Bowl Season Tape Check: Who Gained Real Value? - Part 2
Evaluating bowl and CFP games through a Devy, CFF, and C2C lens.
Bowl season remains one of the hardest evaluation windows of the year and one of the easiest to get wrong.
Opt-outs, transfer portal movement, interim coaching staffs, and uneven motivation can quickly turn box scores into noise. Who’s available matters. Who’s trusted matters. And projecting forward only gets murkier as the portal reshapes depth charts in real time.
Still, bowl games and CFP games in particular, aren’t meaningless. When you slow the tape down, they can reveal important clues about trust, usage, confidence, and trajectory, especially when a player is asked to take on more responsibility rather than being protected by circumstance.
Part 2 focuses on bowl and CFP games played from December 29th through January 2nd, covering action through the quarterfinals. We’ll wrap the series with one final installment breaking down the semifinals and national championship, once the full postseason picture is complete.
The goal here isn’t to crown bowl heroes or chase one-game breakouts. It’s to identify performances that might actually matter as we head into the offseason, whether you’re evaluating Devy, C2C, or CFF value.
Some players gained real value. Others simply confirmed what we already believed. And plenty put up numbers that won’t hold weight once spring arrives.
This is the tape check, separating signal from noise.
Jayden Maiava – QB, USC
Bowl Game Context:
USC’s season ended much the way it played out, uneven and frustrating. In the Alamo Bowl loss to the TCU Horned Frogs, Maiava threw for 280 yards and one touchdown, but the performance was undone by two interceptions and repeated breakdowns under pressure. He played without top receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, but the mistakes went beyond missing weapons.
After the game, Lincoln Riley expressed optimism about Maiava moving forward. The tape tells a more concerning story.
Value Impact: Declining
This performance didn’t introduce new concerns, it reinforced existing ones. The same issues that have shown up throughout the season were present again: questionable decisions, discomfort against pressure, and turnovers that stemmed from poor processing rather than bad luck.
On the season, Maiava completed 265 of 406 passes for 3,714 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While the counting stats look fine, the efficiency and decision-making metrics are far less encouraging. An 81.8 passing grade paired with 20 turnover-worthy plays is not the profile of a quarterback trending upward.
What Showed Up on Tape:
Maiava continues to struggle when structure breaks down. His footwork deteriorates under pressure, leading to off-balance throws and inconsistent ball placement. He also tends to lock onto his primary read, allowing safeties to anticipate routes and jump passing lanes,, something TCU exploited repeatedly.
He also had difficulty handling exotic pressure looks, an area where defenses will continue to test him until he proves he can consistently punish it.
Format-Specific Outlook:
Devy: This is a clear sell for me. In a deep 2027 quarterback class, Maiava doesn’t separate, and the developmental arc isn’t trending the right way.
C2C: Also a sell. The volatility and lack of growth make him a fragile asset in combined formats.
CFF: He’ll have value through volume alone, but the week-to-week reliability is a problem.
I don’t have shares but if someone in your league still believes in the NFL upside, this is a spot to move off the asset.
Bottom Line:
Maiava’s bowl performance didn’t change his trajectory, it clarified it. Until the decision-making, pocket management, and response to pressure improve, he’s difficult to trust as anything more than a volume-based college quarterback. In Devy and C2C formats, there are cleaner bets to make.
DeSean Bishop – RB, Tennessee
Bowl Game Context:
Bishop capped his redshirt sophomore season with a productive outing in the Music City Bowl, rushing 19 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s 30–28 loss to Illinois. He crossed the 1,000-yard mark early in the game, becoming the third straight Volunteer running back to hit that milestone under Josh Heupel.
Value Impact: Helped (role stability and production)
This season and the bowl game specifically, solidified Bishop as a legitimate college producer. He didn’t stumble into 1,000 yards. He earned the lead role in a crowded backfield and held onto it.
Bishop finished the year with 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He handled 168 carries, placing him squarely between the heavy usage Dylan Sampson saw in 2024 and the lighter, split-backfield role Jaylen Wright had in 2023. That context matters.
What the Tape and Metrics Say:
Bishop consistently did what Tennessee asks of its backs: run decisively, finish through contact, and keep the offense on schedule. His underlying metrics back that up:
90.5 PFF rushing grade
27 explosive runs (10+ yards)
68 first downs gained
He’s not a home-run hitter, but he’s efficient, physical, and reliable — traits that keep a running back on the field in this system.
Context That Matters Going Forward:
The backfield is clearing. Duke transfer Star Thomas is out of eligibility, and Peyton Lewis has entered the transfer portal. Bishop returns as Tennessee’s top proven rusher heading into 2026.
That said, Tennessee will almost certainly explore the portal, and freshman Daune Morris is expected to take on a larger role. Bishop’s path to a true bellcow workload isn’t guaranteed but his role floor is strong.
Format-Specific Outlook:
CFF: Strong asset. Touchdown equity, volume, and system fit make him a reliable weekly option.
C2C: Solid piece, especially if the backfield additions are complementary rather than dominant.
Devy: Limited appeal right now. Bishop profiles more as a complementary Day 3-type unless the athletic ceiling expands.
Bottom Line:
Bishop’s season, capped by another productive bowl game, confirmed him as a dependable college back with real scoring value. He’s not an NFL projection centerpiece yet, but in CFF and C2C formats, he’s exactly the type of player who quietly helps you win weeks.
Julian Sayin – QB, Ohio State
CFP Quarterfinal Context:
Sayin’s CFP quarterfinal performance was a reminder that even elite quarterback prospects still have growing pains. He finished 22-of-35 for 287 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, but the stat line doesn’t fully capture how uncomfortable the night was.
Miami’s pressure plan overwhelmed Ohio State’s protection. Sayin struggled to evade heat, took five sacks, and finished with negative rushing yardage. One of the pivotal moments came in the second quarter, when a screen intended for Brandon Inniss was undercut and returned 72 yards for a pick-six, swinging momentum sharply.
After the game, Sayin was blunt in his assessment: “Ultimately, wasn’t good enough.”
Value Impact: Slightly Down — but still elite long-term
This game didn’t knock Sayin off his pedestal but it did introduce visible cracks that hadn’t shown up much earlier in the season. For the first time, defenses exposed areas he still needs to clean up before he reaches his ceiling.
That’s not alarming. It’s developmental.
What Showed Up on Tape:
The biggest takeaway from the last two games, the Big Ten title loss to Indiana and the CFP quarterfinal, is pressure management.
Sayin struggled when blitzes came from unexpected angles. He:
Held the ball too long at times
Failed to reset quickly when his first read was disrupted
Took sacks he didn’t need to take
Across those two losses, Sayin was sacked 10 times and threw three interceptions, after throwing just five picks across his first 12 games.
The accuracy is still elite. When protected, Sayin is surgical. He completed 77% of his passes on the season, finishing 301-of-391 for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 22 big-time throws to just six turnover-worthy plays, an outstanding profile.
The issue isn’t arm talent or ball placement. It’s learning when to speed up the internal clock and when to live for the next play.
Context That Matters Going Forward:
Sayin has started just 14 games at the college level. For much of the season, there were no visible flaws, which made the last two games feel more jarring. In reality, this is often how quarterback development works. The flaws don’t disappear; they get tested.
He has the arm, the accuracy, and the physical tools. The next step is learning to absorb pressure, take a hit, and still deliver or get rid of the ball without forcing outcomes.
That growth typically comes with reps, not rewrites.
Format-Specific Outlook:
Devy: Still a first-round Devy selection. Nothing here changes that.
C2C: A cornerstone asset at the position.
Big Picture: He’ll enter next season in a legitimate battle with Arch Manning for QB1 in the 2027 class, and these moments may actually accelerate his development rather than stall it.
Bottom Line:
Sayin’s last two games didn’t redefine him, they revealed what still needs refinement. The accuracy, arm strength, and confidence are already there. Now comes the part every great quarterback goes through: learning how to survive pressure, protect possessions, and win when things aren’t clean. The ceiling hasn’t moved. The roadmap just got clearer.
Arch Manning – QB, Texas
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