Washington +4 (-110) over Texas
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- Washington has more impressive wins than Texas for the most part this season, including two against an elite Oregon team.
- Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in the CFP this year and will make the plays needed to help his team win this contest.
The Sugar Bowl is one of the marquee games of every bowl season in college football. Played on New Year’s Day on a regular basis, this matchup always features two of the best teams in the sport in a high-visibility spot in the college football bowl schedule. Here, we look back at the history of this marquee bowl game and we break down this year’s edition of the game from New Orleans.
2024 Sugar Bowl Analysis
This year’s Sugar Bowl is a College Football Playoff matchup, with the Texas Longhorns facing off with the Washington Huskies. Texas has way more history in the Sugar Bowl than Washington, thanks to their presence in the Big 12, and soon the SEC. But on the field in this game, things should be evenly matched in a game where the margins will be razor-thin.
This game will come down to which quarterback can make the clutch plays their team needs down the stretch. So far this season, Michael Penix Jr. has proven himself more capable of doing that. But Quinn Ewers is more than capable, as both teams will like their chances going into this semifinal affair.
Sugar Bowl History
The history of the Sugar Bowl goes back to the 1930s, heavily featuring teams from the Southeast United States. This game often features tie-ins with the Big 12 and SEC, creating top-10 matchups on a consistent basis late in the bowl season. But this game is also New Year’s Six game, which means it can also feature College Football Playoff matchups instead of their usual conference-affiliated action. Below is the full list of Sugar Bowl matchups and the results of each of those contests.
| Date Played | Winning team | Losing team |
| 1/1/35 | Tulane | Temple |
| 1/1/36 | TCU | LSU |
| 1/1/37 | Santa Clara | LSU |
| 1/1/38 | Santa Clara | LSU |
| 1/2/39 | #1 TCU | #6 Carnegie Tech |
| 1/1/40 | #1 Texas A&M | #5 Tulane |
| 1/1/41 | #4 Boston College | #6 Tennessee |
| 1/1/42 | #6 Fordham | #7 Missouri |
| 1/1/43 | #7 Tennessee | #4 Tulsa |
| 1/1/44 | #13 Georgia Tech | Tulsa |
| 1/1/45 | #11 Duke | Alabama |
| 1/1/46 | #5 Oklahoma State | #7 Saint Mary’s (CA) |
| 1/1/47 | #3 Georgia | #9 North Carolina |
| 1/1/48 | #5 Texas | #6 Alabama |
| 1/1/49 | #5 Oklahoma | #3 North Carolina |
| 1/2/50 | #2 Oklahoma | #9 LSU |
| 1/1/51 | #7 Kentucky | #1 Oklahoma |
| 1/1/52 | #3 Maryland | #1 Tennessee |
| 1/1/53 | #2 Georgia Tech | #7 Ole Miss |
| 1/1/54 | #8 Georgia Tech | #10 West Virginia |
| 1/1/55 | #5 Navy | #6 Ole Miss |
| 1/2/56 | #7 Georgia Tech | #11 Pittsburgh |
| 1/1/57 | #11 Baylor | #2 Tennessee |
| 1/1/58 | #7 Ole Miss | #11 Texas |
| 1/1/59 | #1 LSU | #12 Clemson |
| 1/1/60 | #2 Ole Miss | #3 LSU |
| 1/2/61 | #2 Ole Miss | Rice |
| 1/1/62 | #1 Alabama | #9 Arkansas |
| 1/1/63 | #3 Ole Miss | #6 Arkansas |
| 1/1/64 | #8 Alabama | #7 Ole Miss |
| 1/1/65 | #7 LSU | Syracuse |
| 1/1/66 | #6 Missouri | Florida |
| 1/2/67 | #6 Alabama | #3 Nebraska |
| 1/1/68 | LSU | #5 Wyoming |
| 1/1/69 | #9 Arkansas | #4 Georgia |
| 1/1/70 | #13 Ole Miss | #3 Arkansas |
| 1/1/71 | #4 Tennessee | #11 Air Force |
| 1/1/72 | #3 Oklahoma | #5 Auburn |
| 12/31/72 | #2 Oklahoma | #5 Penn State |
| 12/31/73 | #3 Notre Dame | #1 Alabama |
| 12/31/74 | #8 Nebraska | #18 Florida |
| 12/31/75 | #3 Alabama | #7 Penn State |
| 1/1/77 | #1 Pittsburgh | #4 Georgia |
| 1/2/78 | #3 Alabama | #9 Ohio State |
| 1/1/79 | #2 Alabama | #1 Penn State |
| 1/1/80 | #2 Alabama | #6 Arkansas |
| 1/1/81 | #1 Georgia | #7 Notre Dame |
| 1/1/82 | #10 Pittsburgh | #2 Georgia |
| 1/1/83 | #2 Penn State | #1 Georgia |
| 1/2/84 | #3 Auburn | #8 Michigan |
| 1/1/85 | #5 Nebraska | #11 LSU |
| 1/1/86 | #8 Tennessee | #2 Miami (Florida) |
| 1/1/87 | #6 Nebraska | #5 LSU |
| 1/1/88 | #4 Syracuse | #6 Auburn |
| 1/2/89 | #4 Florida State | #7 Auburn |
| 1/1/90 | #2 Miami (Florida) | #7 Alabama |
| 1/1/91 | #6 Tennessee | Virginia |
| 1/1/92 | #18 Notre Dame | #3 Florida |
| 1/1/93 | #2 Alabama | #1 Miami (Florida) |
| 1/1/94 | #8 Florida | #3 West Virginia |
| 1/2/95 | #7 Florida State | #5 Florida |
| 12/31/95 | #13 Virginia Tech | #9 Texas |
| 1/2/97 | #3 Florida | #1 Florida State |
| 1/1/98 | #4 Florida State | #9 Ohio State |
| 1/1/99 | #3 Ohio State | #8 Texas A&M |
| 1/4/00 | #1 Florida State | #2 Virginia Tech |
| 1/2/01 | #2 Miami (Florida) | #7 Florida |
| 1/1/02 | #12 LSU | #7 Illinois |
| 1/1/03 | #4 Georgia | #16 Florida State |
| 1/4/04 | #2 LSU | #3 Oklahoma |
| 1/3/05 | #3 Auburn | #9 Virginia Tech |
| 1/2/06 | #11 West Virginia | #8 Georgia |
| 1/3/07 | #4 LSU | #11 Notre Dame |
| 1/1/08 | #4 Georgia | #10 Hawaiʻi |
| 1/2/09 | #7 Utah | #4 Alabama |
| 1/1/10 | #5 Florida | #4 Cincinnati |
| 1/4/11 | #6 Ohio State | #8 Arkansas |
| 1/3/12 | #13 Michigan | #17 Virginia Tech |
| 1/2/13 | #22 Louisville | #4 Florida |
| 1/2/14 | #10 Oklahoma | #3 Alabama |
| 1/1/15 | #5 Ohio State | #1 Alabama |
| 1/1/16 | #16 Ole Miss | #13 Oklahoma State |
| 1/2/17 | #7 Oklahoma | #17 Auburn |
| 1/1/18 | #4 Alabama | #1 Clemson |
| 1/1/19 | #14 Texas | #6 Georgia |
| 1/1/20 | #5 Georgia | #8 Baylor |
| 1/1/21 | #3 Ohio State | #2 Clemson |
| 1/1/22 | #7 Baylor | #8 Ole Miss |
| 12/31/22 | #5 Alabama | #11 Kansas State |
Bowl Game MVPs
Given the significance of the Sugar Bowl in the college football bowl landscape, the list of MVPs for this contest is star-studded. Continue reading for the full list of MVPs from this contest, an award that was first given out in 1948, which has been claimed by a long list of players who have gone onto have successful professional careers.
| Year | MVP | Team |
| 1948 | Bobby Layne | Texas |
| 1949 | Jack Mitchell | Oklahoma |
| 1950 | Leon Heath | Oklahoma |
| 1951 | Walt Yowarsky | Kentucky |
| 1952 | Ed Modzelewski | Maryland |
| 1953 | Leon Hardeman | Georgia Tech |
| 1954 | Pepper Rodgers | Georgia Tech |
| 1955 | Joe Gattuso | Navy |
| 1956 | Franklin Brooks | Georgia Tech |
| 1957 | Del Shofner | Baylor |
| 1958 | Raymond Brown | Ole Miss |
| 1959 | Billy Cannon | LSU |
| 1960 | Bobby Franklin | Ole Miss |
| 1961 | Jake Gibbs | Ole Miss |
| 1962 | Mike Fracchia | Alabama |
| 1963 | Glynn Griffin | Ole Miss |
| 1964 | Tim Davis | Alabama |
| 1965 | Doug Moreau | LSU |
| 1966 | Steve Spurrier | Florida |
| 1967 | Ken Stabler | Alabama |
| 1968 | Glenn Smith | LSU |
| 1969 | Chuck Dicus | Arkansas |
| 1970 | Archie Manning | Ole Miss |
| 1971 | Bobby Scott | Tennessee |
| Jan. 1972 | Jack Mildren | Oklahoma |
| Dec. 1972 | Tinker Owens | Oklahoma |
| 1973 | Tom Clements | Notre Dame |
| 1974 | Tony Davis | Nebraska |
| 1975 | Richard Todd | Alabama |
| 1977 | Matt Cavanaugh | Pittsburgh |
| 1978 | Jeff Rutledge | Alabama |
| 1979 | Barry Krauss | Alabama |
| 1980 | Major Ogilvie | Alabama |
| 1981 | Herschel Walker | Georgia |
| 1982 | Dan Marino | Pittsburgh |
| 1983 | Todd Blackledge | Penn State |
| 1984 | Bo Jackson | Auburn |
| 1985 | Craig Sundberg | Nebraska |
| 1986 | Daryl Dickey | Tennessee |
| 1987 | Steve Taylor | Nebraska |
| 1988 | Don McPherson | Syracuse |
| 1989 | Sammie Smith | Florida State |
| 1990 | Craig Erickson | Miami (Fla.) |
| 1991 | Andy Kelly | Tennessee |
| 1992 | Jerome Bettis | Notre Dame |
| 1993 | Derrick Lassic | Alabama |
| 1994 | Errict Rhett | Florida |
| Jan. 1995 | Warrick Dunn | Florida State |
| Dec. 1995 | Bryan Still | Virginia Tech |
| 1997 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida |
| 1998 | E. G. Green | Florida State |
| 1999 | David Boston | Ohio State |
| 2000 | Peter Warrick | Florida State |
| 2001 | Ken Dorsey | Miami (Fla.) |
| 2002 | Rohan Davey | LSU |
| 2003 | Musa Smith | Georgia |
| 2004 | Justin Vincent | LSU |
| 2005 | Jason Campbell | Auburn |
| 2006 | Steve Slaton | West Virginia |
| 2007 | JaMarcus Russell | LSU |
| 2008 | Marcus Howard | Georgia |
| 2009 | Brian Johnson | Utah |
| 2010 | Tim Tebow | Florida |
| 2011 | Terrelle Pryor† | Ohio State |
| 2012 | Junior Hemingway | Michigan |
| 2013 | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville |
| 2014 | Trevor Knight | Oklahoma |
| 2015 | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State |
| 2015 | Darron Lee | Ohio State |
| 2016 | Chad Kelly | Ole Miss |
| 2017 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma |
| 2018 | Jalen Hurts | Alabama |
| 2018 | Daron Payne | Alabama |
| 2019 | Sam Ehlinger | Texas |
| 2020 | George Pickens | Georgia |
| 2021 | Justin Fields | Ohio State |
| 2021 | Tuf Borland | Ohio State |
| Jan. 2022 | Terrel Bernard | Baylor |
| Dec. 2022 | Bryce Young | Alabama |
