The year? 2016. The player of glory and heartbreak? Birthday Girl, Princess P.
2016 was the eighth installment of Bowl Battle, and Princess P was making her third appearance. She showed grit going 7-6 and 5-6 in the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. But nothing prepared the world for the dominance she would display in 2016.
The spirited Princess P started the season strong, taking a 3-0 record into the Texas Bowl. The Texas Bowl featured two 8-4 teams, the Kansas State Wildcats and the Texas A&M Aggies. Princess P picked the slightly favored Aggies. The highly competitive game came down to the final minutes. The Wildcats secured a 33-28 win by stopping the Aggies on a 4th & 8 play at the Wildcat’s 23-yard line.
That would be the only blemish on Princess P’s 2016 regular season. The following day, she would ride the momentum of Oklahoma State’s 38-8 rout of Colorado in the Alamo Bowl to win 9 consecutive Battles and finish the regular season at 12-1!
Then came THE DRIVE.
Princess P’s record-breaking season set up a Bowl Battle Championship versus the 11-2 Commish. She also had her choice of teams in the 2017 CFP Championship Game. The game was a rematch of the 2016 CFP Championship Game that saw the Alabama Crimson Tide defeat the Clemson Tigers. Alabama entered the 2017 game as the defending National Champions with a 14-0 record and a 26-game winning streak. The 13-1 Tigers entered the game riding high after demolishing Ohio State 31-0 in the semifinals. Princess P chose the touchdown favorite Tide.
An epic game came down to a frantic fourth quarter and was decided by THE DRIVE. With 1 second left, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow. Clemson 35. Alabama 31. The Tigers became national champions for the first time since 1981 and the first team to beat Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide dynasty in a national title game. They also sank Princess P’s dreams of her first Bowl Battle Championship.
Two plays from perfection. Princess P’s 12 wins and 91.7% winning percentage in 2016 remain records for a Bowl Battle regular season.
Happy Birthday to Paden!
Merry Christmas to all!
Bowl Battle 
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