In the New Year’s Six Bowls I went 3-3 this year.  Not a bad start this year, but it could have been better.  Here’s to the new season and a successful playoff.

Peach Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 6 TCU was going to earn a hard fought victory over No.9 Ole Miss.

What Actually Happened:  TCU blewout Ole Miss to earn a 42-3 victory and prove that maybe they deserved a piece of the action in the college football playoff.

What I Learned:  TCU showed that they have a very strong squad going into the next season, and Ole Miss was one of several SEC teams to fall in big games.  It was only the start of what may be that conference’s downfall.

Fiesta Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 10 Arizona would make the Pac-12 look good and get a convincing win over No.20 Boise State.

What Actually Happened:  Boise State turned this quickly into a laugher, at one point holding a 21-0 first-quarter lead.  Arizona mounted a late comeback but turned it over on downs in a 38-30 loss.

What I Learned:  Boise may have lost their coach, but look out for them next year.  The Broncos are still a force to be reckoned with and may crash another party or two.  The Wildcats meanwhile are a good team, but they still have a little ways to go before they become a true national contender.

Orange Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 7 Mississippi State was going to get a double-digit win over No.12 Georgia Tech.

What Actually Happened:  Georgia Tech got a double-digit win over Mississippi State, beating the Bulldogs 49-34.

What I Learned:  Like I stated before the SEC’s reputation took a major hit with this loss as well.  Couple this with Auburn losing to Wisconsin and Alabama losing to Ohio State, and this was a terrible day to be an SEC fan.  Georgia Tech meanwhile proved that they belonged in big games, and may take over the ACC with Jameis Winston’s possible departure.

Cotton Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 8 Michigan State was going to get a strong statement win over No. 5 Baylor.

What Actually Happened:  The Spartans earned a very surprising 42-41 last-second comeback win over the Baylor Bears.  Baylor fans were in shock when a blocked field goal later turned into a winning touchdown pass from Connor Cook to Keith Mumphery with 17 seconds left.

What I Learned:  The Big Ten looked good to start the new year.  Couple this with an Ohio State team dismantling Alabama and Melvin Gordon running all over Auburn, that made the conference look really good.  As for Baylor, they can’t complain about being left out of the playoff this year.

Rose Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 2 Oregon was going to earn a hard-fought victory over No. 3 Florida State.

What Actually Happened:  Oregon blewout Florida State in a 59-20 victory.  The Ducks almost tripled the Seminoles score.

What I Learned:  The Ducks know how to beat tough teams in a neutral site location.  A lot of experts gave the Seminoles the edge there, but the Eugene Quack Attack was just too much for them.  The Ducks are well on their way to claiming their first national title, while the Seminoles will likely be entering a rebuilding phase in the near future.

Sugar Bowl

What I Thought was going to Happen:  No. 1 Alabama was going to earn an easy double digit win over No. 4 Ohio State.

What Actually Happened:  The Buckeyes were able to overcome an early double-digit deficit and beat Alabama 42-35.  A last second Hail Mary thrown by Bama quarterback Blake Sims was intercepted by Ohio State. 

What I Learned:  This was a great day for the Big Ten.  Ohio State looks primed to claim their first national title since 2002.  Alabama will be back next year, but the SEC’s reputation took a major hit this bowl season (as said earlier).  Maybe we will see no SEC teams in the playoff for a while.    

I will do a recap of the NFL Wild Card action on Monday, in the meanwhile stay classy everyone.

HOHOHO!