First Down Kentucky: What Do We Do Now?
Bowl season is officially over. Only one game remains, the CFB Playoff National Championship. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite over Washington next Monday in Houston. Why Houston is hosting a College Football National Championship, I do not know, but we can worry about that game at a later date. For now, let’s salute the beautiful bowl season that was.
Western Kentucky trailed 28-0, blocked two kicks and won in overtime. Miami (Oh.) and App. State played a slobber-knocker in a Florida monsoon. Boston College and Rutgers won games of freeze-out in nearby baseball stadiums. Winning coaches were covered in mayo, eggnog, french fries and Cheez-Its. A Pop-Tart sacrificed itself to let Kansas State celebrate a win.
The great bowl debate will rage on in perpetuity thanks to losers like Florida State. The complainers fail to realize that bowl games are what you make of them. They can be ugly blowouts, or delightful displays of the silliest sport. Along with the antics, this bowl season produced plenty of thrilling games that were wildly entertaining, including one the broke hearts across the Big Blue Nation.
Now, a long offseason awaits. This bowl season was beautiful and I’m sad to see it go.
A Champion Outside of the SEC
This year the National Championship will not mean more. For just the second time in the CFB Playoff era, the SEC will not be represented in the final. Here’s what happened the last eight times we watched a Championship without an SEC team.
1999: Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29
2000: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
2001: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
2002: Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)
2004: USC 55, Oklahoma 19
2005: Texas 41, USC 38
2014: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20
2023: Michigan vs. Washington
Final Conference Bowl Standings
It may not mean enough to put a team in the title, but the SEC did hold its own this postseason. Kentucky’s conference was one of four that posted five bowl wins and a winning record. The PAC-12 had one fewer loss than the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The west coast conference is going out in style.
My Favorite Rose Bowl Celebration
It was a big weekend for the Harbaugh family. On Sunday John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens clinched the 1-seed and a bye in the AFC playoffs with a dominant victory over the Miami Dolphins. Around 24 hours later Jim Harbaugh’s gutsy fourth down call in the fourth quarter paved the way for a Michigan comeback overtime win in the Rose Bowl.
The Harbaugh brothers have to remain relatively poised in postgame conversations. Their parents do not. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh shared their euphoric feelings on the field after the game. There’s nothing quite like a parent’s pride, even when the stakes aren’t as high as the Rose Bowl.
Important Kentucky Football Ink
There was some anxiety entering the transfer portal that Deone Walker might be curious to look elsewhere. Those feelings were rooted in fear, not facts. There’s no more need to worry, Big Blue Nation. If the big fella hadn’t been clear enough about his love for the University of Kentucky, his new tattoo should do the trick.
Tomiwa Back to the Portal
Remember Tomiwa Durojaiye? The Delaware defensive lineman enrolled at Kentucky in the spring of the 2022 season but did not crack the regular rotation. He sought out more playing time in the transfer portal and performed well. This fall at West Virginia Tomiwa tallied 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks, despite being sidelined for the final three games of the regular season. Today he hopped into the transfer portal again, seeking his third different school in as many seasons.
Jerod Smith Bowl Highlights
Before the Under Armour All-American Game kicks off Wednesday afternoon, Jerod Smith was showing off his skills in practice against the nation’s best prep players. The future Kentucky defensive lineman used his strength to consistently win one-on-one reps.
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