1. Rose Bowl
- Sarah Royce
- (AP PHOTO)
No. 2 Texas 41,
No. 1 USC 38
MVP: Vince Young. This guy was as close to perfect as it gets, capping his night off with an eight-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-5 to give Texas the final margin of the game with 19 seconds left.
It was over when: The game lived up to the hype in the second half, with the teams trading the lead back and forth. It was over when Matt Leinart threw an incomplete pass intended for Dwayne Jarrett as the clock ran out. –Dan Bromwich
2. Orange Bowl
No. 3 Penn State 26,
No. 22 Florida State 23 (3OT)
I didn’t change the channel because: If two coaching legends nearly four times the age of anyone they’re coaching can stay up three hours past their bedtime – so can I.
The quirkiest moment of the game: The kicking fiasco that ensued between the two kickers. In a game where two teams played equally well, it was comical to see two kickers play equally bad. Florida State kicker Gary Cismesia won the “kicks gone awry” battle, 3-2. –Bryan Hamilton
3. Nokia Sugar Bowl
No. 11 West Virginia 38,
No. 8 Georgia 35
I didn’t change the channel because: Everyone was a little suspicious of how quickly West Virginia put the SEC champs on the ropes. Also, the 1,000-plus yards that the two teams provided was enough reason to keep watching.
The most shocking play of the game by far was: The fake punt West Virginia called on fourth-and-6 in the game’s final two minutes. –Chris Herring
4. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada 49,
Central Florida 48
I knew it was over when: In the last play of overtime, Central Florida’s kicker Matt Prater missed the extra point to give Nevada the win.
MVP goes to: B.J. Mitchell and his counterpart Brian Hubbard. The two combined for five rushing touchdowns, 30 of Nevada’s 48 points and more than 300 yards. –Eileen Hengel
5. Music City Bowl
Virginia 34,
Minnesota 31
It was over when: On the final drive Minnesota quarterback Bryan Cupito prematurely through a Hail Mary pass that was intercepted in the endzone with 36 seconds left.
The funniest part of the game happened: in the second quarter, when a scrum in front of the Minnesota bench led to pushing and thrown punches. But like in the Alamo Bowl, no flag was thrown. –David VandeVusse
6. Independence Bowl
Missouri 38,
South Carolina 31
It was over when: Missouri QB Brad Smith ran for a one-yard touchdown with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter.
The most bizarre moment of the game: Midway through the second quarter, South Carolina was about to put the game out of reach when quarterback Brian Mitchell threw an errant pass that was picked off by Marcus King, who ran it back 99 yards for the Tigers first score of the game. –Mike Schneider