In this week’s Murphy’s Law, the Cyclones show how much winning still matters, and they were doing it when Cam Ward played, and when he didn’t. Meantime, the Pop-Tarts bowl knows how to fun at a time all non-CFP bowls need to adjust.

Despite not making the playoffs, both Miami and Iowa State believe participating in the Pop-Tarts Bowl is an important way to close the season.

Iowa State and Miami weren’t far off from playing in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. The Cyclones made it as far as the Big 12 championship, which they lost to Arizona State, while the Hurricanes missed out on a trip to the ACC game after losing to Syracuse in the regular-season finale.

The Miami Hurricanes couldn't stop Iowa State in the early going of the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Might have been because they were too busy fighting with each other. Simeon Barrow Jr. and Marquise Lightfoot got into it on the sidelines.

Miami boasted the top-scoring offense in the country, but Iowa State football hung with it every step of the way before winning a thriller.

But the defense, missing multiple key players and lacking depth at key positions, surrendered 42 to No. 18 Iowa State as Miami lost the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It is UM’s sixth straight bowl loss.

The Iowa State football team added one more memorable moment to its historic season on Saturday. The 19th-ranked Cyclones celebrated a win in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating No. 16 Miami 42-41. Their latest victory finished off one of the most successful seasons in school history.