Turning Celebration into Sustained Success
By KEVIN M c NAMARA
Momentum is a fickle thing in sports, and especially in college football.
Uncle Mo comes in all shapes and sizes and is coveted by players, coaches, administrators, boosters, everyone in sports. One key play can lead to another, then another. You grab a big win, scratch out a second and a sweet season is off and running. If one breakout season can lead to the next, the levers of achievement can keep clicking.
So how do college football programs create, and nurture, this momentum? A successful Bowl Season experience certainly needs to be an integral part of the mix. Every program owns similar dreams: win a lot of games and get to a bowl, if not the College Football Playoff. That bowl trip
can be a deserved celebration of a successful season or a springboard to more success in the future. It’s all about preserving and growing that momentum.
Vanderbilt improves to 7-1 for the first time since 1941. After winning the Birmingham Bowl last season the Commodores became bowl bound in back-to-back years for the first time since 2012-2013.
Consider Vanderbilt’s last 12 months. Under coach Clark Lea the Commodores have picked themselves up off the Southeastern Conference floor and started throwing haymakers. None was bigger than an October, 2024 upset of then No. 1 Alabama that ended with Vandy’s fans ripping down a goalpost, parading down Broadway and throwing it into the Cumberland River.
The Commodores went on to the Birmingham Bowl where quarterback Diego Pavia and the ‘Dores held off Georgia Tech for a 35-27 win. That was Vandy’s first bowl win and secured its first winning season (7-6) in 11 years.
“This is just a stepping stone of what we want to do here at Vanderbilt. We have bigger dreams,” Pavia said after that win. “I want to win it all. For those who don’t know me, I hate losing more than I like winning. I will never have a losing season.”
Pavia then ended his Birmingham Bowl press conference with a hearty assist to a coaching staff about to hit the transfer portal: “If you want to win, come to Vandy. This is a new Vanderbilt team.”
Sure enough, Uncle Mo is still riding shotgun with Lea’s team.
Vanderbilt began the 2025 season 5-0. That’s happened two times in the last 80 years. Lea said he used the momentum of the win in Birmingham throughout the off-season. That means everything from recruiting, to fundraising, to spring practice, and preparation for the season opener against Charleston Southern.
“For our program that was a historical moment,” Lea said. “There were a lot of firsts (in 2024) from that game that were meaningful to us. Momentum is a real thing. Obviously, bowl games are fun but they’re only really a lot of fun when you win.”
in the early going of this season. Any success has a lag effect of investment.”
Few schools enjoyed their taste of Bowl Season success last season more than Nebraska. Cornhusker fans had accepted a bowl trip as a yearly right, after all, and with good reason. The program played in a record 35 straight bowl games from 1969-2003 and often shined under December/January’s brightest lights. But after the 2016 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, the task became much harder.
“I want to win it all. For those who don’t know me, I hate losing more than I like winning. I will never have a losing season.”
– DIEGO PAVIA Vanderbilt Quarterback
“The biggest thing is that finally they can walk off the field and say ‘Hey, we got it done.”
– MATT RHULE Nebraska Head Coach
“We returned a lot of players who set their sights beyond a 7-6 (finish),” Lea added. “So, we allowed that to fuel us in the off-season. We were very intentional about talking about taking things further and all of that helped us
A seven-year stretch without a bowl game was one of the chief reasons the school hired coach Matt Rhule in 2023. Getting back to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl in 2024 was a major step forward and holding off a late push from a strong Boston College team, with a score of 20-15, gave the Huskers the program’s first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl.
“The biggest thing is that finally they can walk off the field and say ‘Hey, we got it done,’’ Rhule said. “We’ll have a lot of momentum heading into the offseason. I’m excited about where we’re headed.”
The Cornhuskers are certainly pointed in the right direction. Rhule's team began the 2025 campaign 6-2, earning another post-season appearance and all that Bowl Season provides. That means the engagement
of students, alumni, and fans, along with inspiring donors who play a major role in today’s NIL world. National media showcasing a program’s players and coaches but also the enthusiasm and spirit that make the Aggies different from the Hoosiers and the Bulldogs different from the Hurricanes.
Another program that’s clearly used momentum gained from Bowl Season success to help elevate to a higher level is Missouri. Now in his sixth season in Columbia, coach Eliah Drinkwitz got things going with three seasons around a .500 record that ended with trips to the Armed Forces and Gasparilla Bowls. The Tigers then broke through in 2023 with an 11-2 season that ended with a victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and a Top 10 national ranking.
That success carried over to 2024 with quarterback Brady Cook and future NFL receivers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease leading the way. A 9-3 record punched a ticket to the TransPerfect Music City Bowl where a very good Iowa team awaited. Drinkwitz wasn’t surprised when the majority of his team, and especially Cook, pledged their loyalty, telling him they were all-in on playing in Nashville.
When asked what ending his college career while getting to double figure wins felt like, Cook didn’t hesitate:
“It was important. I mean, that's what we've been working this whole month for,” Cook said after a 27-24 victory. “I don't think it was a decision for me whether we were going to play in this one. We knew we were going to. Getting that 10th win, leaving our legacy and going out with a win, going out winning a championship, no matter what the championship is. We won a championship today. That's what we want to do every year is play for championships. That's one of our goals.”
Momentum, while fickle, takes forms in different ways for every team, and in college football, that’s what makes the sport all the more entertaining.
BOWL SEASON
← ← REWIND
HOLIDAY BOWL
Back in the day when there were few marquee bowls outside of New Year’s Day, star power was vital in generating memories. The 1980 Holiday Bowl in San Diego certainly checked that box.
BYU came in led by Jim McMahon, the flashy quarterback with the big arm and personality to match. SMU rolled into town with two marquee running backs in sophomores Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Those two dominated most of the game, helping the Pony Express roll up over 300 yards rushing and own a 45-25 lead with four minutes to play.
But as future Chicago Bears’ opponents would learn, it wasn’t smart to count out McMahon. The Cougars, who had won 11 straight games, weren’t going anywhere. A touchdown pass was followed by a successful onside kick and BYU had the ball back with 2:30 to play. Another TD trimmed the deficit to 45-39 and when SMU could not sustain a drive and needed to punt, BYU’s Bill Schoepflin blocked the kick with just 13 seconds remaining. McMahon had his chance and after two incomplete passes he tossed a 41-yard Hail Mary towards the end zone that tight end Clay Brown
somehow came down with for the score. BYU’s Kurt Gunther kicked the winning extra point, capping a 21-point explosion over the final 2:33 for an improbable 46-45 victory.
The frantic comeback remains one of the most remembered ever, known as the ‘Miracle Bowl’ and ‘McMahon’s Prayer.’ It also was the first of seven bowl victories for Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards. “I could just see my epitaph. It will read, ‘He won a thousand games, but he couldn't win a bowl game.’ If I had any sense at all, I would quit right now.”
2013 OUTBACK BOWL
South Carolina
Michigan
There aren’t many bowl games where the chief memory is a defensive play but there weren’t many college football defenders like South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.
As a sophomore, the ferocious defensive end blossomed into a star and was a unanimous All-American. He led Steve Spurrier’s Gamecock defense that rolled to a 10-2 record but Michigan moved the ball well and led the Outback Bowl early in the fourth quarter, 22-21. With the Wolverines driving the ball again, running back Vincent Smith took a hand-off and before taking a step he was met by an unblocked, streaking Clowney. He hit the running back so hard that Smith’s helmet flew off as the ball hit the turf. Clowney grabbed the fumble as the stunned crowd of 54,527 at Raymond James Stadium looked on in awe.
“It was the hit heard around the world,” Spurrier said a few years later.
“I thought the ball carrier's head was in his helmet when it popped off after the hit,” said Jon Gruden, who called the game with Mike Tirico on ESPN.
The Hit, which has been viewed millions of times on YouTube over the last decade, flipped the game. On the next play, South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw connected with Ace Sanders for a TD to put the Gamecocks back on top, 27-22. Michigan’s Devin
Gardner threw his third touchdown pass to give his team a 28-27 lead, but Carolina kept charging and Dylan Thompson’s 32-yard scoring pass to Bruce Ellington with just 11 seconds to go capped a furious, entertaining game that saw one crushing tackle swing the momentum of the entire game.
Clowney would go on to be the first player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft and it’s no surprise that as he was introduced as the newest Houston Texan, a replay of The Hit topped the star defender’s highlight reel.
FIELD GOALS. BIG SCREENS. BIG WINS.
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Leadership Hall of Fame
Honoring the Visionaries Who Shape and Advance the Legacy of College Football Bowls
The Leadership Hall of Fame, established by Bowl Season, annually honors individuals and groups who have significantly impacted college football bowl games and the broader bowl system. This prestigious recognition celebrates those who have shown exceptional leadership and dedication, advancing the benefits of bowl games for both their communities and the sport of college football. The award highlights the importance of their contributions in fostering the growth and success of bowl organizations.
The 2025 Class of inductees includes five notable figures: William Flinn of the Rose Bowl, Mike McCarthy of the Independence Bowl, Ed Placey of ESPN, Fred Sington of the Birmingham Bowl, and Alan Young of the Fiesta Bowl and Arizona Bowl. These individuals are recognized for their tireless efforts in enhancing the bowl system, ensuring its continued relevance and positive impact on college football and local communities. Each year, the induction of new members reinforces the commitment to celebrating excellence in the bowl game tradition.
William Flinn Rose Bowl
Mike McCarthy Independence Bowl
Ed Placey ESPN
Fred Sington Birmingham Bowl
Alan Young Fiesta Bowl and Arizona Bowl
BOWL BOUND SHIRT PROGRAM
Gear up for the 2025-26 postseason with the Bowl Season Bowl Bound Shirt Program, a fan-favorite initiative that celebrates college football teams clinching their place in the bowl season spotlight! This program, in its fifth year, delivers sleek, officially licensed “Bowl Bound” Shirts to student-athletes, coaches, and fans. Celebrating the team’s accomplishment and featuring their branding alongside the iconic Bowl Season logo. Distributed after a team’s sixth win, these shirts amplify the thrill of qualifying for a bowl game and uniting communities in the electric atmosphere of postseason play.
We teamed up with MV Sport, a premier custom apparel brand renowned for their cutting-edge designs and top-tier quality. With a legacy of crafting durable, stylish sportswear, MV Sport elevates our Shirts to must-have keepsakes for every bowl team. The “Bowl Bound” phrase is now a rallying cry of college football’s postseason.
Brands Owned
