Welcome back for episode 437 of the GCR. We had a big slate yesterday with 5 games to end the first 25 games (bowl games including the Celebration Bowl, FBS first round games including the FCS semis) and have the busies day of the postseason today with 8 games – nearly 1/3 of the 25 remaining (including the FBS semifinals, and both championship games). Let’s get to it.
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Our day started yesterday with the Armed Forces Bowl where Oklahoma (6-7/46) looked to burst out of their season-long offensive doldrums to score 2 quick TDs and were leading 14-0 with 3:40 to go in the half. Navy (10-3/32) scored to bring it to a single score game for the break. The third quarter was earmarked by the longest run from scrimmage in Navy’s long history (pretty impressive considering they’ve run the triple option most of their existence) when QB Horvath took it 95 yards up the middle to be tackled as he reached out for the end zone. It was the 4th longest TD in bowl history. 14-14. With just over 4:00 to play in the game, Army took the lead for the first time with another Horvath TD 21-14. The Sooners answered with a beautiful drive to score with just 6 seconds on the clock. For some reason, they decided to go for the win (maybe they forgot games can’t end in a tie?) but Navy recorded the sack to ice the game. On the ensuing onside kick, OKLA touched the ball too early, and Navy still recovered. Final Score 21-20. With Navy’s win, both Army and Navy have 10 or more wins in a season for the first time ever.
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The Birmingham Bowl was the first of back-to-back old rivalry games. Georgia Tech (7-6/41) and Vanderbilt (7-6/70) were both founding members of the SEC and part of SoCon prior to that. It’s been around 80 years since they’ve played each other, however, until yesterday. Vandy never trailed although the score was 14-10 at the half and 14-13 until less than a minute in the 3rd. The Commodores capped a successful season by scoring 21 in 5:57 to go up 35-13. GT did not give up scoring twice late in the 4th, but time ran out for the Jackets. Final score 35-27.
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An old Southwest Conference rivalry was renewed in the Liberty Bowl when Texas Tech (8-5/39) took on Arkansas (7-6/62). A game of streaks, Arkansas jumped to a 21-3 lead after the first quarter, and the Red Raiders flipped the tables winning the second quarter 16-3 which included a sack for a safety. At the half ARK led 24-19. The second half was much calmer from a scoring standpoint, with the Razorbacks redeclaring dominance and winning the quarter 10-0. Leading 34-19, they started the 4th with a sack for a safety of their own to go up 36-19. After an Arkansas field goal, TXTC scored a TD with just over 3 minutes to go to drive the final score of 39-26.
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The Holiday Bowl has a history of high-scoring games, and the 2024 version did not disappoint. Washington St (8-5/86) took a 21-14 lead over Syracuse (10-3/23) in the FIRST quarter. The Orange gained control of the game in the second in which they scored 21 unanswered to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room. The Cougars answered with a score in the 3rd to make it 35-28, but Syracuse went on another 17-0 run before WAST closed the scoring with just 9 seconds to go. Final 52-35. Syracuse got the first ACC win in 6 tries this post-season.
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We closed the night with the Las Vegas Bowl featuring Texas A&M (8-5/34) and Southern Cal (7-6/49). With a 10:30 (all times Eastern) start, I have to admit, I only saw the first half. It didn’t look like much. When I went to bed a little after midnight, the score was knotted at 7. A&M woke up in the 3rd scoring 17 unanswered to take a 24-7 lead with 20:12 to go in the game. Over the next 15 minutes, SCAL scored 21 to take the lead 28-24, their first lead of the game. The Aggies answered with 1:49 to go taking the lead back 31-28. The Trojans scored the winning TD with just 8 ticks on the clock to complete the comeback 35-31.
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They were all great games. And I had a blast spending the majority of the day watching two games at the same time. However, the GCR was just 2-3 straight up and 2-3 against the spread taking the bowl season to 17-8 (.680) and 14-11 (.560), respectively. There have been some changes in the conference bowl rankings.
| Conf | Total Games | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Points Scored | Points Allowed | GCR Rating | GCR Rank |
| IND | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 17 | 0.656 | 1 |
| AAC | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 156 | 144 | 0.567 | 2 |
| SEC | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 213 | 183 | 0.511 | 3 |
| MAC | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 160 | 161 | 0.506 | 4 |
| SUN | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 136 | 146 | 0.503 | 5 |
| Big Ten | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 173 | 129 | 0.466 | 6 |
| USA | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 75 | 83 | 0.348 | 7 |
| MWC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 83 | 82 | 0.320 | 8 |
| B12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 107 | 122 | 0.302 | 9 |
| ACC | 13 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 172 | 218 | 0.296 | 10 |
| P12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 52 | 0.280 | 11 |
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Starting at 11:00am, in Boston, the first of two games in baseball stadiums today, features the Independent UCONN Huskies (8-4/91) and the ACC’s 12th place North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6/90) in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. UCONN had bad losses to Maryland (4-8) and Wake Forest (4-8) and didn’t have any marquee wins. Their opponents were a mere 57-86 (.399) good for 132nd in strength of schedule (SOS). They only faced 3 bowl eligible (BE) teams and went 1-2. They will face a UNC squad who had their head coach retire (he was the oldest in college football at 74) and be replaced by a legend who has never coached in college and will be the oldest in college football at 73. Just 1-6 against BE teams, the Heels were very streaky: they started 3-0, fell to 3-4, rose to 6-4, and fell again to 6-6. Vegas has North Carolina-2.5 and that sounds right to the GCR – NCAR 57% and to cover. You can see this game on ESPN.
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The Yankee/Red Sox rivalry doesn’t end in the fall as the Bad Boy Mower’s Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium kicks off at 12:00 on ABC in competition with the Fenway Bowl. That House that Ruth Built will feature the ACC’s 9th place Boston College Eagles (7-5/44) and the Big Ten’s 13th place Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-6/55). BC started 3-1 and ended 4-1, but a 3-game skid in the middle (to Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Louisville – combined 19-17) kept them out of a bigger (and warmer) bowl. They had some success against good teams going 4-4 vs BE teams. Nebraska earned a bowl game for the first time since 2016 which just seems wrong for such a storied program. The Huskers started 5-1, but their scheduled was backloaded. They were just 2-5 against BE teams and added a loss to UCLA (5-7). That loss followed back-to-back games (and losses) vs Indiana and Ohio St (both 11-2). Vegas likes NEB-4.0, but the GCR is calling for the upset with BC 55% and to cover.
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At 2:15, the Isleta New Mexico Bowl kicks off on ESPN with the Sun Belt West champions and runner up Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3/48) tackle the Big 12’s 6th place TCU Horned Frogs (8-4/56). LAU was 3-3 vs BE teams including the championship game loss to Marshall (see Independence Bowl below) and sported a 6-game winning streak during the season. The Frogs only faced 3 BE teams which is very low for a Core 4 team AND they only won 1 of them. Despite being part of the supposed top 66 teams in the country, they had the 93rd most difficult schedule. Bad losses to Houston and UCF (both 4-8) add to the insult. Vegas likes TCU-10.0 and while the GCR thinks they will win this game 53%, look for Louisiana to cover.
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Back to ABC at 3:30, the Pop-Tarts Bowl will take over Orlando in our first non-playoff game between GCR Top 25 teams. The game features the Big 12’s runner up Iowa St Cyclones (10-3/16) and the ACC’s 3rd place Miami FL Hurricanes (10-2/12) who was one of the first out of the playoffs. Iowa St not only beat rival Iowa (8-4) this season, but they also started off 7-0 in route to their first ever 10+win season. Indiana (11-2) accomplished that milestone this year as well leaving Vanderbilt as the only major team never to win more than 9. The Cyclones were 5-2 against bowl eligible teams including a loss to Arizona St (11-2) for the Big 12 title. They were also part of 5-7 Kansas’ miracle run of beating 3 ranked teams in 3 weeks while having a losing record. Not to be outdone, Miami FL won their first 9 until Georgia Tech (7-6) took them down. Another loss late to Syracuse (10-3) was enough to keep them out of the playoffs. 6-2 vs BE teams, they may have the overall best passer in the country. Vegas likes MIAF-4.0 and the GCR agrees at 54% and to cover.
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The best sponsor of the bowl season comes next on the CW Network at 4:30 when the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl out of Tuscon features the MAC’s runner up Miami OH RedHawks (8-5/79) and the Mountain West’s 3rd place Colorado St Rams (8-4/78). The RedHawks started 0-3 losing to Northwestern (4-8), Cincinnati (5-7), and Notre Dame (12-1) and were just 1-4 as we approached mid-season. They didn’t lose again until the rematch against Ohio (11-3) in the championship game. They lost despite beating Ohio in the regular season. Overall, 3-3 vs BE teams, they have played some good teams. The Rams also started slowly at 2-3 but had a 5-game winning streak. They were 1-3 against BE teams with the sole victory coming against San Jose St (7-6). They lost to Oregon St (5-7) as well. Vegas likes MIAO-2.5 and the GCR agrees 53% and to cover.
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We flip back to ESPN for a 5:45 kickoff in the second-best sponsor, Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis. The American’s 5th place East Carolina Pirates (7-5/94) take on the ACC’s 11th place NC St Wolfpack (6-6/67). ECAR had a 4-game winning streak during the season, but the opponents were just 15-33. Overall, they faced the 116th most difficult schedule and were 2-3 vs BE teams. NC St faced the 40th largest SOS and were 3-5 vs BE teams losing also to Wake Forest (4-8). Vegas likes the Wolfpack-7.0 and the GCR agrees 57% and to cover.
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Our second game of the day pitting GCR Top 25 teams is the Valero Alamo Bowl, out of San Antonio, with a 7:30 start on ABC. The Big 12’s 3rd place BYU Cougars (10-2/10) take on the Big 12’s 4th place Colorado Buffaloes (9-3/21) in a rare bowl game within the same conference. They did not play each other during the regular season. It’s almost like the consolation game for the Big 12. BYU only lost to Kansas (during that incredible run) and champion Arizona St (11-2) and were 3-1 vs BE teams. Colorado had a 7-1 run but lost to Kansas (same run) and Nebraska (6-6). They were 3-2 vs BE teams. Vegas likes Colorado-3.5, but the GCR is calling for the upset: BYU 52% and to cover.
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The Fenway Bowl just kicked off.
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Our final game, back on ESPN, with a 9:15 kickoff, is the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally, the Sun Belt Champion Marshall (10-3/45) was scheduled to be in this game, but they backed out. Thankfully, the LA Tech Bulldogs (5-7/132), 5th in Conference USA, agreed to face the American Conference champions Army Black Knights (11-2/17). Army got off to a 9-0 start and, although they lost to Navy, had a fantastic season. Vegas Army-14.0 and the GCR agrees 73% and to cover.
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That’s it for today. Enjoy the games, be safe out there, and we’ll see you on Monday for the next episode. Thank you for reading and for sharing with others, G.
| Time | Bowl (Location) | Team | Team | Vegas | GCR Win | GCR Cover |
| 11:00am | Wasabi Fenway (Boston) | UCONN (8-4/91) | North Carolina (6-6/90) | NCAR-2.5 | NCAR 57% | NCAR |
| 12:00 | Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe (Bronx) | Boston College (7-5/44) | Nebraska (6-6/55) | NEB-4.0 | BC 55% | BC |
| 2:15 | Isleta New Mexico (Albuquerque) | Louisiana (10-3/43) | TCU (8-4/56) | TCU-10.0 | TCU 52% | LAU |
| 3:30 | Pop-Tarts (Orlando) | Iowa St (10-3/16) | Miami FL (10-2/12) | MIAF-4.0 | MIAF 54% | MIAF |
| 4:30 | Snoop Dogg Arizona (Tucson) | Miami OH (8-5/79) | Colorado St (8-4/78) | MIAO-2.6 | MIAO 53% | MIAO |
| 5:45 | Go Bowling Military (Annapolis) | East Carolina (7-5/94) | NC St (6-6/67) | NCST-7.0 | NCST 57% | NCST |
| 7:30 | Valero Alamo (San Antonio) | BYU (10-2/10) | Colorado (9-3/21) | COL-3.5 | BYU 52% | BYU |
| 9:15 | Indepen-dence (Shreveport) | LA Tech (5-7/132) | Army (11-2/17) | ARMY-14.0 | ARMY 73% | ARMY |
