This article series is very simple. We are going to give a bowl grade to every single team that competed in a bowl game this year. These are the grades for the eleven bowl games played from January 2nd-4th. The first team graded is always the winning team.
Team Bowl Grades: January 2nd-4th
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34
Houston: Wow. That’s all you can really say about the Houston win. They were awful on both sides of the ball for three quarters and then the offense just unleashed in the fourth. The defense was just as bad, but recovering two onside kicks kept the defense off the field. The 4th quarter was A+, but the game overall was not.
Grade: C+
Pittsburgh: This was not so much a defensive collapse as much as Houston finally playing the offense it could have all game. The only major mistakes that cost them the game were not picking up the second onside kick (they had a good chance at it) and a late important drop. Still, not the greatest overall game, even if both sides of the ball dominated for three quarters.
Grade: C
TaxSlayer Bowl: Tennessee 45, Iowa 28
Tennessee: Don’t look now, but Tennessee might be the most improved team over the course of the season. The offense finally found its traction with the quarterback switch a month ago and it culminated in this bowl domination. If they continue this building, they are going to be very good next year.
Grade: A+
Iowa: Don’t let the final score fool you. Iowa was embarrassed but tacked on garbage time touchdowns to make it look nicer. They looked hung over from their late collapse in the season finale against Nebraska. Not much more to be said here.
Grade: F
Valero Alamo Bowl: UCLA 40, Kansas State 35UCLA: The Bruins have looked like a potential #1 team at times this year and looked like they shouldn’t even be ranked at others. This game encapsulated both. They were world-beaters in the first half, well on their way to an absolute rout of a good team. The second half, though, carried a letdown that almost let Kansas State come back for the win. They need to replace a ton next year, but there is still a lot of talent on the field–if they can play consistently well.
Grade: B+
Kansas State: The balls weren’t bouncing Kansas State’s way in the first half, but this Bill Snyder-coached team fought hard to the end (maybe a little too hard). Waters, Lockett, and Sexton have had prolific seasons but the offense just wasn’t enough and they couldn’t send their careers out a high note. Next year will be a rebuilding one for the Wildcats but that’s never been a real problem for Coach Snyder before.
Grade: B
Ticketcity Cactus Bowl: Oklahoma State 30, Washington 22
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys pulled off an impressive miracle upset to end the regular season and become bowl eligible–and they didn’t let that opportunity go to waste. This was expected to be one of the bigger blowouts of bowl season but the ‘Pokes offense was on fire. This group got a much-needed boost moving forward to next year, though they are still a few steps behind TCU and Baylor:
Grade: A-
Washington: The Huskies should have done better in this game. Chris Petersen-coached Boise State teams had a tendency to not show up in minor bowl games and that seems to have continued here. Petersen is one of the best developers of talent in the country and will have Washington competing for Pac 12 (and maybe even national) championships. But in year one he hasn’t been the savior they expected–and that was perfectly exemplified in this bowl game.
Grade: D
Birmingham Bowl: Florida 28, ECU 20
Florida: The Gators have been quite the enigma this year. They got drilled by Missouri but ran all over Georgia. They have talent but just couldn’t put it all on the field this year. They were especially hurt by the lack of good quarterback play, but that’s not the only reason they went 6-5 in the regular season. The talent got them this bowl win over ECU, though, which should give them confidence moving into the Jim McElwain era.
Grade: B
ECU: East Carolina may have been one of the most overrated teams in the country early in the year. Ranked after beating Virginia Tech and North Carolina, some expected ECU to get the Group of 5 automatic bid to an access bowl. The second half of the season was pretty much a disaster, though. There is no better way to describe this disaster than a Hail Mary loss against UCF in which an ECU defensive back was unbuckling his chinstrap while the ball was still in the air. They played hard in this bowl game but if they were playing as well as in the first half of the year they would probably have won it.
Grade: D-
GoDaddy Bowl: Toledo 63, Arkansas State 44
Toledo: We expect #MACtion when we see Toledo and the Rockets did not disappoint here. The offense was astounding and the defense scored two touchdowns, the real difference in this game. Toledo returns enough on offense here to be scary next year, but this defense–like most in the MAC–will need a lot of work.
Grade: B
Arkansas State is an improving program in the Sun Belt. They’ve won the conference before but now they are adding a consistency that could someday translate into being a mid-major mainstay. It wasn’t enough in the GoDaddy Bowl, even if the passing offense was record-setting.
Grade: C
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