From mayonnaise baths and squabbles over opt-outs to thrilling finishes, heroic performances and historic outcomes, Bowl Season brought a little bit of everything for college football fans over the holidays as the 2021 season came to an end. The action started on Dec. 17 with a Middle Tennessee win over Toledo in the Bahamas Bowl and ran all the way into January with captivating Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl games.
In between, there were memorable moments for programs all over the country who closed the book on their campaigns with one last hurrah. While bowl games may be relatively forgettable to some big-time programs left out of the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six games, they clearly meant a lot to some teams enjoying the national spotlight provided by a postseason platform.
Among those falling in that category were UCF, which finally got a crack at Florida and beat the Gators 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23. Another significant regional outcome came a week later, when South Carolina edged North Carolina 38-21 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl to finish with a 7-6 record in Shane Beamer's first season as head coach.
While there was plenty of discussion about the flaws of the bowl game system as some coaches left their teams for new jobs and some players opted out, it was clear in the celebrations of most victors who got one last chance to play came with plenty of meaning.
We covered all the action here, and you can relive the big moments of bowl season by scrolling through for analysis and highlights from all the action.
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