The bowl season is over for Group of Five teams, and here is a look at how each conference did in the bowl games.
This is not a way to rate the best conference, just to show how they fared. The American Athletic Conference (4-3) and the Mid-American Conference (4-2) were the two leagues above .500. Conference USA was 3-3, and the Sun Belt and Mountain West were both 3-4.
Three G5 teams deserve special mention for beating P5 teams in bowl games. One came from the best game we wrote about in discussing the most exciting bowl games involving at least one G5 team – Tulane 46, USC 45.
Here is a brief summary of the other two.
Armed Forces Bowl – Air Force 30, Baylor 15
This was even more lopsided than the score suggested. Air Force led 30-7 before Baylor scored a TD late in the fourth quarter. Senior QB Haaziq Daniels earned the MVP. He rushed for 81 yards (5.6 avg.) and a TD (no surprise) and completed 4 of 7 passes for 103 yards score (very surprising).
LA Bowl: Fresno State 29, Washington State 6
Fresno State (10-4) became the first FBS team to start 1-4 and finish with 10 wins. This was a true pounding. The MVP was Fresno State running back Jordan Mims, who rushed for 209 yards (11.6 avg.) and two touchdowns. WSU was held to just 1.6 yards per carry and 137 yards passing in a dominant performance.
Conference bowl records
Here is how each conference performed in bowl games and the results of those games. One other interesting note – of the three AAC teams that are moving up to become P5 members in the Big 12, two of them lost. Cincinnati and UCF each lost by 17 points to Louisville and Duke, respectively. Houston departed the AAC with a win, defeating Louisiana 23-16.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (4-3)
Wins
Houston 23, Louisiana 16 – Independence Bowl
Memphis 38, Utah State 10 – First Responder Bowl
East Carolina 53, Coastal Carolina 29 – Birmingham Bowl
Tulane 46, USC 45 – Cotton Bowl
Losses
Cincinnati 7, Louisville 24 – Fenway Bowl
SMU 23, BYU 24 – New Mexico Bowl
UCF 13, Duke 30 – Military Bowl
CONFERENCE USA (3-3)
Wins
UAB 24, Miami Ohio 20 – Bahamas Bowl
Western Kentucky 44 South Alabama 23, – New Orleans Bowl
Middle Tennessee 25, San Diego State 23 – Hawaii Bowl
Losses
UTSA 12, Troy 18 – Cure Bowl
Rice 24, Southern Mississippi 38 -LendingTree Bowl
North Texas 32, Boise State 35 – Frisco Bowl
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (4-2)
Wins
Eastern Michigan 41, San Jose State 27 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Toledo 21, Liberty 19 – Boca Raton Bowl
Buffalo 23, Georgia Southern 21 – Camellia Bowl
Ohio 30, Wyoming 27 (OT) – Arizona Bowl
Losses
Miami Ohio 20, UAB 24 – Bahamas Bowl
Bowling Green 19, New Mexico State 24 – Quick Lane Bowl
MOUNTAIN WEST (3-4)
Wins
Fresno State 29, Washington State 6 – LA Bowl
Boise State 35, North Texas 32 – Frisco Bowl
Air Force 30, Baylor 15 – Armed Forces Bowl
Losses
San Jose State 27, Eastern Michigan 41 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
San Diego State 23, Middle Tennessee 25 – Hawaii Bowl
Utah State 10, Memphis 38 – First Responder Bowl
Wyoming 27, Ohio 30 (OT) – Arizona Bowl
SUN BELT (3-4)
Wins
Troy 18, USTA 12 – Cure Bowl
Southern Mississippi 38, Rice 24 – LendingTree Bowl
Marshall 28, UConn 14 – Myrtle Beach Bowl
Losses
South Alabama 23, Western Kentucky 44 – New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana 16, Houston 23 – Independence Bowl
Georgia Southern 21, Buffalo 23 – Camellia Bowl
Coastal Carolina 29, East Carolina 53 – Birmingham Bowl
INDEPENDENTS (1-2)
Wins
New Mexico State 24, Bowling Green 19 – Quick Lane Bowl
Losses
UConn 14, Marshall 28 – Myrtle Beach Bowl
Liberty 19, Toledo 21 – Boca Raton Bowl
