With the holiday season all wrapped up, the bowl season has come to a close. We were treated to some great games by our Gameday vendors and across college football. From Notre Dame getting a dominating win over Oregon State to Wisconsin being narrowly defeated, we witnessed some amazing football. Between Christmas and New Years Dat, there was no shortage of football to enjoy
A couple weeks ago, Northwestern kicked off Bowl weekend for us going up against Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. Northwestern came out on top with a final score of 14-7, ending the season with a record of 8-6, while Utah fell to a record of 8-5. Betting odds had the matchup at Utah favored by 6.5 points, and an over under of 41.5. This game proved to be a defensive battle, but Northwestern was able to cover the spread. Both teams had to face a lot of adversity throughout the season. From the start, the Wildcats fired their 17-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald right before the season; he was then replaced by David Braun. On the other hand, the Utes had to deal with key players suffering season ending injuries, such as their starting quarterback. The bowl game also has some rich history around it. It was organized in 1992 out of a need to fill hotel rooms in a traditionally slower period for the city of Las Vegas. It has been a large success, attracting half a million visitors to the town and close to $325 million to the economy. It is also the second longest annual event in Vegas, behind the National Finals Rodeo. Congratulations to Northwestern for winning the game!
Next, we had Notre Dame competing in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Oregon State on Friday. The University of Texas hosted the game taking place in El Paso, Texas. Notre Dame was the winner in a game that was never close, with a final score of 40-8. The Fighting Irish looked great on all sides of the ball, leading right from the start. They will end their season ranked #15 in the country with a 10–3 record, while Oregon State is ranked #21 falling to 8-5. The two programs had not played each other since 2004; but Oregon State was 2-0 against the Irish. Betting odds had Notre Dame favored by 6.5 points, and an over under of 41.5 points. The 6.5 points was never in doubt, and Notre Dame almost hit the point total by themselves! Quarterback Sam Hartman did not play due to preparing for the NFL draft. Backup Steve Angeli played in his spot, looking great passing for three touchdowns. They were also without starting offensive lineman Joe Alt, who is preparing for the draft as well. Oregon State had a challenging season of its own, having a difficult time putting together consistent wins in the Pac-12. The great conference had many top teams beat each other, making it difficult to have a high ranking. They were without Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and other top receivers, who plan on transferring.
Then, on New Years Day, Wisconsion faced off against LSU in the Reliaquest Bowl. The game took place in Tampa, Florida at Raymond James Stadium. Wisconsin was happy going into the game to get out of the cold winter weather and into the Florida sun. The result was not the same, with a narrow loss of 35-31. On the bright side, quarterback Tanner Mordecai played outstanding passing for 378 yards and three touchdowns. The Badgers come out of the matchup with a record of 7-6, and LSU has a record of 9-3 currently ranked #13. LSU went into the matchup as 10-point favorites with the over-under set at 55.5. Wisconsin kept the game close throughout, jumping to a quick 14-0 lead. The over-under was never in doubt with a score of 21-21 at halftime. Historically, the two teams are 1-1 against each other, with Wisconsin winning the last matchup back in 2016. This season, Wisconsin has faced plenty of ups and downs. They ended the season nicely putting together some good wins. LSU had a similar season. They have Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels, but the defense let them down in some key games.
The Christmas season and New Years time always give us classic football games. There were great games taking place every day of the week! We hope you enjoyed some eggnog and the football action!
