Holiday Bowl Season Update: Overtime Thrillers, Statement Wins & Postseason Surprises

Holiday Bowl Season Update: Playoff Power & Postseason Drama

Bowl season provided some holiday entertainment even without CFP games with solid wins, and tough postseason performances.

Wednesday 12/24

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, HI

Hawai‘i 35, California 31

Hawai‘i rallied late and held off California to secure a thrilling 35–31 home island victory.

Friday 12/26

GameAbove Sports Bowl – Detroit, MI

Northwestern 34, Central Michigan 7

Northwestern dominated from start to finish, overwhelming Central Michigan 34–7 behind suffocating defense.

Rate Bowl – Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17 (OT)

Minnesota survived an overtime scare, edging New Mexico 20–17 in a gritty, physical contest.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl – Dallas, TX

UTSA 57, FIU 20

UTSA unleashed an offensive explosion, routing FIU 57–20 in one of the most lopsided bowl wins of the season.

Saturday 12/27

Go Bowling Military Bowl – Annapolis, MD

East Carolina 23, Pitt 17

East Carolina outlasted Pitt 23–17, using timely defense to seal the victory.

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl – Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Penn State 22, Clemson 10

Penn State leaned on defense and efficiency to take down Clemson 22–10 at Yankee Stadium.

Wasabi Fenway Bowl – Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Army 41, UConn 16

Army dominated with relentless ground control, rolling past UConn 41–16 in a physical showcase.

Pop-Tarts Bowl – Orlando, FL

BYU 25, Georgia Tech 21

BYU held off Georgia Tech's late drive, executing cleanly down the stretch in a tight 25–21 win.

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl – Tucson, AZ

Fresno State 18, Miami (Ohio) 3

Fresno State’s defense smothered Miami (Ohio), as they cruised to a victory.

Isleta New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, NM

North Texas 49, San Diego State 47 

North Texas outgunned San Diego State in a wild shootout, escaping with a narrow win.

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, FL

Virginia 13, Missouri 7

Virginia relied on defense and discipline to edge Missouri in a low scoring battle.

Kinder’s Texas Bowl – Houston, TX

Houston 38, LSU 35

Houston stunned LSU with late game execution, pulling off a dramatic home town bowl win.

Monday 12/29

JLab Birmingham Bowl – Birmingham, AL

Georgia Southern 29, Appalachian State 10

Georgia Southern controlled the game wire to wire, defeating Appalachian State 29–10 to cap its season strong.

Tuesday 12/30

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – Shreveport, LA

Coastal Carolina 14, Louisiana Tech 23

In a game where neither team could keep control of the ball Louisiana Tech finally was able to get a grip on the game by scoring 17 in the 4th quarter.

Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl – Nashville, TN

Tennessee 28, Illinois 30

In a back and forth game, Illinois was able to come out on top thanks to a walk off field goal.

Valero Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, TX

USC 27, TCU 30 (OT)

After a 4th quarter ending field goal by TCU that sent it to overtime, the horned frogs were able to take control and score a game winning TD.

Pregame Sports Bar Crawl: Las Vegas Edition

Experience the excitement of the game like never before with our Pregame Sports pub crawl in Las Vegas! Join fellow sports fans for exclusive drink specials at some of the city's best sports bars. It's the ultimate way to gear up for game night, whether you're repping your squad or just in it for the fun. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and exclusive deals!