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__TOC__ MINOR (NON-BCS) BOWLS With 64 teams' having winning records, and 56 slots in bowl games, there were more teams than slots available for teams to get a bowl bid. Again, as in 2004 , two conferences — the Pac 10 and the SEC — did not have enough teams to fill the required number of slots for their non-BCS bowls. A third conference — the Big Ten — had two teams in the BCS ( Penn State as the conference champion, and Ohio State meeting Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl January 2nd.) The biggest beneficiary this year was the ACC , which replaced the SEC at the Music City Bowl (Virginia) and the Pac-10 (Georgia Tech) at the Emerald Bowl ; Conference USA also gained a slot, sending Memphis to the Motor City Bowl. Unlike last year, where a Fighting Incident during the game between Clemson and South Carolina led each team to impose a post-season ban, no school forfeited post-season play this year. While the number of bowls had remained constant for three years, the NCAA approved three additional bowl games to be played in 2006-07, the most notable in Toronto, Ontario , called the International Bowl , which became the first post-season college football game to be held outside the USA since the Bacardi Bowl in Cuba (last played in 1937); the Hawaii Bowl is the only current game played outside the contiguous 48 states. In addition, two additional games - the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama and the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico were added, and two additional at-large bowl spots opened in the Bowl Championship Series , which added a fifth game, a stand-alone national championship game. These moves, along with the addition of a permanent 12-game regular season schedule, aimed at ameliorating the surplus of bowl-eligible teams experienced in recent years, allowing more teams with winning records to partake in season-ending football trips. The eight teams with winning records that did not get bowl bids were Louisiana Tech (7-4) from the WAC , MAC teams Miami (Ohio) (7-4), Bowling Green (6-5), Western Michigan (7-4), Northern Illinois (7-5) and Central Michigan (6-5), Mountain West representative New Mexico (6-5) and the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Lafayette (6-5). Four teams made their Division I-A bowl debuts — Arkansas State (Sun Belt, New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette), South Florida (Big East, Meineke Car Care Bowl ), Central Florida (C-USA, Hawaii Bowl) and Akron (MAC, Motor City Bowl ). Akron, notably, had been the only bowl-eligible team willing to accept an invitation to be left out of the 2004 bowl games. However, none of the teams benefitted from " Beginner's Luck ", as each lost its game. Participants in non-BCS bowls are selected on the basis of Conference Tie-ins . All bowl payouts are given in US Dollars . New Orleans Bowl
The New Orleans Bowl is usually one of two bowls that are played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana . Due to Hurricane Katrina , the 2005 game was played on December 20 in Lafayette, Louisiana at Cajun Field on the campus of the University Of Louisiana At Lafayette . C-USA's Southern Mississippi returned and defended their title as they defeated the Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State, 31-19. The Golden Eagles were led by quarterback Dustin Almond, who threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Cody Hull, who added 161 yards rushing and one touchdown on 37 carries. Special teams play helped the Indians to stay close, with kicker Eric Neihouse kicking a 44-yard field goal and two extra points, and with the team forcing a safety on an attempted Southern Miss punt. GMAC Bowl
The GMAC Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama took place on December 21 , 2005 . Toledo, representing the Mid-American Conference, defeated C-USA's UTEP Miners 45-13. In his last game for the Rockets, quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw for five touchdowns and 298 yards. Seven of the Miners' 13 points came off the leg of kicker Reagan Schneider, with Johnnie Lee Higgins' catching the only touchdown of the day for UTEP to account for the rest of the scoring. Las Vegas Bowl
The Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium on the campus of the University Of Nevada, Las Vegas in the eponymous city, was the first game of two to be played on December 22 , 2005 . In the first matchup of the bowl season to pit a BCS conference team against a non-BCS conference team, California, from the Pac-10, beat Mountain West representative BYU, 35-28. Golden Bears running back Marshawn Lynch, voted the game's most valuable player, ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on just 24 carries, as California took a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter before the Cougars recorded two late touchdowns off the arm of quarterback John Beck to make the final victory less decisive. Poinsettia Bowl
The inaugural Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California was also played on December 22, 2005 when independent Navy beat the Mountain West's Colorado State, 51-30. Bringing the nation's number one-ranked rushing offense against the nation's 105th ranked rushing defense, the Midshipmen broke the game open in the second quarter, when running back Reggie Campbell scored two of his NCAA bowl record-tying five touchdowns; he finished with 116 yards rushing, 89 yards receiving, and 85 yards returning. Quarterback Justin Holland led the Rams in a losing effort, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns in completing 79% of his passes. Fort Worth Bowl
The Fort Worth Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas was contested December 23 , 2005 . Kansas, from the Big 12, who qualified on the last Saturday in November for a bowl game, defeated Houston from C-USA, 42-13, thanks to Jason Swanson's four touchdown passes. Running back Jon Cornish paced the Jayhawks with 101 rushing yards on just 16 carries, while the defense pressured Cougars quarterback Kevin Kolb into three interceptions, also sacking him twice. After this season, the Bowl got a new sponsor in Bell Helicopters as well as a new name in the "Armed Forces Bowl", and started to invite a MWC teams to challenge the C-USA team as part of a rotation with the Pac 10. Hawaii Bowl
The Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii was played on December 24 , 2005 . For the first time since the game was first contested in 2002, the Hawaii Warriors did not play in this game, as they had a losing record in 2005, disqualifying them from bowl eligibility. Nevada, the WAC co-champion, beat C-USA's Central Florida, 49-48, as Golden Knights kicker Matt Prater missed an extra point in overtime, sealing a defeat for UCF, who was playing in its first ever bowl game, having gone winless as recently as 2004. Each team gained over 550 yards, and each had three players average better than five yards per carry; freshman running back Kevin Smith led the Golden Knights with 202 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, while running backs B.J. Mitchell and Robert Hubbard combined to gain 304 yards on 38 carries, also adding five touchdowns. Motor City Bowl
The Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan was played on December 26 , 2005 . C-USA member Memphis, behind the running of DeAngelo Williams , who set an NCAA Division I-A record with his 34th career 100-yard game, defeated MAC champion Akron, 38-31, preventing the Zips from winning in their first-ever Division I-A Bowl Game. Akron quarterback Luke Getsy starred in his team's loss to the Tigers, setting a bowl record with 455 yards passing and tying another with four touchdowns. Champs Sports Bowl
The Champs Sports Bowl, the first of two games played at Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida , was contested on December 27 , 2005 . ACC representative Clemson scored with under two minutes remaining to ensure a 19-10 win against Big 12 representative Colorado, which was trying to a win after having lost its previous two games by a combined score of 100-6 and after having seen coach Gary Barnett fired just weeks before the bowl game. Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, playing with a sore shoulder, completed 22 of 30 passes for 210 yards and running back James Davis added 149 yards on 28 carries as the Tigers outgained the Buffaloes by 239 yards, surrendering only one touchdown, a Brian White pass to Quinn Sypniewski. Starting in 2006, a Big Ten team was invited to take the place of the Big 12. Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl at Chase Field , home to Major League Baseball 's Arizona Diamondbacks , in Phoenix, Arizona , was played as well on December 27, 2005. Pac-10 representative Arizona State, in what was a de facto home game, finally broke open a back-and-forth, sloppy affair (the teams combined for nineteen penalties) in the fourth quarter and then held off a comeback attempt, defeating Big East representative Rutgers, 45-40. In the final Insight Bowl to be played at the stadium formerly known as Bank One Ballpark, Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw for 467 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior wide receiver Matt Miller, who finished with five catches for 135 yards. The Scarlet Knights, playing in their first bowl since 1978, when they appeared in the Garden State Bowl against Arizona State, were paced by quarterback Ryan Hart's three touchdowns and 376 passing yards, and by kicker Jeremy Ito, who recorded four field goals, two from beyond 48 yards, and four extra points. The two teams combined for 1,211 yards of offense, a record for any bowl game. Beginning next season, the Big Ten and Big 12 would send teams to the contest, which will be played on the ASU campus at Sun Devil Stadium . MPC Computers Bowl
The MPC Computers Bowl at , who will coach Colorado next season, Boise State essayed a late comeback, with junior quarterback Jared Zabransky throwing for one touchdown (a 53-yarder to Drisan James) and running for another. Junior Quinton Jones brought Boise State to within six when he took a Johnny Ayers punt 92 yards for a touchdown with under four minutes to play in the game, but Boise State's last drive from midfield with under two minutes stalled and Zabransky threw an end-zone interception to seal the Eagles' win. Boston College thus extended its NCAA-best bowl winning streak to six games, and also ran the BCS conferences' record to 3-0 against non-BCS teams this bowl season. Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl at the in which, similarly, players from each team streamed onto the field during the last play, thinking the game to be over, and much of the blame for the confusion was later assessed to the officials, who were provided by the Sun Belt Conference. It also brought to mind the 2002 Kentucky-LSU Game as Nebraska players gave their coach the Gatorade dunk before the final play had ended. Though the two offenses combined to score 60 points, neither was superb; Michigan averaged only 4.1 yards per play, committed three turnovers, and allowed five sacks, while Nebraska was only marginally better, gaining an average of 4.6 yards per play, committing two turnovers, and also allowing five sacks. The loss meant that the Michigan, who began the season ranked fourth in Associated Press writers' and USA Today coaches’ polls, would finish the year with a record of 7-5 and unranked in both polls. The Cornhuskers finished 24th in the writer's and coach's polls with a record of 8-4. Emerald Bowl
The Emerald Bowl at SBC Park (now known as only twice for 19 yards. Georgia Tech took a slot normally reserved for the Pac-10 , which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibility. Utah became the first non-BCS school to defeat a BCS-conference team this bowl season. Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl at , who threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Wali Lundy, who ran for only 60 yards but added two touchdowns, including a game-tying score on a 72-yard drive with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Golden Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito shined in defeat, completing 65 percent of his passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns (including two to wide receiver Jared Ellerson), as Minnesota took a 21-7 lead with under seven minutes to go in the second quarter. Virginia kicker Connor Hughes added a field goal as the half ended to bring the Cavaliers within 11, and he came through again with a 39-yarder to give Virginia the lead for good; Hughes finished with ten points. Although Minnesota finished with a nearly seven-minute edge in time of possession, thanks in part to the running of Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell, who combined for 190 yards on 49 carries, and to forcing two Virginia turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Golden Gopher defense allowed the Wahoos to drive from their own three-yard line to record the final field goal and break the tie. Cupito led a last-minute drive for Minnesota, crossing midfield with 37 seconds to go before throwing an end-zone interception that allowed Virginia to run out the clock. Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl at the Eponymous Stadium in El Paso, Texas was the second game of four that were played on December 30, 2005, and matched Big Ten (Northwestern) and Pac-10 (UCLA) teams for the only time this bowl season; the Bruins upended the Wildcats, 50-38, to finish the season with a 10-2 record. While the game was the scoring showcase expected, especially in the first half, when the teams combined for a Sun Bowl-record 51 points, each team departed in several areas from its typical play, making for a game of surprises. UCLA quarterback Drew Olson, who had finished eighth in the voting for the 2005 Heisman Trophy , threw three interceptions (two of which were returned by the Wildcats for touchdowns), matching his total for the entire regular season, when he threw 31 touchdowns. Northwestern kicker Joel Howells, who had made 44 of 45 extra points in the regular season, missed two, as well a field goal, before giving way to backup Amado Villarreal. The Bruins had two rushers top 100 yards, and neither was Maurice Jones-Drew, who had had more than double the rushing yards of any teammate during the regular season; freshman Khalil Bell and sophomore Chris Markey, neither of whom had topped 100 yards in any regular season game, though, shined, running for 293 yards on 42 carries. Finally, Wildcats freshman running back Tyrell Sutton, the 2005 ''The Sporting News'' NCAA freshman of the year, was held to 82 yards rushing by a UCLA defense that ranked 110th in the country. The first half was one of streaks, as Northwestern saw a 22-0 lead, two touchdowns of which were returns of Olson interceptions, equaled and then eclipsed as Bell rushed for two scores and Olson threw a touchdown with just 29 seconds in the half to give UCLA a seven-point lead midway through the game. UCLA continued its offensive progress in the third quarter, as Olson threw a third touchdown just six minutes in, putting UCLA up by fourteen; the Bruins had again taken advantage of good field position off a Wildcats punt, with Northwestern’s Ryan Pederson's averaging but 30.8 yards per punt on the day. Northwestern slowly cut into the Bruins lead as quarterback Brett Basanez lead his team on two scoring drives, finishing the game with 437 yards passing and one touchdown on 71 passing attempts; Basanez, though, did throw two interceptions. After a Mark Philmore touchdown reception cut the UCLA lead to four with 2:29 remaining in the game, UCLA kick returner Brandon Breazell returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards for a touchdown. Basanez led a final drive deep into UCLA territory, connecting twice with Ross Lane, who finished the game as the Wildcats’ top receiver, with 135 yards on seven catches, and finally throwing a touchdown to Shaun Herbert with 23 seconds remaining; Breazell delivered a knockout blow, however, again returning an onside kick for a touchdown, and the Bruins held on for the 12-point win. Independence Bowl
The third of the four games on December 30, 2005 was the Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana . South Carolina, representing the SEC, took an early 21-point lead but was unable to hold off a late charge from Missouri, representing the Big 12, which notched a 38-31 win, denying South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier a bowl win in his first season back in college football. The Gamecocks scored on their first possession and recovered a Missouri fumble on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, setting up a five-yard touchdown scamper by running back Mike Davis. A second touchdown pass by quarterback Blake Mitchell gave South Carolina a 21-0 lead just six minutes into the game, and after a series of punts, the Gamecocks took the ball on a short field and reached the Missouri 16-yard-line when a Mitchell pass was intercepted by senior Marcus King, who returned his pick 98 yards for Missouri’s first score of the game. Davis, who finished the day with 124 yards on 19 carries, added his second touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Missouri Option quarterback Brad Smith, who was his team’s leading passer (21 completions for 283 yards) and rusher (16 carries for 138 yards), drove the Tigers 74 yards in 1:33 before hitting freshman tight end Chase Coffman, his leading receiver, who finished with eight catches for 99 yards, on a five-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers’ halftime deficit to 14. Smith took the Tigers down the field once more to open the third quarter, and, even after Missouri wasted a 76-yard drive when kicker Adam Crossett missed a 22-yard field goal, the Missouri defense forced a punt and Smith engineered an 85-yard drive capped by his 31-yard rushing touchdown. A Derrick Ming interception of a Mitchell pass in Gamecocks territory led to another Smith rushing score, and Crossett atoned for his earlier miss by hitting a 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Mitchell responded with a long drive of his own, hitting freshman wide receiver Sidney Rice, his top target in the game (catching 13 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown), three times en route to a 30-yard Josh Brown field goal. Working against a fatigued Gamecocks defense, which faced a total of 76 Missouri plays on the day, Smith shined on the ground once more, recording a 59-yard run and capping his day with a third rushing touchdown, this from one yard out. Although freshman kick returner Carlos Thomas once more gave the Gamecocks good field position, returning the Missouri kick 43 yards to bring his return average on the day to 31 yards, Mitchell threw his third interception of the day, allowing Mizzou to run out the clock. Meineke Car Care Bowl
The Meineke Car Care Bowl at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina was the first of three scheduled games played on December 31 , 2005 . North Carolina State, representing the ACC, defeated South Florida, which was making its first bowl appearance in its first year as a member of the Big East, 14-0. A scoreless first quarter set the tone for a game in which neither team played well offensively; each team punted twice and neither team could take advantage of a scoring chance, as the Bulls missed a 47-yard field goal on their first possession of the game and the Wolfpack failed to put points on the board after taking over the ball at midfield on a Marcus Hudson blocked punt. The NC State offense came alive in the second quarter as sophomore quarterback Marcus Stone, assuming the starting role from senior Jay Davis, hit wide receiver Brian Clark, who was his team’s leading receiver with two catches for 50 yards, for a 9-yard touchdown and ran for another, giving the Wolfpack a 14-0 halftime lead. The teams reprised their offensive ineptitude in the third quarter, however, as Bulls backup quarterback Carlton Hill fumbled the ball to NC State, only to see Hudson lose a fumble on the next play; Hill fumbled once more two plays later as possession changed hands three times in four plays. Only South Florida managed sustained drives in the fourth quarter, as running back Andre Hall keyed an attack that reached the NC State 17-yard line before quarterback Pat Julmiste threw an interception, ending the Bulls’ scoring chance—a fake punt netted South Florida a first-down in Wolfpack territory with under five minutes to play, but they turned the ball over on downs and failed to threaten again until the waning seconds of the game. Even as he completed only nine of 19 passes for 127 yards, Wolfpack quarterback Marcus Stone outshone his South Florida counterpart, and Julmiste completed just eight of 25 passes for 94 yards—with two-thirds of his total coming with under two minutes to play—as he was outplayed by the freshman Hill, who completed one of two passes for 37 yards but was nevertheless pulled from the game after the second of his fumbles. The running of Hall, the Big East’s leading rusher during the regular season, kept South Florida within striking distance, as he overcame a slow start to finish with 130 yards on 21 carries. In general, though, each defense played well, not only forcing fumbles but pressuring the passer; NC State totaled seven sacks, including three by linebacker Stephen Tulloch, and South Florida notched three, all by defensive end Terrence Royal. Running back Toney Baker helped the Wolfpack to run time off the clock in the fourth quarter and win the time-of-possession battle by nearly four minutes; he finished the day with 90 yards on 23 carries as NC State’s two second-quarter scores proved to be enough for the win. The Bulls were shut out for the first time since the program started in 1997. Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl at the The Memorial Stadium Which Bears Its Name in Memphis, Tennessee was the second game played on December 31, 2005. Fresno State, out of the WAC, failed to end a three-game losing streak that began when the Bulldogs fell by only eight to the top-ranked team in the nation, Southern California , losing to C-USA champion Tulsa, 31-24. Although better known for their passing offenses, each team recorded its first two scores on the ground, as the Bulldogs took a 7-0 first quarter lead on the strength of a seven-yard run carry by senior running back Wendell Mathis, who finished the day with 31 carries for 117 yards. The Golden Hurricane answered quickly and then took the lead in the second quarter as Uril Parrish and Tarrion Adams each recorded a touchdown; Adams finished as Tulsa’s leading rusher, accumulating 103 yards on 11 carries. Fresno State tied the game on a Bryson Sumlin touchdown scamper with 1:14 to play—Sumlin would finish the game with 66 yards on 10 carries—in the first half before a 40-yard Brad DeVault field goal gave Tulsa a three-point halftime lead, even as the Golden Hurricane had possessed the ball for fewer than ten minutes in game’s first half. Behind the play of senior quarterback Paul Pinegar, who threw efficiently if unremarkably (19 completions in 30 attempts for 215 yards), the Bulldogs tied the game early in the third quarter with a Kyle Zimmerman 27-yard field goal. Adams was tackled for a loss on a fourth-down attempt to give Fresno State the ball at the Tulsa 37-yard line, but Mathis was held for short gains by a stout Tulsa defense and Zimmerman eventually missed a field goal from 27 yards out. Golden Hurricane quarterback Paul Smith, who finished the game completing 18 of 27 passes for 236 yards, finally found senior tight end Garrett Mills, who this season broke the career receiving yards mark for a tight end in Division I-A, for productive yards in the third quarter, though Mills nevertheless finished with only four catches on the day, as Tulsa reached midfield before wide receiver Ashlan Davis fumbled the ball, committing Tulsa’s only turnover; in a drive that ran more than five minutes off the clock and took the game into the fourth quarter, Fresno State capitalized, as Pinegar drove the Bulldogs 72 yards and hit wide receiver Joe Fernandez for a 21-yard touchdown, giving Fresno State a 7-point lead. Tulsa’s inability to possess the ball for long stretches bade well for Fresno State, but Davis atoned for his fumble midway through the fourth quarter as he caught a Smith pass and scored from 55 yards to tie the game; Davis finished the day as the leading Tulsa receiver, catching eight passes for 129 yards. Pinegar led another Bulldogs drive but was intercepted near midfield by Golden Hurricane sophomore defensive back Anthony Germany, as Tulsa, despite having run only 55 plays (to Fresno State’s 77) and having possessed the ball for only 20:44, took the lead for good on a four-yard touchdown run by Smith, as a second Pinegar interception with 2:03 to play clinched the win for the Golden Hurricane. Though they ran few plays, Tulsa made them count, averaging 7.0 yards per carry on their running plays as they ran their record to 9-4, defeating the Bulldogs for the first time in five tries. Houston Bowl
The last of three December 31, 2005 games that were contested on , a 49-yarder that gave TCU its winning margin; the Horned Frogs defense held Iowa State scoreless the rest of the way. In winning a poorly executed game in which the teams totaled 20 penalties and seven turnovers, TCU cut the record of BCS conference teams against non-BCS conference teams to 3-2 in what was the last game to be played between a BCS and non-BCS team of the 2005 bowl season. The game was also the last under the "Houston Bowl" banner; after the season, the marketing arm of the Houston Texans , Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, took over the game and renamed it the Texas Bowl . NON-BCS NEW YEAR'S DAY BOWLS Because New Year's Day 2006 fell on a Sunday, a day when the NFL plays most of its games, the league played all but two of its final regular season games that day, and all college football bowl games traditionally held that day were moved to January 2 , which fell on a Monday. These games are generally considered to be the more important of the non-BCS bowls, with half — the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic , the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Capital One Bowl — broadcast on over-the-air television rather than cable (namely ESPN ), and with these six games' having larger-than-average purses; in 2005, for example, the Toyota Gator Bowl paid the lowest purse of the sextet, which, at $1.6 million still more than doubled the $750,000 purse standard for most non-New Year's Day bowls, while the Capital One Bowl handed out the largest non-BCS purse at roughly $5,312,000. Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl, which as of 2005 became the second post-season college football game played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, is considered to be part of this group in spite of the fact that the game is not played on New Year's Day, given the bowl's payout of $2,000,000 and the frequency with which highly-ranked teams participate. The 2005 edition was the second of two games played on December 29, 2005, with the Big 12's Oklahoma Sooners defeating the Pac-10's Oregon Ducks, 17-14, in a matchup of teams each with something to prove. The Ducks were playing to show that they deserved a BCS bowl bid, having gone 10-1 during the regular season (the only loss coming to the nation's top-ranked team, , was once the quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and played in said stadium) at quarterback, as they had done since losing starter Kellen Clemens earlier in the year, the Ducks gained 244 passing yards on 44 attempts, but much of that came in the fourth quarter as the Sooners defense tired during two extended drives. Oregon managed little success on the ground, with their top rusher, senior Terrence Whitehead, going for only 42 yards. Oklahoma's offense played largely efficiently, gaining 365 yards, with redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar completing 59 percent of his passes for 229 yards and one touchdown (freshman Malcolm Kelly was the team's top receiver, hauling in seven Bomar throws for 78 yards). Sophomore Adrian Peterson led the way on the ground, accumulating 79 yards on 23 carries. In spite of their general success, Bomar and Peterson each provided Oregon hope, with Bomar's throwing an interception and Peterson's fumbling within a yard of the goal line. The Ducks, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, were unable to convert a first-down in the shadow of their own goal posts against the aggressive Sooners defense and thus failed to capitalize on the Peterson turnover. Their defense, though, stymied every Oklahoma drive in the fourth quarter, getting two more possessions for the offense, and Oregon drove 81 yards in 14 plays, with Brady Leaf's hitting Tim Day for a three-yard touchdown. Once more the Sooners offense failed to convert a third-down on their ensuing possession as the Ducks defense tightened, and, behind a resurgent Leaf, Oregon drove to the Oklahoma 19-yard-line before Sooners senior linebacker Clint Ingram intercepted a Leaf pass to seal the victory for the Sooners. However, on July 11 , 2007 , following an investigation into the use of two players being used in a fake job scandal by Sooner boosters, the NCAA announced that the game, along with eight victories from the 2005 regular season would be stricken from the record books. However, since bowl games are not sanctioned by the NCAA, Oklahoma was allowed to keep their payout. Peach Bowl
The Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia , like the Holiday Bowl, is not played on New Year's Day but is considered part of this group, given shared characteristics: a large payout and the participation of highly-ranked teams. This year's game was the nightcap of four contests played on December 30, 2005, the first game of three in the span of four days at the facility, and matched the ACC's Miami (Florida), who were the defending champions of this game, and the SEC’s LSU. The game was expected to be competitive and low-scoring, given that each team was ranked in top ten in the AP writers’ and USA Today coaches’ polls and that each ranked amongst the top six in Division I-A in total defense. The outcome, though, was anything but close as the Hurricanes struck first with a field goal six-plus minutes into the game and then watched as the Tigers, led by sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn, who replaced the injured led the way with 24 carries for 128 yards and one touchdown; fullback Jacob Hester and added 66 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. The Tigers kicking game also added in the scoring, as Colt David made four extra points and Chris Jackson connected on four field goals, including a 50-yarder to end LSU scoring, and participated in a fake field goal the Tigers used to convert a first down already up 31. The Hurricanes turned the ball over only once, as freshman quarterback Kirby Freeman entered the game with Miami down 37 and promptly threw an interception, but they allowed LSU to sack quarterback Kyle Wright four times; pressure and tight coverage led to Wright’s making only 10 of 21 passes for just 99 yards. Neither was the running game able to get any traction for Miami, as the Hurricanes averaged just 2.0 yards per carry, with leading rusher sophomore Charlie Jones recording only 49 yards on eight carries, 42 of that on one run. The loss was the worst in post-season history for the Hurricanes. The contest, the last to be termed the "Peach Bowl" (the game was renamed the "Chick-fil-A Bowl" after the season), was marred by a postgame scuffle in which an ersatz fight between Tigers and Hurricanes players was ostensibly misunderstood by several Hurricanes, who initiated actual physical contact, necessitating the intervention of Georgia State Patrol officers and medical treatment for Miami offensive lineman Andrew Bain, who was reported to have been briefly unconscious, but was instead dazed after being hit in the head by a helmet. Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl at . Florida recovered the ensuing retry and ran the clock out, leaving Iowa just short in its comeback effort and dropping the Hawkeyes’ record to 7-5 for the season. Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic, played at the , who completed 19 of 31 passes for 275 yards, drove his team 55 yards late in the fourth quarter to set up kicker Jamie Christensen’s 46-yard game-winning field goal. Alabama struck first, scoring less than four minutes into the game as Croyle hit sophomore wide receiver Keith Brown for a 76-yard touchdown; Brown finished as Croyle’s top target, gaining 142 yards on five catches. An Alex Trlica 34-yard field goal brought Texas Tech to within four, and the teams traded blocked field goals to end the first half; Christensen also missed a field goal from 38 yards early in the second quarter but the two kicks he made were more significant than the two he missed. Though the Crimson Tide defense kept the Red Raiders in check most of the second half, Hodges engineered late drives for Texas Tech, using both his legs (he finished as his team’s top rusher, gaining 93 yards on 13 carries) and arm and eventually hitting Jarrett Hicks for a game-tying touchdown. The Red Raiders defense, though, could not stop Croyle, and the Crimson Tide came away with a win in their first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1982. The walkoff field goal by Christensen was the first game-ending score in the game since 1979, when Joe Montana brought Notre Dame from behind to defeat Houston. Gator Bowl
The third of the six traditional New Year's Day contests played on January 2, 2006 was the Gator Bowl at hit wide receiver Justin Harper for a 33-yard touchdown, cutting the Hokies’ halftime deficit to seven. In a third quarter marked by defensive toughness, only the Hokies managed to score, taking the ball on their own one-yard line and driving 88 yards, largely behind running backs Brandon Ore and Cedric Humes, who combined to gain 166 yards on 32 carries, before a Louisville defensive stand forced them to settle for another Pace field goal. In a span of 66 seconds early in the fourth quarter, each team scored a touchdown, as Gary Barnidge caught a 29-yard Cantwell pass and Humes ran 24 yards before the Hokies added a two-point conversion to cut the Louisville lead to three points. An opportunistic Virginia Tech defense contained Louisville back Michael Bush in the fourth quarter (he gained 94 yards on 16 carries for the game) and took advantage of Cantwell’s inexperience, forcing a fumble (off of which Vick threw a two-yard touchdown to Jeff King, finishing his day with 11 completions in 21 attempts for 204 yards) and then recording an interception which James Anderson returned 40 yards for a touchdown to give Virginia Tech the 11-point margin by which they would eventually win; the defense sealed the victory with a third interception of Cantwell (who finished the game having completed only 42 percent of his passes) and, behind Humes, the Hokies ran out the clock. After the game, video showed Vick, ostensibly intentionally, stepping on the leg of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil; though none of the Big 12 officiating crew saw the play as it happened, the head referee, upon seeing a replay of the play, indicated that he would have ejected Vick had he seen the play. On January 6 , Hokies coach Frank Beamer announced that Vick had been dismissed from the team; Vick later announced that, in lieu of transferring to another Division I-A school, after which he would have had to sit out one year, or to a Division I-AA, II, or III school, whereupon he could play immediately, he would forgo his senior season, declaring his eligibility for the 2006 NFL Draft . Capital One Bowl
The ''', his fourth season of double-digit wins. Defensive coordinator Bret Bielema assumed head coaching duties in 2006, and led them back to the game. BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAMES ''The purse for each BCS game was $14,998,000.'' Fiesta Bowl
The first BCS Game, the Fiesta Bowl at from claiming a bowl victory. The win was the third in the Fiesta Bowl for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel , who saw his team defeat Miami (Florida), 31-24, in the double overtime 2003 edition, thereby claiming the 2002 national championship. As the second team in the BCS from the Big Ten, Ohio State earned an extra $4.5 million for its participation, while each of the six BCS conferences received an extra $1.7 million to be shared amongst their teams. Notre Dame, as an independent school without conference affiliation, kept its entire payout. The following season's game, along with the new stand-alone BCS Title Game , was moved to the new University Of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona . Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl, the second BCS bowl, and the final game of six played on January 2, 2006, was contested at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, having been, like the New Orleans Bowl, displaced from the Louisiana Superdome by Hurricane Katrina. West Virginia, representing the Big East as conference champion, upset Georgia, the winner of the , and an NFL contest between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons was played on January 1 , which the Panthers won 44-11. The game returned to New Orleans in 2007. Orange Bowl
The third BCS game, the Orange Bowl, was played at in 1990. Penn State won without the services of Dick Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny , who was injured early in the second half and did not return; after having been taken for X-rays , however, Posluszny returned to the sidelines to motivate his team. The Nittany Lions finished third in the final writers ( AP ) and coaches' ( USA Today ) polls. Rose Bowl Game
See Also: 2006 Rose Bowl The Rose Bowl Game, serving as the final game and national championship of the BCS series, was played on January 4 , 2006 , at the Eponymous Stadium in Pasadena, California , matching the two remaining unbeaten Division I-A squads, Big 12 champion Texas and defending national champion and Pac-10 titleholder Southern California, and saw a back-and-forth contest ultimately won by the Longhorns, 41-38. Southern California entered the game with a 34-game winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I-A, as they also were going for an unprecedented third consecutive AP national championship.; Texas brought the second-longest active streak, having won 19 straight games, and also entered as Rose Bowl defending champion, having defeated Michigan in 2005. The game also featured 2004 Heisman Trophy-winning Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart and 2005 Heisman Trophy-winning Trojans running back Reggie Bush , as well as Longhorns quarterback Vince Young , who had finished second to Bush just weeks before the game, and was the first to have matched teams ranked first and second in every iteration of the BCS standings. The game often referred to as '''The Granddaddy of Them All''' took on extra significance, then, and in the weeks preceding the contest was widely referred to by analysts as '''''"the greatest championship game ever"''''', given both the talent of each team and the expected competitiveness of the game. NON-ALL-STAR GAME BOWL SUMMARY Conference standings The list of conferences infra includes all conferences with at least one team having played in a bowl game (minor, non-BCS New Year's Day, or BCS), and is sorted first by winning percentage, then by total games won, and finally alphabetically, by conference name. The conferences with the highest winning percentage received the Bowl Challenge Cup , sponsored by ESPN and Cooper Tires . Conferences must have had a minimum of three bowl teams to be eligible. With Texas' win in the Rose Bowl Game, the Big 12 and the ACC will share the title for 2005-06, in the first instance of a shared title in the promotion's brief history. Had Southern California defeated Texas, the Pac-10 would have finished with a 4-1 record and been the sole winner of the trophy. Final Standings § — ''Did not field enough teams for inclusion in the Bowl Challenge Cup.'' All-Bowl Teams Both {Link without Title} compiled an all-bowl team after the completion of the minor, non-BCS New Year's Day, and BCS bowls, determining the top bowl performances by position. The chart infra gives the lists by position, with each player's school in parentheses; where ESPN.com has chosen the same player as CBSSportsline.com, only the last name is given in the second entry. Top Individual Bowl Performances The charts infra provide the top ten individual performances in each of three offensive categories from amongst all bowl game performances. Each chart is ordered by yards gained and each player's team is given in parentheses. Rushing (all players played primarily at running back unless otherwise noted) Passing Receiving (all players played primarily at wide receiver) Top Team Bowl Performances The charts provide the top five (and ties) team performances in each of two offensive and defensive categories. Total offense and defense charts are ordered by yards gained and surrendered, respectively; scoring offense and defense charts are ordered by points scored and surrendered, respectively. "Scoring offense" and "scoring defense" points totals include points all points scored by a team, not solely those scored by the respective units. Total Offense (each performance was in a winning effort, unless otherwise noted) Total Defense (each performance was in a winning effort) Scoring Offense (each performance was in a winning performance, unless otherwise noted) Scoring Defense (each performance was in a winning performance) ALL-STAR GAMES The demise of the Blue-Gray Football Classic two years ago and the cancellation of the Gridiron Classic due to lack of sponsorship this year gave rise to one new game this year (the Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic), bringing to five the number of post-season all-star games, each of which is now designed primarily to showcase draft-eligible players for NFL scouts, coaches, and general managers in order that players might be drafted into the professional ranks; each game, to that end, offers its own assortment of scouting sessions, open workouts, and individual practices to provide more opportunities during which NFL personnel might evaluate players. The games do serve ancillary purposes as well, though, as, for example, the Shrine game operates as a charitable fundraiser and the Hula Bowl sometimes provides the opportunity for Japanese players from the Kansai Football Association to test their mettle against NCAA stars. Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic
The inaugural Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic was played at tight end Boone Stutz from seven yards, giving his team a 17-7 lead. An end-zone sack of Jyles by Appalachian State defensive end Justin Hunter scored a safety for Red, but, even as Alabama State running back Keldrick Williams ran for 67 yards on just eight carries for Red, neither team could manage a score over the game's last 21:18 as White hung on to win by eight. Las Vegas All-American Classic
The Las Vegas All-American Classic at Sam Boyd Stadium on the campus of UNLV in eponymous city, was played on January 14 , 2006 , as a team of Division I-A and I-AA and NAIA all-stars from schools located east of the Mississippi River defeated a similarly-constituted team from schools located west of the Mississippi for the first time in three years, 41-3. Miami (Florida) fullback Quadtrine Hill scored two of the East's first three touchdowns (on which two extra points were missed), one a rush and one a reception from Central Michigan quarterback Kent Smith, as the East took a 19-3 lead midway through the second quarter; between Hill's scores was a touchdown reception by Carroll College (Montana) wide receiver Tyler Emmert, on a pass thrown by Murray State quarterback Daniel Rumley. An inconsistent offensive performance by the West and a taut defensive showing by the East held the West scoreless for the remainder of the game; the West team ultimately gained only 102 yards for the game. Tulane safety Tra Boger extended the East lead to 23 points in the third quarter, as he returned an interception thrown by Brett Elliott, a backup quarterback at Utah, 40 yards for a touchdown. Florida State running back James Coleman scored for the East in the third quarter, and, after successfully converting a two-point attempt, the East team took a 34-3 lead into the fourth quarter. Drives by each team stalled repeatedly in the second half, and the East's final touchdown came again on defense, as Boger returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown. Overall, each offense was inconsistent, and the teams combined for just 391 yards, only 157 of that on the ground. In total, 14 players whose teams appeared in bowl games participated for the East (four were supplied by Miami {Link without Title} , from which the most East players came); the number was 16 for the West team, for whom the principal supplier was Iowa State (three players). East-West Shrine Game
The East-West Shrine Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, the titlular sponsor's home city, was the first of two all-star games contested on quarterback Tarvaris Jackson led the East on the ensuing drive, notably hitting Western Michigan wide receiver Greg Jennings for a key first down, and, with one second left, connected with Colston, who caught five passes for 82 yards for the game, for a gain to the West one-yard line; the final play of the game was a handoff to Howard, but this time the West defense held and Howard was stopped short of the goal line as the West preserved the win. Though the West committed two turnovers (Pinegar's interception and a fumble) and the East none, the East also committed errors, being flagged for 11 penalties totaling 110 yards by the National Football League referees who officiated the game. McNeal's Texas A&M head coach, Dennis Franchione , led the West team in victory, while Arkansas' Houston Nutt coached the East team. Each team, in keeping with Shrine Game tradition, fielded one player from a Canadian college or university; for the East, Western Ontario wide receiver Andy Fantuz caught one pass for 11 yards, while, for the West, Calgary defensive tackle Daniel Federkiel registered a tackle. Organizers expressed disappointment in the game's crowd; the move to Texas had been made, in part, because attendance was declining in San Francisco, but the game drew but 18,533 fans, the fewest for any Shrine Game in 79 years. Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i, was the second all-star game played on 's Jason Brown for a total of 40 yards. Behind Miami (Ohio) quarterback Josh Betts, who led all quarterbacks in the game in completing 7 of 15 passes for 106 yards, the East team drove to the West 19-yard line on the ensuing drive before the offense stalled and settled for a 36-yard field goal by Notre Dame kicker D.J. Fitzpatrick. Working at quarterback for the West, Texas State 's Barrick Nealy, who would complete only one of nine pass attempts in the game, that for minus-nine yards, threw an interception caught by Iowa State free safety Steve Paris, and, working on a short field, the East took the lead for good early in the second quarter when Linfield quarterback Brett Elliot, who would finish the day having completed four of eight passes for 53 yards, connected with Central Florida receiver Brandon Marshall on a 10-yard scoring pass; Marshall, who would finish as the game's leading receiver, catching five passes for 101 yards, was voted game most valuable player by the assembled media, notching his second MVP award in Hawai'i during the bowl season, having previously been voted co-MVP in Central Florida's Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl loss. The Fitzpatrick extra point gave the East a three-point lead, and the cushion would stand as each team struggled offensively during the remainder of the game; the West would lose a fumble for its second turnover of the day, and the East would give away possession three times, with Elliot's and Betts' each throwing an interception. Each team did had some success on the ground early in the second half, as Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels and Bowling Green 's P.J. Pope carried 18 times in the game for a combined 77 yards, and as a trimuverate of North Texas ' Patrick Cobbs, Utah's Quinton Ganther, and Nealy rushed for 76 yards over 20 carries; nonetheless, each defense also forced several negative rushing plays, and for the day the East averaged only 3.5 yards per carry, bettering West's 2.3 average. Passing production was no better, and, on the day, the five quarterbacks combined to complete just 16 of 45 passes for zero touchdowns and three interceptions; the teams further combined for just 27 total first downs and 406 yards. The West, though, had two opportunities late in the game to tie the score or take the lead, as Iowa cornerback Jovon Johnson returned an interception to the 21-yard line and as Missouri cornerback Marcus King intercepted a pass near midfield; the East sacked Smith for a 15-yard loss on third down after the Johnson interception, taking the West out of field goal range, and, after the King interception, forced a Smith fumble to seal the game. Though Marshall was selected as game MVP by the media, each coaching staff also gave an award; for the West, head coach Tyrone Willingham , representing Washington , and assistants Dick Tomey ( San Jose State ), Chuck Martin ( Grand Valley State ), and Bob Berezowitz ( Wisconsin-Whitewater ), selected Smith, who scored the only touchdown of the game for the West, while, for the East, head coach Tommy Tuberville (Auburn) and assistants Skip Holtz ( East Carolina ), Scot Dapp ( Moravian ), and Jerry Moore ( Appalachian State ) selected Illinois State defensive end Brent Hawkins, who recorded a sack and forced fumble and several quarterback pressures. Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl, whose presenting sponsor was a local grocery chain, concluded the college football season at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on quarterback Darrell Hackney to a combined 5-for-13 passing for just 55 yards, sacking the two twice, and forcing a Shockley interception. Nevertheless, thanks to the play of Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams, who was named the South's offensive MVP, carrying thrice for 31 yards and catching two passes for 28 more, the South assembled a successful drive late in the third quarter, and, just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hackney completed a 17-yard scoring pass to Auburn wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, cutting the South's deficit to 10. Another successful defensive stand by the South was negated when Bullocks recovered his second muffed punt of the day, setting up Cutler's seven-yard touchdown toss to Arizona State wide receiver Derek Hagan, who caught three passes for 25 yards on the day; Yaussi's successful extra point attempt—the seventh point he would score on the day—returned the North advantage to 17, where it would stay. The South's offensive efforts were hampered by the team's inability to rush the ball consistently; Mississippi State running back Jerrious Norwood, Louisiana State running back Joseph Addai, and South Florida running back Andre Hall gained just 11 yards over their seven carries. Providing receiving help for the South were California-Los Angeles tight end Dominique Byrd, who led all receivers with four catches for 67 yards, and Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant , who added two catches for 23 yards; for the North, Auburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu, North Carolina State tight end T.J. Williams, and New Mexico wide receiver Hank Bassett each added a reception and at least 13 yards. For his role in holding the South to 179 total yards, Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali, who recorded two sacks, was named the defensive MVP for the North; for the South, the defensive MVP was Georgia Tech linebacker Gerris Wilkinson, who recorded a sack and four tackles. The victorious North squad was coached by the staff of the Tennessee Titans , led by Jeff Fisher , while the South team was coached by the San Francisco 49ers ' staff, headed by Mike Nolan . RELATED LINKS List Of Conference Tie-ins To Specific Bowl Games And Placement Order
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