College Football 2023-2024: The Final Wrap-Up

Starting with the FCS National Championship Game on Sunday, January 7, 2024, with the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits winning back-to-back national championship after rolling past the University of Montana Grizzlies 23-3. The Jackrabbits will now take a 29-game winning streak into the off-season, which is the longest current winning streak among programs in all of NCAA Division I, whether it's at the FBS or FCS level.

Read the recap of the game, from the SDSU perspective, by clicking here. 

For the Montana point of view, please click here.

Also, here's a quick moment to recognize the other "national champions" below the FBS level:

Celebration Bowl: Florida A&M

NCAA Division II: Harding

NCAA Division III: Cortland

NAIA: Keiser

And now, the final overall prediction totals for the 2023-2024 college football season:

FBS Group Of Five Bowl Predictions Special: 10-10 (.500)

FCS Semifinal and Small College National Championship Games: 2-3 (.400)

Final Overall Record: 946-396 (.705)

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Bowl/Other Postseason Prediction (s) Results and Quickie Prediction for the FCS Championship Game 2023-2024

FCS Semifinal and Small College National Championship Game Results 2023

4-3 (.571)

Note: Missed on all three small college national championship games, with Harding (NCAA Division II), Cortland (NCAA Division III), and Keiser (Fla.)-(NAIA), all winning their first-ever national championships in the histories of their respective programs.

Group Of Five Bowl Prediction Results 2023

6-7 (462)*

*Correct Predictions (The bowl game is listed first, followed by the final score in parentheses, with the winning team marked in RED.)

-Myrtle Beach Bowl (Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 20)

-New Orleans Bowl (Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31 [Overtime])

-Famous Toastery (Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 [Overtime])

-Frisco Bowl (UTSA 35, Marshall 27)

-68 Ventures Bowl (South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10)

-Hawai'i Bowl (Coastal Carolina 24, San Jose State 14)

*Incorrect Predictions (The bowl game is listed first, followed by the final score in parentheses, with the losing team marked in RED.)

-Cure Bowl (Appalachian State 13, Miami [Ohio] 9)

-New Mexico Bowl (Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10)

-Camellia Bowl (Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19)

-Armed Forces Bowl (Air Force 31, James Madison 21)

-Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Georgia State 45, Utah State 22)

-First Responder Bowl (Texas State 45, Rice 21)

-Arizona Bowl (Wyoming 16, Toledo 15)

Quickie Prediction for the FCS National Championship Game

(Projected winner marked in RED, followed by the projected final score, listed below.)

South Dakota State 32, Montana 28

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RFC Postseason's Greetings: 2019 Cure Bowl-Liberty vs. Georgia Southern

(Video courtesy of the CBS Sports Network.)

The 2023 "RFC Postseason's Greetings" series concludes by turning the clock to December 21, 2019. That was when the Liberty University Flames made their first-ever bowl appearance in their first full season of eligibility at the FBS level at the Cure Bowl, which was played at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Flames defeated the Eagles 23-16 for their first-ever bowl win to end their season at 8-5 overall.

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RFC Postseason's Greetings: 2014 Miami Beach Bowl-Memphis vs. BYU

(Video courtesy of ESPN.)

This installment of "RFC Postseason's Greetings" turns the clock back to December 22, 2014. That was when the University of Memphis Tigers took on the BYU Cougars in the now-defunct Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park (now Loan Depot Park) in Miami. In a close, high-scoring contest that ended with a bench-clearing brawl, the Tigers got by the Cougars 55-48 in double overtime to finish their season at 10-3 overall.

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RFC Postseason's Greetings: 1966 Sun Bowl-Wyoming vs. Florida State

(Video courtesy of CFB Archive.)

This installment of "RFC Postseason's Greetings" turns the clock to Christmas Eve, December 24, 1966. That was when the University of Wyoming Cowboys faced Florida State at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Cowboys outlasted FSU 28-20 to finish the 1966 season at 10-1 overall as champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Following is a brief 20-minute coaches film featuring highlights of the game.  

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RFC Postseason's Greetings: 2023 Stagg Bowl (NCAA Division III National Championship Game)-Cortland vs. North Central

(Video courtesy of ESPNU.)

Today's installment of "RFC Postseason's Greetings" features an recent "instant classic" from the night of Friday, December 15, 2023. That was when the State University of New York at Cortland Red Dragons did battle with the then-defending national champion North Central College Cardinals from Naperville, Illinois, in the 50th edition of the Stagg Bowl, which was played at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia. In one of the greatest games played in the half-century of NCAA Division III football, the Red Dragons stopped a two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds to stun the Cardinals, 38-37, and claim Cortland's first-ever national championship. Cortland finished the 2023 season at 14-1 overall, with their only loss coming to Susquehanna, 38-35, on September 16. 

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RFC Postseason's Greetings: 2022 (2023) Cotton Bowl-Tulane vs. USC

(Video courtesy of ESPN.)

The latest installment of "RFC Postseason's Greetings" turns the clock to Monday, January 2, 2023. That was when the Tulane University Green Wave took on the USC Trojans in the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In one of the greatest bowl games ever played in FBS history, Tulane rallied in the final seconds to stun the Trojans 46-45. The Green Wave finished the 2022 season as the unofficial Group Of Five Conference, as well as the Cotton Bowl champions at 12-2 overall.

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