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10 Biggest Winners From College Football Bowl Season

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10 Biggest Winners From College Football Bowl Season

Ohio State celebrates Sugar Bowl
USA TODAY Sports-Crystal LoGiudice

There’s a whole lot of college football bowl games -- maybe even too many if you ask me -- so there are many winners and losers each bowl season as a result. It’s not just about the schools and teams that are winning, but also about the business of college football. Today we look at the winners. Here are the 10 biggest from this year’s college football bowl season.

10. The SEC Haters

Nick Saban Les Miles
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10. The SEC Haters

Nick Saban Les Miles
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While the conference as a whole leads all conferences with seven wins, the supposed best division in college football, the SEC West, has struggled mightily. The West’s top four teams – Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State -- all lost, with the two Mississippi schools getting obliterated by a combined 54 points and LSU falling to the SEC-hated Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

9. The Pac-12 Conference

David Shaw Stanford
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9. The Pac-12 Conference

David Shaw Stanford
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The Pac-12 performance this bowl season has been the best of all the power conferences. With a postseason record of 6-2, and with Oregon’s National Championship game still to come, the teams from out west have impressed the rest of the country over the past several weeks. Now, Oregon has a chance to put a stamp on it on Monday.

8. The Big-10 Conference

Michigan State v Wisconsin
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8. The Big-10 Conference

Michigan State v Wisconsin
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The conference’s 5-5 bowl record might not be overly impressive at first glance, but considering the reputation the Big 10 had this year, and has had over the past several years, it’s a huge victory. Two of the conference’s best teams, Michigan State and Wisconsin, scored impressive wins over favorited schools from the “better” conferences. Ohio State proved that it belonged in the playoff with its win over Alabama and has a chance for even more.

7. Boise State

Boise State Fiesta Bowl Trophy
USA TODAY Sports-Casey Sapio

7. Boise State

Boise State Fiesta Bowl Trophy
USA TODAY Sports-Casey Sapio

Many expected Boise State to take a step back in 2014 after the loss of long-time coach Chris Petersen to the University of Washington. The Broncos proved the naysayers wrong with a 12-win season, capped off with an impressive Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona. The Big 12 should be looking to expand in order to qualify for a conference championship game, and Boise State should be at the top of the list.

6. TCU

TCU Gary Patterson
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6. TCU

TCU Gary Patterson
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TCU would also make the “biggest losers” list, since they were replaced by Ohio State in the four-team playoff at the last possible moment. The Horned Frogs played Ole Miss, one of the SEC’s best teams, in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and dismantled the Rebels 42-3. That’s exactly how to make a statement to the selection committee in advance of next season.

5. The Fans

Clemson v Georgia fans
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5. The Fans

Clemson v Georgia fans
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As fans, we knew we hated the BCS, but I don’t think we realized just the extent of our disdain for the computers until this year’s implementation of the playoff system. If we were still under the old BCS system, the championship game would have likely featured Alabama and Florida State. After seeing Ohio State defeat Alabama and Oregon obliterate Florida State, how disappointing would that National Championship Game have been?

4. Urban Meyer

Head Coach Urban Meyer angry
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

4. Urban Meyer

Head Coach Urban Meyer angry
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

When Meyer was hired in 2012, he was tasked with rebuilding the Ohio State football program after “tattoo-gate” and the team’s 6-7 record in 2011. Meyer’s record in three years with the Buckeyes is 37-3 and the coach has still yet to lose a game in Big 10 play. After defeating Nick Saban and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl with his third-string quarterback, Meyer is looking like the best coach in the country.

3. Eight-Team Playoff Proponents

Baylor Football Bryce Petty
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3. Eight-Team Playoff Proponents

Baylor Football Bryce Petty
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The four-team playoff system has worked beautifully in its first year, but what’s one way to make it even better? Making it bigger and better by adding four more teams. With the success of the new system, don’t be surprised if the college football leaders don’t chase the money and double the size of the playoff in future years.

2. Offenses

All State Sugar Bowl - Alabama v Ohio State
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2. Offenses

All State Sugar Bowl - Alabama v Ohio State
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I know college football is all about offense, but my goodness, what happened to all the defenses this bowl season? In the 38 bowl games that were played, teams averaged a whopping 62.3-combined points scored per game. With the National Championship matchup of Oregon and Ohio State, two teams known for their explosive spread offenses, we should be in for even more offensive fireworks on Monday.

1. Selection Committee

College Football Playoff Selection Committee
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1. Selection Committee

College Football Playoff Selection Committee
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The selection committee was in a tough spot. No matter who they picked as the top-four teams, there would be at least one school claiming they were more deserving of inclusion in the playoff. TCU and Baylor were the two main teams with gripes in 2014 after Ohio State was slotted as the No. 4 team in the playoff. The committee proved they made the right choice after the Buckeyes victory over No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

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