American Bowl Grades: How Every Team Performed
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The American Conference was the best of the Group of Five leagues this season, and it needed to show it off this bowl season.
It did.
Fine, so American champion Tulane faceplanted in its showcase moment, but the military academies were great, the top offenses were good, and the teams that lost had specific reasons.
Here are the CFN bowl grades for all the American teams.
Grading Every American Team’s Bowl Game Performance
Army Bowl Grade
UConn was missing everyone, and Army accomplished the mission to a T – it never let it get close.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Army vs UConn
Final Score: Army 41, UConn 16
Line: Army -7.5, o/u: 41.5
Grade: A
East Carolina Bowl Grade
Almost a two-touchdown underdog, the Pirates pulled off a terrific win over an ACC team.
Go Bowling Military Bowl
East Carolina vs Pitt
Final Score: East Carolina 23, Pitt 17
Line: Pitt -13.5, o/u: 51.5
Grade: A
Navy Bowl Grade
Navy did exactly what it was supposed to do. It executed perfectly against a depleted team.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Navy vs Cincinnati
Final Score: Navy 35, Cincinnati 13
Line: Navy -7.5, o/u: 54.5
Grade: A
UTSA Bowl Grade
It took a few minutes, and then KABOOM. The Roadrunners closed with a flourish.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
FIU vs UTSA
Final Score: UTSA 57, FIU 20
Line: UTSA -7, o/u: 63.5
Grade: A
North Texas Bowl Grade
The O was amazing, but it took too much to put away a team down to its third-string QB.
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
North Texas vs San Diego State
Final Score: North Texas 49, San Diego State 47
Line: North Texas -7.5, o/u: 54.5
Grade: A-
Rice Bowl Grade
Literally, give Rice credit for showing up. It was supposed to lose big, but it played tough until late.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Texas State vs Rice
Final Score: Texas State 41, Rice 10
Line: Texas State -16.5, o/u: 55.5
Grade: C+
Tulane Bowl Grade
Tulane should’ve been better, doing absolutely nothing with the CFP opportunity. It wasn’t competitive.
College Football Playoff First Round
Tulane at Ole Miss
Final Score: Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10
Line: Ole Miss -16.5, o/u: 55.5
Grade: C-
Memphis Bowl Grade
The Tigers were underdogs and missing plenty of parts, but they weren’t even close to being competitive.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs NC State
Final Score: NC State 31, Memphis 6
Line: NC State -5.5, o/u: 56.5
Grade: D
USF Bowl Grade
Granted, it was missing the stars, but the offense didn’t get off the bus in a bad blowout.
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
USF vs Old Dominion
Final Score: Old Dominion 24, USF 10
Line: USF -6.5, o/u: 56.5
Grade: D
Related: SEC Bowl Grades: How Every Team Performed
This story was originally published by College Football News on Jan 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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