Bowl season winners and losers: Trinidad Chambliss, Indiana, Arch Manning, Pop-Tart opt-outs, more

Bill Bender

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Bowl season winners and losers: Trinidad Chambliss, Indiana, Arch Manning, Pop-Tart opt-outs, more image

The Bowl Season delivered in 2025-26. 

From the 12-team College Football Playoff to the Hawaii Bowl, there is always a reason to watch the college football postseason. Coaches might not coach. Players might opt out. Even Pop-Tarts – talking to you, Slammin' Strawberry – might opt out. 

We still enjoyed the process, especially during the New Year's portion of the schedule.

The College Football Playoff quarterfinals did not disappoint. No. 10 Miami beat No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 31. 

No. 4 Oregon beat No. 5 Texas Tech 23-0 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. No. 1 Indiana beat No. 8 Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and No. 6 Ole Miss capped the night with a thrilling 39-34 victory against No. 3 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

That's not all. The other 35 bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff produced some look-ahead moments for next season, including the next chapter for Texas quarterback Arch Manning – who was brilliant in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against No. 18 Michigan. 

There are a few games left on the schedule, but our judgments are in. Here is a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from Bowl Season.

SN AWARDS: 2025 All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year

Bowl season winners and losers

Conference bowl records for 2025-26

A conference-by-conference look at the bowl records from 2025-26. This does not include UConn, an independent which lost 41-16 to Army in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.                                                                                                         

CONFWLPCT
Pac-12101.000
Big Ten94.692
Big 1242.667
ACC64.600
American43.571
Conference USA43.571
MAC23.400
SEC48.333
Sun Belt36.333
Mountain West25.286

Of the Power 4 conferences, the Big Ten had the best record, and the SEC had the worst record. If it holds, this would be the third straight season where the Big Ten has the best bowl record among the Power 4. The ACC bounced back from a 2-11 bowl record last season. 

Pete Golding

College Football Playoff winners and losers 

Winner: Trinidad Chambliss and Pete Golding 

Golding and Chambliss are playing the roles of Steve Fisher and Glen Rice – the tag-team that carried Michigan to a national championship in basketball in 1989 after Bill Frieder left to take the Arizona State job before the NCAA tournament. Lane Kiffin left for LSU, but Golding never panicked in a 39-34 victory against No. 3 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Chambliss – a transfer quarterback from Division II Ferris State – led the Rebels with 362 passing yards and two TDs in a brilliant performance that highlighted the New Year's Day quarterfinals. Chambliss made a series of breath-taking plays in the second half – including a 40-yard pass to De'Zhan Stribling with 26 seconds remaining that set up the game-winning field goal. 

Loser: Georgia's second-half collapse 

Did Kirby Smart panic? The Bulldogs blew a second-half lead, and a botched fourth down on a fourth-and-2 from the 33-yard line allowed Ole Miss to take control of the game in the fourth quarter. Smart took accountability for the decision after the loss, but, simply put, Chambliss freaked the Bulldogs out. It marks the second straight Sugar Bowl loss at the CFP quarterfinals for Georgia – and it's another reminder that it is not easy to win a national championship in this format.

Winner: Indiana

The Hoosiers are now the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship after a 38-3 blowout against No. 8 Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Curt Cignetti continues to smash narratives about the program's rise, and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza (14 of 16, 192 yards, 3 TDs) stayed on point with the support of a rushing attack that piled up 215 yards. A rematch with No. 5 Oregon is next in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. That guarantees the Big Ten – which went 9-4 in bowl games – a chance at a third straight national championship.

MORE: Rest vs. Rust? IU destroys another narrative at Rose Bowl

Loser: Alabama 

The Crimson Tide validated their playoff credentials with a 34-24 victory against No. 8 Oklahoma in the first round. Did they get those revoked after the blowout loss to Indiana? Alabama had 17 carries for 23 rushing yards – part of a season-long issue of running the football. Kalen DeBoer critics will be back out in full force after that loss. DeBoer is 20-8 in two seasons at Alabama, which is a slightly better record than Tennessee (18-8) and Missouri (18-8). Thursday was Alabama's third loss by 14 or more points this season, something that had not happened since 2004.

Winner: Miami 

The Hurricanes advanced to the CFP semifinals with a 24-14 victory against No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Rueben Bain Jr. And Akheem Mesidor combined for 3.5 sacks, and Miami played a fast-and-physical brand of football under Mario Cristobal. Carson Beck finished 19 of 26 for 138 yards and a TD. Like coach Mario Cristobal says, the Hurricanes are here – and a chance to advance to a national championship game in Miami is in the cards. 

Loser: Ryan Day 

Day took over play-calling duties for offensive coordinator Brian Hartline – who took the South Florida job but stayed on staff for the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes struggled on offense – and Miami took control on a pick six by Keionte Scott in the second quarter. Ohio State – despite a roster flush with All-Americans – averaged 12.7 points in games against Indiana, Miami and Texas. Ohio State did end the losing skid to Michigan, but the scrutiny never ends in Columbus. 

Winner: Oregon defense 

No. 5 Oregon shut out No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 in the Capital One Orange Bowl behind a dominant defensive performance. Matayo Uiagalelei's strip sack in the third quarter set up a touchdown, and freshman Brandon Finney Jr. Had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Oregon limited Texas Tech to 215 total yards. Dan Lanning has the Ducks in the CFP semifinals – and this team is good enough to bring home the program's first national championship. 

Loser: Texas Tech offense 

The Red Raiders had just 88 total yards at halftime in the loss to Oregon. Texas Tech committed four turnovers, and Behren Morton (18 of 32, 137 yards, 2 INTs) struggled against the Ducks' defense. The Red Raiders defense faced 49 plays in the first half and allowed just 309 total yards. The Big 12 fell to 1-8 in College Football Playoff games. 

Winner: First-round winners 

Teams with byes are now 1-7 in the College Football Playoff – a trend that has caused a ton of debate in the last week. The average seeding of the semifinalists this year is 5.5 – which is higher than 6.5 last year but still an unfavorable trend for teams that get the extra rest before the quarterfinal round. Indiana is the only conference champion left in the CFP. 

Loser: Group of 5 playoff teams 

No. 6 Ole Miss hammered No. 11 Tulane, and No. 5 Oregon beat No. 12 James Madison 51-34. The Green Wave and Dukes allowed an average of 505.5 total yards in those two losses. The consternation about the Group of 5's place in this CFP format became a hot topic leading up to the games. 

In three CFP games, Group of 5 teams have lost by an average of 21.5 points per game. We can't pretend like those games are competitive. They're not.

Our stance has not changed. We think one G5 team belongs in, but we would prefer to get rid of automatic bids in the straight seeding format. That would have meant Notre Dame would have squeezed into this year's field. 

Rest of Bowl Season winners and losers

Winner: Texas in 2026 with Arch Manning

Manning hype is back. No. 13 Texas beat No. 18 Michigan.  Manning finished 21 of 34 for 221 passing yards and two TDs. He added nine carries for 155 rushing yards and two TDs, including a 60-yard TD run that served as the clincher. 

Manning was named the Citrus Bowl MVP – a feat his uncle Peyton accomplished in 1997 when he passed for 408 yards and four TDs in a 48-28 victory against Northwestern. Arch had a good one-liner for that, too. 

We are right back to where we started with Manning heading into 2026. 

Loser: Michigan with Bryce Underwood in 2025

Bryce Underwood's up-and-down freshman season ended with a loss. He finished 23 of 42 for 199 yards, two TDs and three interceptions with 69 rushing yards and a TD. He led the Wolverines to a 9-4 record with 2,428 yards, 11 TDs and nine interceptions. The talent is there – but will he stay at Michigan with new coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck? The Wolverines need to add playmakers via the portal, and Underwood needs to show better decision making next season. Underwood had seven TDs and interceptions on passes of 10 yards or more in 2025.  

Winner: BYU 

To the victor – goes the Pop-Tarts? No. 12 BYU pulled out a 25-21 victory against No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the second half. Bear Bachmeier passed for 325 yards, and coach Kalani Sitake had a post-game snack. 

BYU – a program that has compiled a 23-4 record the last two seasons – proved it should be treated like a playoff team moving forward. The Pop-Tarts – which has emerged as a holiday piece of Americana – should be hosting playoff games, too. 

Loser: Clemson and LSU  

Remember when the Tigers (plural) played a top-10 showdown LSU won 17-10 in Week 1? Who knew how bad it would get for both afterward? 

Clemson finished 7-6 after a 22-10 loss to Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Tigers managed just 1.7 yards per carry, and Clemson had its worst season under Dabo Swinney since going 6-7 in 2010. Clemson lost the Meineke Car Care Bowl to South Florida that year. Offensive coordinator Garretet Riley and safeties coach Mickey Conn were fired in the aftermath. 

LSU also finished 7-6 after a 38-35 loss to No. 21 Houston in the Kinder's Texas Bowl. The Tigers finished 1-6 against ranked teams this season. New LSU coach Lane Kiffin made an appearance – then allegedly left the game early. It was a brutal end to a forgettable era. Which coach is more on the spot in 2026? 

We'll find out at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. On Sept. 5. 

Winner: PJ Fleck 

Minnesota improved to 7-0 in bowl games under Fleck and extended their FBS streak to nine straight bowl victories with a 20-17 overtime victory against New Mexico in the Rate Bowl after a diving TD catch by Jalen Smith. The Gophers finished 8-5 – their seventh winning season in nine years under Fleck. 

Loser: Lincoln Riley 

No. 16 USC had a 24-14 lead with 9:37 left in the Valero Alamo Bowl against TCU. A victory would have meant a 10-win season for Lincoln Riley – and more than likely a top-10 ranking heading into 2026. 

Instead, the Horned Frogs rallied to pull out a 30-27 overtime victory. Ken Seals, starting for the opted-out Josh Hoover, threw the game-winning TD pass to Jeremy Payne on third-and-20. It was a brutal end for USC, which lost defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to Penn State. The Trojans are 16-10 the last two seasons. That is the same record as Minnesota. 

Winner: Hawaii Bowl  

Give this Christmas Eve tradition its due. Hawaii backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a pinch-hit 22-yard TD pass to receiver Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds remaining in a 35-31 victory against Cal. Weaver had replaced starter Micah Alejado, who was injured on the previous play. 

The average margin of victory in the last four Hawaii Bowl matchups is 4.5 points per game, and this followed last year's 41-39 five-overtime thriller between South Florida and San Jose State. There is nothing better to wrap presents to, with the possible exception of "Die Hard." 

Senior Writer

News Correspondent