Replacing the Bowl Championship Series this season was the College Football Playoff’s New Year’s Six contests, a six-game slate which included two semifinal matchups leading up to Monday’s national title game pitting No. 2 Oregon against fourth-ranked Ohio State.
Here’s a recap, based on watchability, of all six games:
Rose Bowl: Oregon 59, Florida State 20
This gargantuan matchup in the first-ever semifinal had all the buzz associated with greatness — 2014 Heisman quarterback vs. his 2013 Heisman predecessor backed by a team that has won 29 straight gams. After an intriguing first half, the Ducks moved away and by the middle of the third quarter following Florida State’s fourth turnover, the game was out of hand and the social media anti-Jameis Winston explosion began.
Watchability ranking: 3
Sugar Bowl: Ohio State 42, Alabama 35
The SEC’s national champion favorite fell victim to Urban Meyer’s fourth-seeded Buckeyes in the semifinal nightcap in New Orleans, a combination of self-inflicted mistakes and a lack of defense. On the East Coast, if you were still awak after 11 p.m., an exciting second half unfolded which included an 85-yard touchdown run from Ezekiel Elliott, a 41-yard pick-six from Ohio State’s Steve Miller and Alabama’s mishandled final drive that ended on Blake Sims’ failed Hail Mary attempt.
Watchability ranking: 1
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State 38, Arizona 30
Boise State improved to 3-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl with a victory that came down to the wire against the Pac-12’s runner up. Broncos running back Jay Ajayi scored one of three touchdowns on the ground on Boise State’s now famous Statue of Liberty play-call in the first half. He added another score late in the third quarter to increase his team’s lead to 38-20 before the Wildcats, behind quarterback Anu Solomon, stormed back. Arizona had the football inside the red zone in the final seconds, but Solomon took a sack on 3rd-and-goal without a timeout as the clock expired on the comeback bid.
Watchability ranking: 4
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech 49, Mississippi St. 34
Mississippi State’s defense had no answers for Georgia Tech’s triple option on New Year’s Eve in South Beach during a contest the Yellow Jackets controlled from the get-go. Georgia Tech never trailed and rushed for an Orange Bowl record 452 yards. The loss was the Bulldogs’ third over their final four games after beginning the season unbeaten and ranked No. 1 through eight weeks. Dak Prescott’s career-high 453 yards through the air kept Mississippi State within striking distance in the second half, but Georgia Tech answered every scoring drive with ground game highlights of its own.
Watchability ranking: 5
Peach Bowl: TCU 42, Ole Miss 3
The laugher in Atlanta showcased sixth-ranked TCU’s overall dominance against a team perceived as one of the SEC’s elite teams. The Horned Frogs just missed the College Football Playoff and appeared to be a team on a mission with an ax to grind. Benefiting from multiple turnovers from Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, TCU hit the throttle to post an emphatic victory. The sixth-ranked Horned Frogs will likely finish in the top four of the final AP Poll, possibly Top 3.
Watchability ranking: 6
Cotton Bowl: Michigan State 42, Baylor 41
At the end of the third quarter, you probably turned this one off with Baylor leading, 41-21. But the Spartans weren’t done. In the highest-scoring Cotton Bowl ever, Michigan State has now won four consecutive bowl games after trailing at intermission in each, this time scoring 21 points in final frame to upend the Bears by a point. The Spartans blocked a field goal attempt with a minute left that would’ve increased Baylor’s lead to 10. Instead, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook found Keith Mumphery for a 10-yard score a few plays later to win the game despite 550 yards passing from Baylor’s Bryce Petty.
Watchability ranking: 2
