Yes, college football bowl games matter
Despite wacky sport, a memory for players
ORLANDO — In January 2020, Doug Costin sat in a press conference and cried.
The 295-pound defensive lineman, who went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was a senior at Miami (Ohio) University. His RedHawks had just lost to Billy Napier’s Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in the LendingTree Bowl, Costin’s last college football game.
He spoke through misty eyes.
“I can’t really put it into words right now,” Costin said. “It sucks knowing I’m not going to be with these guys anymore … We just wanted to go out on top with one more (win), and we didn’t get it done.”
That was almost four years and four lifetimes ago in college football. A lot has changed.
Conference realignment, new TV deals, the transfer portal circus, NIL bags and an incoming expansion to the College Football Playoff. What else am I missing?
The sport has fundamentally shifted. Here’s one thing that has not: Bowl games still matter. Even the ones outside of the Final Four.
Just ask the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
They completed their season turnaround Saturday, streaking from 3-4 in late October to Cure Bowl champions at 9-5. Despite aquarium-like conditions at UCF’s FBC Mortgage Stadium, Appalachian State slipped and slid and recovered enough fumbles — the contest featured 13 due to an inch of rain — to beat Costin’s old Miami team 13-9.
“Man, it means everything to leave a champion,” Mountaineers senior safety Nick Ross said.
The victory shot adrenaline into Appalachian State’s offseason, offering it a chance to recoup some swagger after a Sun Belt Conference Championship loss earlier this month.
For the RedHawks, winners of the Mid-American Conference, the Cure Bowl served as one last reward to cap their best season since Ben Roethlisberger’s junior campaign two decades ago.
Miami coach Chuck Martin talked about that afterward and named a few of his favorite moments from the previous five days. The RedHawks arrived in Orlando Tuesday and visited Universal Studios Wednesday. Several of Martin’s players rode roller coasters for the first time.
“Whether it was a good experience or bad experience for them, it was pretty dang cool,” Martin said through a smile. “… I’m proud, and I’m glad they got to come down here and experience all this. Fantastic week.”
The Mountaineers and RedHawks were never going to the national championship. In the Group-of-Five world, life revolves around defeating their rivals, hoisting league trophies and getting to bowl games.
But even for big-wig programs who fall disappointing short of the national title picture, these games matter.
Take No. 5 Florida State. The 13-0 Seminoles aren’t happy to be in the Orange
Bowl after being left off the playoff committee’s nice list due to injuries and other nonsense outside of their control.
They won’t take their meeting with Georgia lightly, though. They’re looking to prove a point.
If Florida State beats the sixth-ranked Bulldogs on Dec. 30, don’t be surprised when it declares itself as this season’s national champion. There might even be a banner raised in its stadium, à la 2017 UCF.
Or consider No. 7 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes dropped the most important game on their schedule at Michigan last month. Their response: Future NFL players like defensive end Jack Sawyer, defensive back Denzel Burke and receiver Emeka Egbuka bucked the trend of opting out of bowl games for draft preparation and health preservation.
They’re staying, at least through Ohio State’s Dec. 29 date with Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. And they’re playing.
“Pardon my French, but I think it’s kind of bull(spit),” Sawyer told reporters last week about the notion that non-CFP postseason games were irrelevant for a heavyweight like Ohio State. “This game means a lot to us and to the fans.”
The Buckeyes will use the bowl to
Santucci: Adarius Hayes. Honestly, this has less to do with where he wound up than where he didn’t go. Hayes is an elite linebacker, but on most rankings, he was the third-best linebacker in the Gators’ class. I think Hayes played this really well. These are the kind of decisions that could be the difference between a player finding a home or a player getting frustrated and being in the portal in a year.
Who was your favorite under-the-radar signing?
Boyle: Devonte Lyons to FIU. FIU scouted him during the state championship game. He had legitimate Power Five interest in the spring and all he did was have an ever-better senior season with 27 touchdowns. He’s proven he can shoulder a load. He was a three-year starter. He can make one cut and score from anywhere on the field.
Santucci: I have two: JP Pickles to UTEP and Shamar Meikle to Oregon State. Pickles initially committed to Scotty Walden at Austin Peay and then followed the coach to UTEP. He’s an electric dual-threat player who has a lot of tools to work with. Meikle is a guy I loved from the first time I saw him. Long, can bend, quick off the snap and is an absolute game-changer off the edge.
Which school had your favorite graphic on social media?
Boyle: Rutgers. Scott Hansen from the NFL RedZone channel introducing all of Rutgers signees. Which begs the question, where was Syracuse since he’s a Syracuse grad? I thought that was really cool. It was unique, it was special. Years from now, they’re always going to have that moment.
Santucci: Georgia. The combination of the black and white sketch going into the commit bursting through the screen in full color caught my attention right away. It was different and it stood out. That was a win in my opinion. evaluate their younger talent, especially quarterback Devin Brown following Kyle McCord’s transfer to Syracuse, for next fall.
And they’ll search for a win, a little momentum, a little ease to lessen the sin of the Michigan failure. They’ll try for one culminating moment like Appalachian State enjoyed Saturday.
The Mountaineers killed Miami’s last gasp with a fumble recovery with two minutes and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. They drained those seconds off the clock with six straight runs and two kneel downs.
Before lining up for the final play, quarterback Joey Aguilar looked at the pool of water that had collected on the midfield logo. He had an idea.
“I told the o-line, especially for the seniors (Bucky Williams, Damion Daley and Isaiah Helms), ‘After we take this last snap, we’re going to run and slide in that puddle,’” Aguilar said.
He called for the snap and plopped to a knee. Then, he and his offense exploded into a dead sprint toward the 50-yard line. Their sideline followed suit, diving belly-first onto the wet, painted turf.
They won’t forget that moment any time soon.
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