Quarterback Jared Goff isn't quite ready to announce whether he's calling it a career at Cal, but he definitely knows how to call it a season.
The junior passed for 467 yards and tied a career high with six touchdown passes in a 55-36 win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Tuesday, but stopped short of saying whether he will apply for early eligibility into the 2016 NFL Draft.
He thanked Cal fans for their support over the course of his career, and hugged teammates on the sideline in the game's closing minutes. But when asked about his future, Goff deferred for more time.
"I'm going to sit down with my parents, discuss it and decide," Goff said, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I should know soon."
With 96 career touchdown passes, including 43 this season, suffice it to say the rest of the Pac-12 would be glad to see him depart.
Here are a few other things we learned in college football Tuesday:
2. Running wild. No quarterbacks? No problem. Baylor ran for (gulp) 645 yards against North Carolina to win the Russell Athletic Bowl, 49-38. The UNC defense, under new coordinator Gene Chizik, was vastly improved in the regular season from 2014, when it was among the worst in the nation. Count Tuesday, however, as a major step backward for Chizik and the Tar Heels.
3. Fournette imposes his will. LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette accounted for five touchdowns in a Texas Bowl rout of Texas Tech. NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein writes that this performance set Fournette up to enter the 2016 season as college football's most talked about prospect.
4. Chip off the old block. Cal junior linebacker Hardy Nickerson, the son of the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, made a game-high 11 tackles for the Golden Bears.
5. Distractions hit Clemson. So much for a distraction-free run-up to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Just two days before the Orange Bowl showdown against Oklahoma, Clemson reportedly sent three players home for violating team rules. Among those three players was receiver Deon Cain, who is second on the team in receiving with 582 yards. Also reportedly sent home were kicker Ammon Lakip and tight end Jay Jay McCullough.
Prospects to watch in Wednesday's bowl games:
Birmingham Bowl
*Auburn vs. Memphis (Noon ET, ESPN) *
Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis:The Memphis junior could be playing in his final college game, on the strength of a spectacular season that vaulted him among the top prospects in the country at his position. A 300-yard game against Auburn would be Lynch's ninth of the year.
Belk Bowl
Mississippi State vs. N.C. State (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State: The most prolific passer in Bulldogs history caps his college career against a solid Wolfpack pass defense that ranked 20th in the country. Prescott poses a serious rushing threat as well, though he hasn't had a big game on the ground since gashing Kentucky (13-117-3) on Oct. 24.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, N.C. State:Though Brissett isn't considered an elite prospect, the former Florida Gator put himself on the scouting radar with a strong senior season. He's thrown 19 touchdown passes and only four interceptions, and all the size (6-4, 235 pounds) that NFL clubs look for.
Music City Bowl
Texas A&M vs. Louisville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Sheldon Rankins, DL, Louisville:Several Cardinals have a chance to be drafted, but Rankins figures to be first among them. The senior defensive tackle (6-2, 305) has 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. He's been especially active late in the year with at least one tackle for loss in four consecutive games.
Germaine Ifedi, OL, Texas A&M:Ifedi is the next in a string of Aggies offensive tackles that should be drafted. The three that preceded him -- Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi -- all were picked in the first round. Ifedi, a former guard, doesn't have the athleticism of those predecessors, but his physical style of play will be a challenge for the Louisville defensive front.
Holiday Bowl
USC vs. Wisconsin (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Su'a Cravens, LB, USC:The Trojans' junior announced earlier this month that he intends to enter the 2016 NFL Draft as an underclassman. Cravens' ability to play in coverage makes him a three-down player not only for USC, but perhaps at the next level as well.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*
