The LSU Tigers are your 2016 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl champions.
They beat the Louisville Cardinals 29-9 on New Year’s Eve.
The win is validation for the coach and several players.
It was a chance for many of the returning seniors to end their collegiate careers with a win.
Key players Ethan Pocic, Lewis Neal, Kendell Beckwith and Tre’Davious White all elected to return to school rather than go to the NFL Draft in January.
“I wanted to go out a winner,” White says.
White improved his draft stock immensely this season.
He’s a potential first round pick.
He also became the first member of his family to graduate from a major university.
“Coming back was the best decision I ever made in my life,” White says.
The MVP of the game was sophomore running back Derrius Guice.
With his performance throughout the season, Guice is carving his own reputation, no longer living in the shadows of the great Leonard Fournette.
Guice started many times during the season while Fournette was dealing with an ankle injury.
“He’s one of the best players in America,” Head Coach Ed Orgeron said. “We totally expect him to be the best player in America next year. We’re very fortunate to have him.”
But more than anyone else, this game was validation for Orgeron.
It was his first game coaching the Tigers without the word “interim” in front of his name. 
“He just gives us a lot of energy,” Guice says.
“I saw a picture of him earlier where he drunk like three Monsters [energy drinks],” Guice laughs.
“The way he cares about the players man…it’s next to none,” White says.
Orgeron laid out the team’s goals for next season after the game…a sort of “New Year’s Resolution.”
“We look forward to building a championship program here,” Orgeron says.
“We’ve got work to do. We’re looking forward to going on the recruiting trail…getting our seniors ready for the [NFL] combine…doing the things that championship programs do.”