Wake's recipe for success all season was to hang with a team until the fourth quarter and then put it away. Things looked promising when the score was tied at 10 to start the final period, but Louisville quickly took charge. Cardinals quarterback Brian Brohm deserves a lot of credit; he's been accurate and clutch all season. If Brohm returns for his senior season, Louisville should be preseason top five pick. I was also impressed with the play of Wake QB Riley Skinner, a redshirt freshman who started the season No. 3 on the depth chart. When the ground game wasn't working, he stepped up and found the open receiver.

I can't say enough about the job both of these coaches did. Whenever you win more than 10 games in a season, you've done a tremendous job. Close bowl games like this one show how competitive college football is across the board and make a strong case for a playoff system. -- Jim Donnan