orange Bowl actually featured a pair of backups, with Milton starting for Tennessee due to star Hendon Hooker’s injury and Clemson’s giving the nod to former blue-chip recruit Cade Klubnik. Milton won the New Year’s Six duel, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns while committing zero turnovers in the Vols’ 31–14 victory. While Tennessee has five-star QB Nicholaus Iamaleava Jr. on board for 2023, Milton made his own case in Miami to be next season’s starter.
Flashiest touchdown: Jha’Quan Jackson burns USC
Tulane’s electrifying Cotton Bowl comeback over USC included this sick 87-yard touchdown by Jha’Quan Jackson, who made the Trojans’ defense look silly.
Best postgame bath: The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Gotta be the mayo dump, right? Maryland coach Mike Locksley got creative this year, wearing a big hat to shield the impending sauce rush (he did eventually take it off). The resulting image is burned into our minds.
Best use of sponsorship: Cheez-It entrance
We love everything about this—as well as the fact that two bowls are now Cheez-It–ified: the traditional Cheez-It Bowl and the Citrus Bowl, which is now officially called the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Got all that?
Best fan reaction: Shirtless Georgia guy
While the Bulldogs got the last laugh, this UGA fan was going through it in the third quarter of the thrilling Peach Bowl.
But the postgame explanation is even better. According to Jim Weber, the fan, Chris Witt, commented on Facebook that he usually “changes shirts for good luck when UGA is losing.” Having only one shirt at Saturday’s game, he had to “go all out” by taking it off. There you have it—the Dawgs’ secret weapon!
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Best transfer portal saga: Grayson McCall
One of the country’s best QBs, McCall made the rare move of entering the portal Dec. 12 while still playing in Coastal Carolina’s Dec. 27 bowl game, saying he wanted to “finish what I started.” Days later, it was reported that the three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year will stay with the Chanticleers after all for his final season, as Tim Beck takes over the program. It’s a fitting college ending for a player who previously stated, “When I say I piss teal, I mean it.”
Most chaotic moment: The end of Ohio State–Georgia
When you host the College Football Playoff on New Year’s Eve, there’s always a chance the latter game can linger until midnight. That’s exactly what happened in the Peach Bowl, but in the most dramatic way possible. While most Playoff games have historically been duds, Saturday’s were anything but. As fate would have it, the game came down to a 50-yard field goal attempt by Ohio State … exactly as midnight hit on the East Coast, and the ball dropped in Times Square. How many households out there had a fight over what would be on the TV?
Weirdest in-game ad: Mercedes-Benz
This was an interesting promotional spot during Georgia–Ohio State …
Best moment of improv: Clemson trumpet player
We’re not sure where this guy’s instrument went, but he made the best of it.
Worst (best?) trick-play attempt: Michigan
While Kansas’s failed two-point conversion mentioned above was bad, we’re still thinking about Michigan busting out the Philly Special on its first series of the game—on fourth down from the two-yard line, no less—and failing. And in what became a six-point Wolverines’ defeat, those lost points turned out to be pretty important!
Most ‘Iowa’ game: Iowa-Kentucky
Of course it involved Iowa. Nobody out-Iowas Iowa. Except … the Wildcats actually might have! With both teams starting backup quarterbacks, the Hawkeyes scored more defensive touchdowns than offensive ones, while Kentucky set the Music City Bowl record for punts and did not get on the scoreboard. To top it all off, Iowa’s All-American punter Tory Taylor announced postgame that he’s returning to Iowa City for another year.
Best mascot moment: Prince Cheddward
Put these dance moves in the bowl Hall of Fame. (Bonus: Getting in on the Cheez-It dump on Florida State coach Mike Norvell is a veteran mascot move).
Weirdest Mayo Bowl moment: Spaghetti
Back to the mayo … putting it on spaghetti, really? What does Buddy the Elf think of this?
Most bizarre final play: Illinois laterals its way into a Mississippi State TD
Down three and out of Hail Mary range as time expired, Illinois had a valiant last-ditch attempt at a ReliaQuest Bowl win with a series of laterals. In the end, though, the ball wound up in the hands of a Bulldogs defender, who took it to the house for one of the worst bad beats of bowl season.
Best extra point: Oregon’s winning doink
Camden Lewis came this close to missing his first extra point of the season when he sent Gus Johnson screaming over this epic doink off the left upright—and saved the Holiday Bowl from going into overtime.
Best sideline celebration: Texas Tech’s bench press
This is just classic bowl game energy from the Red Raiders.
Most adorable moment: Uga
Sleeping Uga forever.
Most mind-bending moment: Interception of the year?
We still don’t know how UNC linebacker Power Echols pulled this off.
Best use of a timeout: Kirby Smart
This was the timeout heard ’round the world. Georgia’s coach just got it off as Ohio State lined up for a punt on fourth-and-1 … but not before the play appeared to transpire and the Buckeyes ran a fake for a critical first down. But Smart, having noticed Ohio State’s formation, got the attention of the official without a second to spare to nullify the gain. Would Georgia still be playing for the title if the Buckeyes had extended that drive? There’s a real chance the answer is no.
Best DJ setup: Bad Boy Mowers
Where else in sports, let alone life, do you see a DJ playing from atop a lawn mower?
Best commercial: Otto and the USWNT
This was not technically for a bowl, but it features a lovable college mascot and was released the morning Syracuse played Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl. Cover your eyes, Otto!
Best mascot art: Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Some Ohio State and Georgia players were asked to draw their mascot at media day for the CFP semifinals. While we can appreciate C.J. Stroud’s effort, Van Pran-Granger turned in a legitimately impressive bulldog.
Most controversial postgame move: Brian Kelly eats Cheez-Its off the ground
Even the broadcasters weren’t in agreement here. Was Kelly channeling Les Miles?
Best send-off: Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.
Alabama had no bowl game opt-outs beyond those who entered the transfer portal, and that included stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. Despite not making the Playoff, the two went out on a high, beating Kansas State 45–20. Young threw five touchdowns and got to exit to a special ovation from the Bama faithful.
(Honorable mention: Sean Clifford’s Rose Bowl send-off.)
Best troll job: TCU
The Horned Frogs have been putting out absurd meme videos all season after wins, and their social media team did not disappoint after the Playoff semifinal victory over Michigan.
Best sideline hustle: Houston’s Hawk
Have you ever seen a better tee retrieval?
Coldest game: Armed Forces Bowl
With a kickoff temperature of 11° (-7° with wind chill), this was literally the coldest bowl game on record. And it was played in Texas! (Fort Worth, to be exact.) How cold is that, do you ask?
Nevertheless, Air Force’s John Lee Eldridge III didn’t let the temperature stop him from having an extra-special ending after the Falcons’ win over Baylor.
