10. KJ Jefferson, QB Arkansas
It might have been a rough landing, but he kept his cool in the overtimes and got the win, finishing with 287 passing yards and two scores with a pick on a 19-of-29 day. He also ran 14 times for a game-high 130 yards and two touchdowns in the 55-53 triple-overtime win over Kansas.
9. Caleb Williams, QB USC
All he did was complete 37-of-52 passes or 462 yards and five scores with a pick. It wasn’t enough – his defense let him down – in the wild 46-45 loss to Tulane in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
8. Davius Richard, QB North Carolina Central
Always under pressure, he completed 15-of-20 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 22 times for 97 yards and two scores in the 41-34 overtime win over Jackson State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl.
7. Jordan Mims, RB Fresno State
With big, gashing runs, he took over with 209 yards and two scores on 18 carries in the 29-6 win over Washington State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel.
6. Tyjae Spears, RB Tulane
The USC run defense had its problems this year, and Spears got to have a turn. He ran 17 times for 205 yards and four scores in the 46-45 win over USC in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
5. Jalon Daniels, QB Kansas
He did everything but win the game. The main main in the wild comeback, he completed 37-of-55 passes for 544 yards and five scores with two picks, and ran 14 times for 21 yards and a touchdown in the 55-53 triple-overtime Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas.
4. Reynard Ellis, LB UAB
He came up with a team-high 10 tackles with a half a sack, but it’s all about his tenth stop – that was the one that saved the game. He stopped Miami University’s Jalen Walker on the two-yard line on the last play in the 24-20 win over Miami University in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.
3. Austin Reed, QB WKU
Just when it seemed like he was off to Louisville, he came back to WKU and put away the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl vs South Alabama in a bit of a shocker, completing 36-of-55 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns with a pick, and he ran four times for 25 yards in the 44-23 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl win.
2. Frank Gore Jr., RB Southern Miss
Fantastic from start to finish, Gore Jr. set a bowl record with 329 rushing yards – the most by anyone this year – with touchdown runs of 64 and 55 yards. He also completed two of three passes for 19 yards and a score in the 38-24 win over Rice in the LendingTree Bowl.
1. Stetson Bennett, QB Georgia
All he did is engineer one of the most important and impressive drives in college football history. He completed 23-of-34 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns with a pick, and he ran for a touchdown. He saved his best work for last, cranking up a five-play, 72-yard final Bulldog drive completing the comeback to win the College Football Playoff Semifinal Peach Bowl 42-41 over Ohio State.
He took his game up another notch when it mattered most completing 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards and four scores, and ran for 39 yards and two touchdowns in the 65-7 win over TCU in the CFP National Championship.
100 Best Players of the Bowl Season
76-100 | 51-75 | 26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10
Ranking all the Bowl Games | Bowl Scoreboard
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