The College Football Playoff put a bow on 39 of the 40 bowls of the 2017-18 season before the College Football Playoff, and will conclude with the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at Atlanta on Jan. 8 between Georgia and Alabama. No. 3 Georgia beat No. 2 Oklahoma 54-48 in a double-overtime Rose Bowl thriller, and No. 4 Alabama beat down No. 1 Clemson in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. That makes the SEC the big winner, as the conference will have an all-conference championship game for the second time this decade. One of those teams will be the ultimate winner of bowl season, but we're ready to hand out the best of the winners and losers from the rest of the games.

Winner: Alabama's defense

Alabama limited Clemson to 188 total yards and looked like the big-and-nasty defense we're used to seeing under coach Nick Saban. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt crafted a masterful game plan, and the Tide made the big plays to blow the game open in the third quarter. Clemson finished with 33 carries for 64 rushing yards. Now, the Crimson Tide is in position to win their fifth national championship under Saban.

Loser: Clemson's title defense

The Tigers couldn't get going in the loss to Alabama. Kelly Bryant completed just 50 percent of his passes, no running game established and the Tide took the third installment of the trilogy, meaning the other four Power 5 conferences lose. Clemson? They'll be fine under Dabo Swinney, who has compiled a 40-4 record over the last three seasons. The Tigers, however, will need to have a better offensive game plan next time.

Winner: Nick Chubb and Sony Michel

Georgia's backfield tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel combined for 25 carries, 326 rushing yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma. Chubb and Michel combined to average 20 yards per carry at the start of the fourth quarter, and Michel put the finishing touch on a 54-48 double-overtime shootout with a 27-yard touchdown run. Expect more of the run game when Georgia shoots for its first national championship since 1980 on Monday.

Loser: Oklahoma (in OT)

The Sooners ran 11 plays in overtime against the Bulldogs, but the play-calling was too conservative. Oklahoma settled for a field goal in the first overtime, and the second one was blocked. This isn't on Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, but it's not exactly the way we expected the Sooners to be bounced out of the College Football Playoff. It's a lesson for Lincoln Riley to take into his second season.

Winner: Big Ten

The Big Ten didn't make the College Football Playoff, but it did the next best thing by compiling a 7-1 record, highlighted by New Year's Day Six victories from Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Michigan State and Purdue won as underdogs, and Iowa and Northwestern took care of business. Michigan couldn't quite pull off the sweep, but this is a statement from a conference building capital for the 2018 College Football Playoff race. This is a good launch point.

Loser: Pac-12

Not a good look for a conference that hasn't won a playoff game since Oregon's 2014 victory in the first College Football Playoff semifinal. The conference finished 1-8, and USC and Washington lost in their New Year's Day Six appearances. Utah provided the conference's only victory, but they aren't going to be puffing their chest out about a victory in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Pac-12 will need to earn that respect back in the nonconference games to start 2018.

Winner: UCF

UCF became the first team to finish a season with an unbeaten record in the College Football Playoff era with a 34-27 victory against Auburn, a huge victory for the Group of 5 that will help kick-start more conversations about eight-team playoff expansion to give Cinderella a chance at the national championship. That's also a big victory for the American Athletic Conference.

Loser: Props

Wisconsin flipped the script on the "turnover chain" in a 34-24 victory against Miami in the Orange Bowl. Mayfield clutched a sign that read "pretenders" heading into the Rose Bowl. Props became the go-to accessory in college football this season, but Georgia and Alabama proved the best accessory is the one you don't see on the sideline. Those teams will be going for the ring Monday.

Winner: Texas

Tom Herman closed his first season with a winning record, a top recruiting class nearly booked and a 33-16 victory against former Big 12 opponent Missouri in Texas Bowl. Several star players already left for the 2018 NFL Draft, but Herman took the first steps toward bringing this program back, and they might be the best bet to challenge Oklahoma in the near future.
Loser: Auburn

The Tigers can't fall on any excuses. They were outplayed by UCF, and it adds up to a four-loss season for Gus Malzahn. The Tigers won the SEC West and scored great home victories against Georgia and Alabama, but they also lost two road games and two postseason games. The Tigers open against Washington in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, but they'll travel to Georgia and Alabama next year.

Winner: Scott Frost

There isn't a hotter FBS coach right now. Frost led the Knights to a perfect season and parlayed that into a job at his alma mater, where he's sure to resurrect a program looking to relive it's 1990s heyday. It might take time for the star quarterback to do that, however, which brings us to. …

Loser: Jim Harbaugh

Michigan turned a 19-3 lead into a five-turnover, second-half meltdown in the 26-19 loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, the final stroke in a five-loss season that's going to turn up the volume in Ann Arbor heading into his fourth season. Harbaugh isn't on the hot seat, but giving the social media typhoon that was created upon his arrival, its' time to expect something more. Is Shea Patterson the quarterback to do this? We'll find out in the opener against Notre Dame.

Winner: Josh Allen

Wyoming's star quarterback opted to play in the Cowboys' 37-14 victory against Central Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and he threw three touchdowns in front of several NFL luminaries, including Denver's John Elway. Allen also gained exposure and is almost sure to be a much-debated first-round pick because of those measurables. He didn't hurt that cause by playing in the postseason.

Loser: First-round QBs

Mayfield played well, but some of his peers can't say the same thing. UCLA's Josh Rosen sat out of the Cactus Bowl because he was in concussion protocol. Louisville's Lamar Jackson threw four interceptions in the loss to Mississippi State in the Taxslayer Bowl. USC's Sam Darnold took eight sacks in the loss to Ohio State. If the NFL's Cleveland Browns are going to take one of these quarterbacks with the No. 1 pick, then it won't be because of their performance in these bowl games.

Winner: Bowl games

Yes, 40 is a lot. But the bowl season was fun. Quinton Flowers went out in style for USF. Army went for two and got the win; Kentucky went for two and didn't. It was fun. The College Football Playoff produced high drama and it leaves you wanting more, not less, and you can't say that about all the major sports right now.

Loser: Bowl-skipping debate

It's not going away, and for the millionth time, it's the player's decision. Florida State's Derwin James and Ohio State's Denzel Ward sat out, and their teams won. It's a trend that's not going to away and it's best not to lecture college athletes on what to do with their future