The New Year’s Six began in the 2014 season. The NY6 structure followed the 16-year Bowl Championship Series, which ran from 1998 through 2013.
With the NY6, it guaranteed a spot to the top Group of Five Conference champion in one of the top bowls in the country.
Let’s look at the Group of Five champions in New Year’s Six bowl games from 2014 through 2022. We’ll see how Liberty compares to those nine teams when the Flames face Oregon in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl. G5 teams are 4-5 in the previous matchups.
2014 Fiesta Bowl: Boise State 38, Arizona 30
Broncos RB Jay Ajayi rushed for 134 yards and three scores, and Arizona QB Anu Solomon finished with two total scores. There was only one score in the fourth quarter — and 32-yard field goal by Arizona.
2015 Peach Bowl: Houston, 38, Florida State 24
Cougars QB Greg Ward had 238 yards passing with one score and another 67 yards rushing with two more scores as the Seminoles couldn’t contain him. Dalvin Cook rushed for just 33 yards and one score, while QB Sean Maguire threw four INTs.
2016 Cotton Bowl: Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16
This game was the only loss of the season for Western Michigan, and a few NFL players scored touchdowns in this game: Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale for the Badgers, and Corey Davis for Western Michigan, as P.J. Fleck’s WMU team just missed out on an undefeated season.
2017 Peach Bowl: UCF 34, Auburn 27
This began a streak of six straight seasons where the AAC champion advanced to a NY6 bowl, a streak ended this year by Liberty and Conference USA.
Golden Knights QB McKenzie Milton finished with three total scores, including 117 yards on the ground, while Jarrett Stidham struggled for Auburn, throwing for 331 yards but a pair of interceptions in the loss.
2018 Fiesta Bowl: LSU 40, UCF 32
Joe Burrow and the Tigers outlasted the Golden Knights, who hadn’t lost all season long. Burrow threw four touchdowns passes, JaMarr Chase had 93 yards and a TD, and Justin Jefferson had 87 yards and two touchdowns in a thrilling game.
2019 Cotton Bowl: Penn State 53, Memphis 39
Nittany Lions RB Journey Brown had an eye-popping 202 yards rushing with two scores, and Penn State finished the game with five touchdowns on the ground. Penn State also had a 28-point second quarter to jump to a 35-23 halftime lead.
2020 Peach Bowl: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
Bulldogs kicker Jack Podlesny kicked the game-winning 53-yard field goal with seconds left. Desmond Ridder threw a pair of touchdowns for the Bearcats, but a 14-point fourth quarter for Georgia was too much for the Bearcats to overcome.
2021 Cotton Bowl: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6
The Crimson Tide ran all over Cincinnati as Brian Robinson had 204 yards on 26 carries. Bryce Young threw three touchdowns, and the Bearcats’ marvelous season came to an unfortunate end.
2022 Cotton Bowl: Tulane 46, USC 45
Despite five touchdown passes by Caleb Williams, USC could not hold on as Tulane stormed back for a thrilling victory in the Cotton Bowl. The Green Wave scored 16 points in the final 4:03 to come back from a 45-30 deficit.
