Michigan defeated Washington to win the 2024 National Championship. It is their first outright National Championship since 1948.

Jacksonville State also won a bowl game in their first year in the FBS.

This was one of the many compelling storylines that shaped this year’s FBS bowl season. There were incredible games, feel-good stories, and validation for programs across the country. Here are some of the best.

Michigan Defeats Alabama 27-20

Heading into this game, it was already arguably Nick Saban’s best coaching job ever. To take what seemed to be a doomed quarterback room and a struggling offensive line and beat the reigning National Champs in the Georgia Bulldogs was amazing.

On the other side of the bowl, there were also storylines galore. The Jim Harbaugh suspensions and CFP losses in the two previous years had created a hungry dog in the Michigan Wolverines that couldn’t be tamed by anyone in the regular season. The game was shaping up to be a clash for the ages, and it sure was.

The game was amazing for four quarters, and thanks to some late-game heroics by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Wolverines took the game to overtime. In fitting fashion, Blake Corrum had a monster run to put the maize and blue on the board first.

Alabama then needed to score to shoot for another overtime. Unfortunately, fate spat in the face of Nick Saban, as the quarterback he had spent all year building up failed to score on the final play of the Tide’s season.

Even though Alabama’s season was over, the drama was not. A few weeks after the Rose Bowl, Nick Saban announced his retirement from football. What Saban did with Alabama will never be replicated, and even though this is the end of an era, fans can go to sleep with the words of Roll Tide Willie echoing through their heads:

“I don’t give a piss about nothing but the Tide!”

Washington defeatsTexas 37-31

For all the smack Texas talks, many would think they are a common attendee of the CFP. Well, they would be wrong. Coming into this year’s All-State Sugar Bowl, Texas had never been to a College Football Playoff game. The program was touted as being “back” all year, and this was their chance to prove their supporters right and their haters wrong.

Washington had an amazing journey to the Sugar Bowl as well. Head Coach Kaylen DeBoer had taken a program that went 4-8 in 2021 and turned them into an undefeated offensive machine in 2023. Quarterback Micheal Penix was also having an amazing year as a Heisman Trophy finalist. This was only validation for Penix since he had previously suffered four season-ending injuries.

As many expected, the game was an offensive shootout. Unfortunately for Texas, Penix was in his bag like the fries were at the bottom. He threw for two touchdowns and a whopping 430 yards. He had six passes for 24 yards or more, six! All of this while staring into the face of future NFL defensive starters T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphey, the two 300-pounders of Texas’s front seven.

Although it remains to be seen, Penix should be a day one or day two draft pick. Where and when he gets drafted will ultimately be determined by how teams view his older age and injury history.

Michigan defeats Washington 34-13

Michigan was tired of hearing about Jim Harbaugh this and Connor Stallions that. They were here to win a National Championship, not give sound bites, so that’s exactly what they did.

Running back Donovan Edwards exploded in the first half with two touchdowns. His teammate Blake Corrum also had a pair of touchdowns, and the two running backs rushed for a combined 242 yards.

J.J. McCarthy ultimately outdueled the Penix. McCarthy looked poised in the pocket. He was calm and collected. Penix missed throws that he would normally make. The difference was so great that one might say Penix versus Texas and Penix versus Michigan were not the same person at all.

Michigan’s defense was ultimately what won them the game though. The Boys in Blue went up against the best offensive line in the country and won by a lot. Penix never found his rhythm. And, while there might not be a lot to say about this game, all can agree that Jim Harbaugh said it best:

“There are over 100 Michigan men that are on this team, in uniform tonight,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said on the trophy presentation stage. “What they’ve done for the last 372 days is amazing. We’re champions, simply known as National Champions.”

Since the conclusion of the season, Harbaugh has been hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington head coach Kaylen DeBoer has been hired as the next Alabama head coach to replace Saban.

Jacksonville State defeats Louisiana 34-31

A former FBS powerhouse, Jacksonville State jumped to the FBS in 2023. Right off the bat, the team began to excel, finishing third in Conference USA. Their biggest win came in a 56-17 win at home over Louisiana Tech in which the Gamecocks amassed an incredible 628 total yards and 29 first downs.

Coming into their bowl game, the Gamecocks were at full strength. Unfortunately, the team found themselves in a situation similar to most bowl teams when they suffered injuries to their quarterbacks. The Gamecocks also committed four turnovers but were still able to come back and win on a game-winning field goal.

“They never panic. They’ve got a great attitude. They keep playing all the way until the end.” said Head Coach Rich Rodriguez after the win. It was an incredible win and an incredible season for Jacksonville State.

Western Kentucky defeats Old Dominion 38-35

This game shouldn’t have gone to overtime. Old Dominion was ahead 28-0 early in the second quarter, and they should’ve continued to blow out Western Kentucky.

Instead, Hilltoppers Head Coach Tyson Helton decided to bench Turner Nelson, his nephew and the second-string quarterback, in favor of redshirt freshman Caden Veltcamp.

Veltcamp grew up a few minutes away from the WKU campus, and up until the Famous Toastery Bowl had only thrown six college passes. Somehow, Veltcamp threw out the tape and chucked 5 touchdowns for 383 yards in the performance of a lifetime. Also chipping in were the WKU special teams with two field goal blocks to help send the game to overtime.

“I knew I could do it; I knew it was in me,” Veltkamp said. “But it’s all credit to these guys around me. I love these guys. I love this team and I would do anything for this team.”

Northwestern defeats Utah 14-7

This game wasn’t about what happened on the field. Instead, it was about overcoming what happened off the field.

Before the season even started, Northwestern’s football team was the subject of a complex hazing scandal. Various allegations involving sexual assault and other unpublishable things were revealed to have taken place in the Wildcats locker room.

For a prestigious university, this was a big hit. Northwestern fired Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald amid the allegations, and Fitzgerald would then sue the university for $130 million because of what he believed to be “wrongful termination.”

Despite these outside factors, Northwestern had an amazing season. First-year coach David Braun led the team to an 8-5 record and a victory over the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Not only did the Wildcats overcome the hazing scandal, but they beat a team that was favored by many to win the PAC 12 in the preseason.

Texas State defeats Rice 45-21

TJ Finley has had an interesting college football career. Initially committing to LSU, Finley was a three-star quarterback coming out of Ponchatoula High School in Louisiana. He had a few starts for the Tigers, but lackluster performances led him to transfer to Auburn in search of greener pastures.

Unfortunately, those Tigers were not the answer either, as Finley didn’t succeed in The Plains. He then decided to transfer once more for his senior season, but this time he would be downgrading to a Group of 5 school instead of a Power 5 school.

This change in competition seemed to be just what Finley needed, as he finally began to play the best football of his career. He led the Texas State Bobcats to the First Responder Bowl in which they steamrolled the Rice Owls and won their first bowl game in school history. Below are Finley’s career passing stats at LSU, Auburn, and Texas State, per Football Reference.

Coming out on top in the bowl game was a great feeling for both the Bobcats and TJ Finley, who has finally found his niche in college football.

In a year of change and turbulence, no one knows what’s next for the state of college football. But no matter what happens, fans can sleep tight knowing that, in the end, it’s still college football and college football is awesome.