Winners and Losers from the Bowl games
WINNERS
Florida State
Another group set for an optimistic offseason are the Seminoles, who moved to 10-3 in coach Mike Norvell's third season with a 35-32 Cheez-It Bowl win against Oklahoma. FSU became the latest to torch the Sooners' defense, racking up 587 yards behind another banner game from quarterback Jordan Travis, who will feature prominently in the preseason Heisman Trophy conversation after throwing for a career-high 418 yards. The 10-win finish is the program's first since 2016 and strongly suggests that FSU is ready to take the next step and truly challenge Clemson for ACC supremacy.
LOSERS
Florida
A season that once held a little bit of promise — the Gators were 4-2 at the midway point with a win against Utah and competitive losses to Kentucky and Tennessee — cratered down the stretch, leaving Billy Napier as the first Florida coach to post a losing record in his first season since 1979. The low point might've been the 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, which saw the Beavers hold the Gators to 1.2 yards per carry and off the scoreboard until a meaningless field goal with under a minute left.
Clemson
All eyes will be on rising sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik and his offseason development following an ugly line against the Volunteers: 30 completions in 54 for 320 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. After he played so well in the ACC championship game against North Carolina, this showing in the Orange Bowl reinforces the need for Klubnik to take a big step forward this offseason in order for the Tigers to make another playoff run in 2023. But there are other issues, including an unimpressive receiver corps in need of a reboot and the projected loss of several key defenders, most along the defensive front. By beating Tennessee, Clemson could've staked a claim for one of the top spots in most way-too-early Top 25 rankings. Instead, look for a heavy dose of cynicism about the Tigers' chances of winning next year's national championship.
