There is only one way to end 2010 and to welcome in 2011, and that is with college football bowl games. With games beginning on December 18 and lasting until January 10, there was always a game to look forward to. If you missed a game or forgot the score, here is a recap on all the bowl games.On December 18, there were three games. At 2:00, the New Mexico Bowl took place; the two teams in this bowl game were Brigham Young University, BYU, and the University of Texas El Paso, UTEP. BYU outscored UTEP, 52 - 24. The next bowl game that day was the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl with Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State. Northern Illinois ended up winning, 40 - 17. The last bowl game, R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, that day was between Troy and Ohio. Troy won this game, 48 - 21.
The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl took place on December 21 with Louisville and Southern Mississippi competing against each other. In a close game, Louisville came out on top with a score of 31 over Southern Mississippi’s 28.
Boise State went up against Utah in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas on December 22. Boise State held Utah to just a field goal, and ended up winning, 26 - 3.
On December 23, San Diego State played Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, and beat Navy, 35 - 14.
The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl was held on Christmas Eve. Tulsa played Hawaii; Tulsa won, 62 - 35.
Florida International competed against Toledo on December 26, in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. It was a close game, but Florida International pulled through and won, 34 - 32.
Georgia Tech played in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl against Air Force on December 27. Georgia Tech was not able move the ball down the field, and Air Force ended their season with a win, 14 - 7.
There were two games that took place on the 28th, the Champs Sports Bowl and the Insight Bowl. In the Champs Sports Bowl, North Carolina State beat West Virginia, 23 - 7. The Insight Bowl was another close game with Iowa scoring 27 and Missouri scoring 24. On December 29, three bowl games took place. The Military Bowl was between Maryland and East Carolina, and had Maryland winning, 51 - 20. The next game, the Texas Bowl, was between Illinois and Baylor. Illinois ended up beating Baylor, 38 - 14. To end the day, Oklahoma State played Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Oklahoma State left the stadium with a win, 36 - 10.
The following day, four bowl games were played. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl game was a close game between SMU and Army. However, Army ended up taking the win with a score of 16 - 14. The next bowl was the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse and Kansas State. This was also a nail biter, but Syracuse won by two points, 36 - 34. After that, there was another close game between North Carolina and Tennessee in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. This game went into two overtimes! North Carolina’s defense finally made a stand and won, 30 - 27. The last game of the day was the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl between Washington and Nebraska. Washington won this bowl game, 19 - 7.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl, the Hyundai Sun Bowl, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and the Chick-fil-A Bowl were all taken place on New Year’s Eve. South Florida beat Clemson, 31 - 26, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. In the Hyundai Sun Bowl, Notre Dame played and won against Miami, 33 - 17. Georgia played Central Florida in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. However, Georgia lost, 10 - 6. To end the year, Florida State played South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Florida State ended up beating South Carolina, 26 - 17.
New Years Day was filled with many exciting bowl games. The TicketCity Bowl game had Texas Tech vs. Northwestern. To end their season, Texas Tech won by a touchdown, 45 - 38. The next game was between Florida and Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Florida ended up winning, 37 - 24. In the Capital One Bowl, Alabama crushed Michigan State, 49 - 7. Then came the Progressive Gator Bowl, where Mississippi State took on Michigan. Mississippi State won this game, 52 - 14. The Rose Bowl was a close game between Wisconsin and Texas Christian University, TCU. TCU ended up winning, 21 - 19. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was the last game of the night. This game was between Connecticut and Oklahoma. The final score was 48 - 20, Oklahoma with the win,
On January 3, Virginia Tech took on Stanford in the Discover Orange Bowl. Stanford ending up beating Virginia Tech, 40 - 12.
Ohio State won against Arkansas, 31 - 26, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 4. The GoDaddy.com Bowl was held on January 6. The two teams who competed against each other were Miami (Ohio) and M. Tennessee State. Miami ended up winning this bowl game, 35 - 21. On January 7, Louisiana State, LSU, and Texas A&M played each other in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. LSU beat Texas A&M, 41- 24.
Kentucky played Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl on January 8. Pitt was able to beat Kentucky with a score of 27 - 10.
Nevada took on Boston College on January 9 in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Winning by a touchdown, Nevada ending up with a score of 20 - 13.
The game that America was looking forward to finally came, the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. This was a monumental game for both Auburn and Oregon. Auburn was ranked first in the nation, and Oregon was ranked second. In the end, Auburn ended up defeating Oregon, 22- 19. It was a great day to be a War Eagle fan! Auburn's win marks the first time in over 70 years that two different teams from the same state are crowned national champs in back to back seasons. The SEC improves to 7-0 in BCS title games. They have also won the last five.
Written by: Paige Amoss
