In the new age of college football with the 12-team playoff, there were concerns over whether the bowl games would still mean anything.

Miami took a 31-28 halftime lead with a last-minute field goal before the break. It was the highest-scoring first half in a bowl game since LSU defeated Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl en route to a national title. The Tigers won that game, 63-28, in a first half that featured a combined 63 points.

The Iowa State football team put together a big first half, but still trailed Miami at the half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 31-28. Rocco Becht directed the offense to four consecutive scoring drives to start the game,

Cam Ward's decision to only play the first half of Miami's 42-41 loss against Iowa State in this year's Pop-Tarts Bowl proved to be extremely

The two bowl games — the No. 23 Buffaloes’ Alamo Bowl matchup against No. 17 BYU and the Miami-Iowa State Pop-Tarts Bowl — featured the two top-rated quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. It was a surprise to many that both Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward played in their bowl games.

Speak co-host Michael Irvin joins Colin Cowherd to discuss Cam Ward sitting out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

As great as Cam Ward's one and only season was at the University of Miami, it ended on a sour note. After narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff, the Hurricanes settled for an appearance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State.