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ESPN
Dec 24, 2025, 11:55 PM ET
The 2025 bowl season is in full swing and ESPN’s college football experts are here to highlight the best performances.
We’ll pick MVPs from each of the 36 bowl games from Dec. 13 to Jan. 2. These are our experts’ picks and won’t necessarily align with the official bowl MVP.
Check back after each game for the latest top performances from bowl season.
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl: Hawai’i 35, Cal 31
MVP: QB Micah Alejado
After so much attention was placed on Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and his bowl homecoming, Alejado proved to be the best quarterback on the field Wednesday, engineering the largest comeback in Hawai’i Bowl history and tying the largest in Rainbow Warriors team history. Hawai’i erased a 21-0 deficit with six consecutive scoring drives. Although Alejado was not on the field for the game winner, as backup quarterback Luke Weaver delivered a 22-yard touchdown strike to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds to play, he put Hawai’i in position with precision passing, brilliant decision-making and a fearless 12-yard run on third-and-10 from the Hawai’i 47-yard line. Alejado completed 14 consecutive passes midway through the game and finished with 274 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and 33 rushing yards. His perfectly placed 17-yard touchdown strike to a diving Brandon White gave Hawai’i its first lead with 7:19 to play. — Adam Rittenberg
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: Ohio 17, UNLV 10
MVP: RB Sieh Bangura
Ohio running back Sieh Bangura capped off a brilliant senior season with one of the finest games of his career. Bangura, who spent three seasons at Ohio, transferred to Minnesota for the 2024 season and then returned to Ohio, rushed for 149 yards on just 19 carries. His 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter proved to be the winning score for the Bobcats, as they finished the season 9-4. It was Ohio’s seventh straight bowl win, which stands as the second-longest postseason winning streak in the country. — Kyle Bonagura
New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky 27, Southern Miss 16
MVP: QB Maverick McIvor
McIvor entered the New Orleans Bowl in the second half and provided a spark for the Hilltoppers, completing 12 of 19 passes for 199 passing yards and rushing for a touchdown — his first rushing score since the season opener. McIvor opened the season as the starter, but an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in October cut his regular season short. Even after he was cleared to return, Rodney Tisdale Jr. remained the starter. Coach Tyson Helton said in the lead-up to the bowl game that both quarterbacks would prepare as if they would start. After Tisdale threw for 65 yards and an interception in the first half, Helton turned to McIvor. And he delivered. — Andrea Adelson
Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl: Louisville 27, Toledo 22
MVP: RB Isaac Brown
Playing in his first game since Nov. 1, Brown rushed for 102 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns, reminding people of what makes him one of the most dynamic backs in the country. Both touchdown runs came in the fourth quarter, when Louisville needed an offensive boost after struggling to put drives together consistently. His return to play was unknown until hours before kickoff, when he was seen warming up. Louisville was in the thick of the ACC race when Brown went down because of a lower leg injury. The Cardinals lost their final three conference games without him. Defensive end Clev Lubin deserves special mention as well for his standout performance with 7 tackles (4 solo), 1.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. — Adelson
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State 34, Utah State 21
MVP: QB Zevi Eckhaus
Granted, he had some “least valuable” moments on the day, too, thanks to three interceptions, but Wazzu cruised to a comfortable win over Utah State because of brilliant team defense — USU gained just 106 yards in the first three quarters — and some huge throws from Eckhaus. The senior QB completed passes to an incredible 12 different players and finished with 334 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus 51 non-sack rushing yards as well. Utah State tried to rally in the second half, but the Cougs’ offense wouldn’t let them: Eckhaus’ final TD pass, a 39-yarder to Landon Wright, all but sealed the deal. — Bill Connelly
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: NC State 31, Memphis 7
MVP: LB Caden Fordham
The NC State linebacker made his final college game a very memorable one, helping the Wolfpack to their first bowl win since 2017. He was all over the field, especially during a dominant first half that essentially put the game out of reach. Fordham led NC State with 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. He assisted on a fourth-down stop of Memphis’ Frank Peeasant midway through the first quarter. Then, on the next Memphis series, Fordham intercepted a Brendon Lewis pass and raced 55 yards to the Tigers’ 3-yard line. Will Wilson scored two plays later as NC State took a three-touchdown lead. It was the second career interception for Fordham, a first-team All-ACC selection and third-team AP All-America selection, who led the team and ranked fifth nationally in tackles per game (10.8). — Rittenberg
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6
MVP: RB Jalen Buckley
Can you win bowl MVP before the end of the first quarter? Buckley, a junior running back for Western Michigan who earned third-team All-MAC honors and won league championship game MVP honors, proved it was possible on the teal turf. He set the tone on the very first snap, scooting through a hole on the right side of the line for a 65-yard touchdown. Buckley added a 57-yard run later in the quarter to set up WMU’s fourth touchdown and also showed his effectiveness in short-yardage situations, converting a fourth-and-1 inside the Kennesaw State 10-yard line to set up another score. With several minutes left in the first quarter, Buckley was up to 172 yards on only seven carries, as WMU led 27-0. He added only one carry the rest of the way, turning things over to a defense that scored two touchdowns and received big performances from end Rodney McGraw (two forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks) and others. — Rittenberg
Xbox Bowl: Arkansas State 34, Missouri State 28
MVP: WR Corey Rucker
The Arkansas State sixth-year senior wide receiver became only the 24th player in FBS history to reach 4,000 career receiving yards. Rucker’s 71-yard touchdown reception — the second longest of his career, according to ESPN Research, which also put him over 4,000 — handed Arkansas State an early 14-0 lead. Despite the hot start, the Red Wolves still had to survive a late Missouri State rally, following a missed field goal attempt and series of costly penalties. Rucker finished with six receptions for 166 yards, as the Red Wolves prevailed 34-28 to win bowl games in consecutive years for the first time since 2012-13. — Jake Trotter
68 Ventures Bowl: Delaware 20, Louisiana 13
MVP: RB Jo Silver
It was hardly a game of offensive fireworks, but in Delaware’s first season as an FBS program, the Blue Hens won a bowl thanks in large part to the explosiveness of Silver. His 61-yard run in the first half opened the scoring, and he finished with 116 yards on 14 carries. Silver’s success on the ground helped make up for a lackluster passing performance from a team that had led Conference USA in yards through the air. It was Silver’s second 100-yard game of the season. — David Hale
StaffDNA Cure Bowl: Old Dominion 24, South Florida 10
MVP: QB Quinn Henicle
Old Dominion moved to 10-3 on the season, and it did so without starting quarterback Colton Joseph.
Neither team had its regular QB1, but while USF’s reserves tossed four picks in the game, ODU’s Henicle did all he needed to win without making any critical miscues. Henicle finished with 127 passing yards, 107 more on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. — Hale
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Jacksonville State 17, Troy 13
MVP: WR Deondre Johnson
After transferring from Rutgers in the offseason, the 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore slowly became more integrated in the Jacksonville State offense as the season progressed and was a key player by the time the regular season ended. In the Gamecocks’ 17-13 win against Troy in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, Johnson capped his strong second half of the season with another sparkling performance. He caught six passes for 101 yards and had another 40-plus yard reception negated due to offensive pass interference. Assuming he remains at Jacksonville State, Johnson figures to be one of the better receivers outside the Power 4 in college football next year. — Bonagura
Bucked Up LA Bowl: Washington 38, Boise State 10
MVP: QB Demond Williams Jr.
Washington quarterback Williams capped a strong sophomore season with an MVP performance in the Bucked Up LA Bowl, guiding the Huskies to a 38-10 win against Boise State. Williams completed 15 of 24 passes for 214 yards with 4 touchdown passes. Three of those scores came in the second quarter as Washington jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead. Williams had brilliant moments throughout the season — but he was inconsistent — and again showed the type of talent that could make the Huskies a serious contender in the Big Ten next season. — Bonagura
Cricket Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State 40, Prairie View A&M 38
MVP: WR Jordan Smith
Smith turned in one of the great Celebration Bowl performances to help South Carolina State overcome a 21-0 halftime deficit and beat Prairie View A&M 40-38 in quadruple overtime. Smith finished with nine receptions for 152 yards and a pair of scores to go along with five carries for 28 yards and another touchdown. His 10-yard receiving touchdown with two minutes left in regulation forced overtime as part of the Bulldogs’ 35-point second half. — Bonagura
