Fake College Football Playoffs: Recap of Dec. 20 Bowls

Note: This is a simulation of a college football bowl playoff scenario. Read the full proposal here.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Northwestern 41, Indiana 10

In a Big Ten rematch, the Northwestern Wildcats made this no match as they rolled over the Indiana Hoosiers 41-10 at the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.  After both teams finished disappointing seasons - particularly the Wildcats - Northwestern came out firing against a weak Indiana defense. Perhaps the brightest spot for NU was the return of QB Kain Colter, who battled through countless injuries, threw for 353 yards and 4 TD's in one of his most impressive games of the year.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Utah State 20, Western Kentucky 17

It was a back-and-forth affair on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium, but Utah State was able to slip past Western Kentucky 20-17 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.  Trailing 17-13 with just 43 seconds left to play, Aggies' QB Dare Garretson connected with TE Bruce Natson on a 16-yard-touchdown pass that would prove to be the game winner.  Garretson and Natson proved to be an effective combination throughout the game.  Garretson passed for 302 yards and 2 TD's, while Natson had seven receptions for 99 yards.  It was USU's first bowl win since visiting Boise in the same bowl in 2011.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Maryland 27, North Texas 7

Maryland brought a stout run defense to the Big Easy, holding North Texas to just 28 rushing yards in a 27-7 victory in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.  The Mean Green were shutout until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter as the Terrapins remained in control the entire game. Maryland QB C.J. Brown led the way with one of the more impressive performances of the post season thus far, tallying 307 yards and 3 TD's as he completed 75 percent of his passes.  His favorite target was Stefon Diggs, who caught a TD and 129 yards worth of passes.  It was Maryland's first bowl victory since 2010.