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The following is a list of current, defunct, and proposed College football bowl games. Five bowl games are currently part of the Bowl Championship Series, a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. There are also a number of other College football postseason invitationals, as well as several all-star games. The number of bowl games (now a staggering 35, requiring 70 teams) has increased to the point where often teams with losing records play in them. Also, essentially every one now is "sponsored" by a corporation for advertising purposes. The sponsor's name becomes part of the bowl's name, often resulting in very long, complicated names; in many cases it becomes the only name (the bowl's previous name being eliminated) as with the Peach, Florida Citrus, Tangerine, Music City, Texas, Humanitarian and Hall of Fame Bowls. In other cases the sponsor's name is more obviously featured than the bowl's own. The classic example is the Fiesta Bowl logo; "Tostitos" is in clearly-readable black against a white background, currently double the size of "Fiesta Bowl" which is in black-bordered dark red in a hard-to-read font against a dark background and has been progressively shrinking relative to the sponsor's name—especially in the logo painted on the field.

Bowl Championship Series games[]

From the 1998 season until the 2005 season, four BCS bowl games determined the national champion on a rotating basis. The other three games consisted of the champions of the 6 major conferences not playing in the championship game, as well as two at-large teams.

A change implemented before the beginning of the 2006 season allowed for the creation of a fifth BCS bowl, the BCS National Championship Game. The BCS National Championship Game is now played at the site of each of the four BCS bowls, but is played as a separate game one week after the regular BCS game. For example, in January 2007, Glendale hosted first the Fiesta Bowl, then the BCS National Championship Game a week later. The sponsor of the host game also sponsors the BCS National Championship Game (e.g., Tostitos will sponsor the game when in Glendale, Allstate will sponsor the game when in New Orleans, and so on).[1]

1998–1999 to 2005–2006[]

Name Season Started City Stadium Sponsor Previous Sponsor(s)
Fiesta Bowl 1971 Tempe, Arizona[2] Sun Devil Stadium Tostitos Sunkist Citrus Growers, IBM OS/2
Orange Bowl 1934 Miami, Florida[3]
Miami Gardens, Florida.
Miami Orange Bowl[3]
Pro Player Stadium/Dolphins Stadium[4]
Discover FedEx
Rose Bowl Game 1901 Pasadena, California Rose Bowl Vizio AT&T, Sony PlayStation 2, Citi
Sugar Bowl 1934 New Orleans, Louisiana
Atlanta, Georgia (2006 only)[5]
Louisiana Superdome
Georgia Dome (2006 only)[5]
Allstate Nokia, USF&G

2006–2007 to present[]

Name Payout Season Started City Stadium Sponsor Previous Sponsor(s)
Fiesta Bowl $18M 1971 Glendale, Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium Tostitos Sunkist Citrus Growers, IBM OS/2
Orange Bowl $18M 1934 Miami Gardens, Florida Sun Life Stadium[6] Discover FedEx
Rose Bowl Game $18M 1901 Pasadena, California Rose Bowl Vizio AT&T, Sony PlayStation 2, Citi
Sugar Bowl $18M 1934 New Orleans, Louisiana Mercedes-Benz Superdome Allstate USF&G, Nokia
BCS National Championship Game $18M 2006 Rotates[7] Rotates[8]

Other current bowl games[]

Besides BCS games, there are a number of other postseason invitationals. Generally, two conferences will agree to send teams of a particular standing to a game beforehand. For instance, the Rose Bowl traditionally features the Big Ten and Pac-12 conference champions. Generally, the payout to the participating teams in a Bowl Game is closely correlated to its prestige. For comparison, each of the BCS bowls (including the National Championship) has a payout of $18 million.

Name Season Started Venue City Most
Recent
Payout
Title Sponsor(s) Previous Name(s)
Sun Bowl 1934 Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas $1,900,000 Hyundai John Hancock Sun Bowl, John Hancock Bowl, Norwest Sun Bowl, Wells Fargo Sun Bowl, Vitalis Sun Bowl, Brut Sun Bowl
Cotton Bowl Classic 1936 Cowboys Stadium Arlington, Texas

(1937–2009: Dallas, Texas)
$6,750,000 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic, Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic, SBC Cotton Bowl Classic
Gator Bowl 1945 EverBank Field Jacksonville, Florida

(1994: Gainesville, Florida)
$2,500,000 TaxSlayer.com [9] Mazda Gator Bowl, Outback Steakhouse Gator Bowl, Toyota Gator Bowl, Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Progressive Gator Bowl
Capital One Bowl 1946 Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida

(1973: Gainesville, Florida)
$4,250,000 Capital One Tangerine Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl, CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl, Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl, Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl
Liberty Bowl 1959 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee

(1959–1963, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
1964, Atlantic City, New Jersey)
$1,350,000 AutoZone St. Jude Liberty Bowl, AXA Liberty Bowl
Chick-fil-A Bowl 1968 Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia $3,350,000 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl [10]
Independence Bowl 1976 Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana $1,100,000 AdvoCare Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl, Sanford Independence Bowl, MainStay Independence Bowl, PetroSun Independence Bowl
Holiday Bowl 1978 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California $2,350,000 Bridgepoint Education Sea World Holiday Bowl, Thrifty Car Rental Holiday Bowl, Plymouth Holiday Bowl, Culligan Holiday Bowl, Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Outback Bowl 1986 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida $3,400,000 Outback Hall of Fame Bowl
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 1989 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona

(1989-99: Tucson, Arizona;
2000-2005: Phoenix, Arizona)
$3,300,000 Buffalo Wild Wings Domino's Pizza Copper Bowl, Weiser Lock Copper Bowl, Insight.com Bowl, Insight Bowl, Valley of the Sun Bowl
Russell Athletic Bowl 1990 Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida

(1990-2000: Miami Gardens, Florida)
$2,125,000 Russell Athletic Tangerine Bowl, Blockbuster Bowl, Carquest Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, MicronPC.com Bowl, Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl, Mazda Tangerine Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas 1992 Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada

(1981-91: Fresno, California)
$1,000,000 Maaco California Bowl, California Raisin Bowl, EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl, Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl, Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl
Alamo Bowl 1993 Alamodome San Antonio, Texas $2,250,000 Valero[11] Builders Square Alamo Bowl, Sylvania Alamo Bowl, MasterCard Alamo Bowl
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl 1997 Ford Field Detroit, Michigan

(1997-2001: Pontiac, Michigan)
$750,000 Little Caesars Motor City Bowl (1998–2008), Ford Motor City Bowl (1997)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 1997 Bronco Stadium Boise, Idaho $750,000 Idaho Potato Commission Humanitarian Bowl, Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl, MPC Computers Bowl, Roady's Truck Stops Humanitarian Bowl, uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Music City Bowl 1998 LP Field Nashville, Tennessee $1,700,000 Franklin American Mortgage Company American General Music City Bowl, homepoint.com Music City Bowl, Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone
GoDaddy.com Bowl 1999 Ladd Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama $750,000 GoDaddy.com Mobile Alabama Bowl, GMAC Bowl
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas 2006 Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas $1,700,000 Meineke galleryfurniture.com Bowl, EV1.net Houston Bowl,[12] Texas Bowl
New Orleans Bowl 2001 Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana

(2005: Lafayette, Louisiana)
$500,000 R+L Carriers Wyndham New Orleans Bowl
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl 2002 AT&T Park San Francisco, California $825,000 - $750,000 Kraft San Francisco Bowl, Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, Emerald Bowl
Hawaiʻi Bowl 2002 Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii $750,000 Sheraton ConAgra Foods Hawaiʻi Bowl.
Belk Bowl 2002 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina $1,000,000 Belk Continental Tire Bowl, Queen City Bowl, Meineke Car Care Center Bowl
Armed Forces Bowl 2003 Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas

(2010-2011: University Park, Texas)
$750,000 Bell Helicopter Fort Worth Bowl, PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl, Alltel Wireless Bowl (temporary name)
Poinsettia Bowl 2005 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California $750,000 San Diego County Credit Union None previous
BBVA Compass Bowl 2006 Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama $1,000,000 - $900,000 BBVA Compass Birmingham Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl
New Mexico Bowl 2006 University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico $750,000 Gildan None previous
Military Bowl 2008 RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. $1,000,000 Northrop Grumman Congressional Bowl, EagleBank Bowl
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl 2008 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida $1,000,000 Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
Pinstripe Bowl [13] 2010 Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York $2,000,000 New Era None previous
TicketCity Bowl 2010 Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas $1,200,000 TicketCity Dallas Football Classic

Future (proposed) games[]

Name Year To Start Venue City Payout Sponsor(s) Previous Name(s)
Cure Bowl[14] 2012 Bright House Networks Stadium Orlando, Florida TBD TBD None previous
L.A. Christmas Bowl[15][16] 2012 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California TBD TBD None previous

(Note the 'LA Christmas Bowl' would be a partial throwback to the one-off 1924 Los Angeles Christmas Festival Bowl Game.[17])

Both of these proposed games were turned down by the NCAA for 2010. There are currently 35 licensed college bowls, which just about maxes out the possible eligible teams (the four-year average of bowl-eligible squads is 71.8).[18] If one of the current games folds or loses its certification, however, the Cure or LA Christmas Bowls could step in.

The BCS has recently begun discussion of a four team play off model. Teams in the past have been left out of the Championship game causing some backlash toward the BCS. The BCS has also stated that it wishes to remove AQ conferences from its bowl games starting with the 2014 season. Over that past couple of years there have been some incidents in which AQ teams surpassed more worthy teams for bowl spots.

Map of Bowl Games[]

All-Star games[]

Regular season rivalries called bowls[]

Games played outside of the US[]

  • Bacardi Bowl - seven exhibition games played in Havana, Cuba from 1907-1946
  • Mirage Bowl/Coca-Cola Classic - regular season games played annually in Tokyo, Japan from 1977-1993
  • International Bowl - bowl game played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2007-2010.

Non-Division I FBS bowl games[]

Division I FCS[]

  • Gridiron Classic - rotating campus sites (2006–2009)

Division II[]

  • Mineral Water Bowl - Excelsior Springs, Missouri (1948–1951, 1954–1975, 1992–present)
  • Dixie Rotary Bowl - Saint George, Utah (1986–2008) [19]
  • Pioneer Bowl - Various locations (1997–2007, 2009–present)
  • Kanza Bowl - Topeka, Kansas (2009–present)

Division III[]

  • Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl - Salem, Virginia (1973–present); Division III national championship game
  • Aztec Bowl - Toluca, Mexico (1950–53, 1955, 1957, 1964–66, 1970–71, 1971–80, 1984, 1986–2007)
  • Knute Rockne Bowl - Atlantic City, New Jersey (1969–1972; 1976–1977)
  • Oyster BowlHampton, Virginia (1999–present); regular season game, formerly a Division I event

Soup Bowl- Greensboro, North Carolina, Started in1994 between cross town rivals Greensboro College and Guilford College

NAIA bowl games[]

There is a large list of bowl games for NAIA available at [20] -- You can help Wikipedia by expanding this section.

  • College Fanz First Down Classic, 2007–present
  • NAIA national football championship (1956–present); previously called Aluminum Bowl (1956), Holiday Bowl (1957–1960), Camellia Bowl (1961–1963), Championship Bowl (1964-1976 Division I), Apple Bowl (1977 Division I), Palm Bowl (1978-1979 Division I), and Championship Bowl (1980-1996 Division I)

Junior College Bowl Games[]

  • Top of the Mountains Bowl
  • Valley of the Sun Bowl

NCCAA bowl games[]

  • Victory Bowl, NCCAA Championship Game, 1997–present

Defunct bowl games[]

Name Seasons Active City Notes
All-American Bowl 1977–1990 Birmingham, Alabama [21]
Aloha Bowl 1982–2000 Honolulu, Hawaii
Aviation Bowl 1961 Dayton, Ohio
Bacardi Bowl 1907, 1909, 1911–1912, 1921, 1936, 1946 Havana, Cuba Last game in 1946, Southern Mississippi defeated Havana University, 55-0
Bluebonnet Bowl 1959–1987 Houston, Texas
Bluegrass Bowl 1958 Louisville, Kentucky
Boardwalk Bowl 1961–1973 Atlantic City, New Jersey Since 1981, the NCAA Division I FCS Playoff East Regional Championship (National Quarterfinal) is commonly referred to as the Boardwalk Bowl in honor of its College Division heritage.
Boot Hill Bowl 1970–1980 Dodge City, Kansas
California Bowl 1981–1991 Fresno, California
Camellia Bowl 1948, 1961–1980 Lafayette, Louisiana, Sacramento, California One year in Lafayette, 19 in Sacramento; Since 1981, the NCAA Division I FCS Playoff West Regional Championship (National Quarterfinal) is commonly referred to as the Camellia Bowl in honor of its College Division heritage.
Charity Bowl 1937 Los Angeles, California
Cherry Bowl 1984–1985 Pontiac, Michigan
Cigar Bowl 1946–1954 Tampa, Florida
College All-Star Game 1934–1976 Chicago, Illinois Preseason game matching the previous year's NFL champion (Super Bowl Champion starting with the 1967 game) against an all-star squad of the previous year's college seniors
Cosmopolitan Bowl 1951 Alexandria, Louisiana
Delta Bowl 1947–1948 Memphis, Tennessee
Dixie Bowl 1947–1948 Birmingham, Alabama
Dixie Classic 1921, 1924, 1933 Dallas, Texas
Epson Ivy Bowl 1988–1996 Japan
Festival of Palms Bowl 1932–1933 Miami, Florida Renamed the Orange Bowl for the 1934 season [22]
Fort Worth Classic 1920 Fort Worth, Texas
Freedom Bowl 1984–1994 Anaheim, California
Garden State Bowl 1978–1981 East Rutherford, New Jersey
Glass Bowl 1946–1949 Toledo, Ohio
Gotham Bowl 1961–1962 New York City
Great Lakes Bowl 1947 Cleveland, Ohio
Gridiron Classic 1998–2004 Orlando, Florida Revived in 2006 as a Division I FCS game
Harbor Bowl 1946–1948 San Diego, California
Haka Bowl Never played Auckland, New Zealand Was to start in 1996, but NCAA revoked certification before first game
Heritage Bowl 1991–1999 Atlanta, Georgia
Houston Bowl 2000–2005 Houston, Texas Called the galleryfurniture.com Bowl in 2000-2001
International Bowl 2006–2009 Toronto, Ontario
Los Angeles Christmas Festival 1924 Los Angeles, California
Mercy Bowl 1961, 1971 Los Angeles, California
Mirage Bowl 1976–1993 Tokyo, Japan A regular season matchup, originally at Korakuen Stadium, later at Olympic Stadium, and finally at the Tokyo Dome
Missouri-Kansas Bowl 1948 Kansas City, Missouri
North-South Shrine Game 1948–1973 Miami, Florida Post season all star game similar to the East-West Shrine Game
Oahu Bowl 1998–2000 Honolulu, Hawaii
Oil Bowl 1943, 1945–1946 Houston, Texas
Orange Blossom Classic 1933–1978 Miami, Florida The name is now used for an occasional regular season game
Oyster Bowl 1948–1995 Norfolk, Virginia A regular season game called a "bowl", now a Division III game
Pasadena Bowl 1967–1971 Pasadena, California
Patriot Bowl 2007–2009 Cleveland, Ohio A regular season game called a "bowl" that featured a team from the Mid-American Conference and (originally) an United States service academy
Pecan Bowl 1964–1970 Abilene,
Arlington, Texas
First 4 seasons in Abilene, last 2 in Arlington. Since 1981, the NCAA Division I FCS Playoff Midwest Regional Championship (National Quarterfinal) is commonly referred to as the Pecan Bowl in honor of its College Division heritage
Pelican Bowl 1972, 1974–1975 Durham, North Carolina
New Orleans, Louisiana
First game in Durham, last 2 in New Orleans.
Pineapple Bowl 1939–1951 Honolulu, Hawaii
Poi Bowl 1935–1938 Honolulu, Hawaii
Presidential Cup Bowl 1950 College Park, Maryland
Refrigerator Bowl 1948–1956 Evansville, Indiana
Raisin Bowl 1945–1949 Fresno, California
Salad Bowl 1947–1951 Phoenix, Arizona Precursor to current Fiesta Bowl
San Diego East-West Christmas Classic 1921–1922 San Diego, California
Seattle Bowl 2001–2002 Seattle, Washington
Shrine Bowl 1948–1949 Little Rock, Arkansas
Silicon Valley Football Classic 2000–2004 San Jose, California
Sunflower Bowl 1982–1986 Winfield, Kansas
Tobacco Bowl 1935–1941, 1948–1984 South Boston, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
Vulcan Bowl 1941–1948, 1951 Birmingham, Alabama
Wheat Bowl 1995–2006 Ellinwood, Kansas, Great Bend, Kansas Pre-season NAIA bowl,[23]

References[]

  1. "BCS History". http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/history. Retrieved 7 December 2008.[dead link]
  2. The game did not move to its current site of Glendale, Arizona until 2007.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Game played in Miami, 1999
  4. Facility known as Pro Player Stadium from 1996–2005 and Dolphins Stadium in 2005–06.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Game played in Atlanta in 2006 due to extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome from Hurricane Katrina. It returned to New Orleans in 2007.
  6. Current name. Also known as Dolphin Stadium and Land Shark Stadium in this time period.
  7. The rotation is as follows: University of Phoenix Stadium (2006, 2010), Louisiana Superdome (2007, 2011), Sun Life Stadium (2008, 2012), Rose Bowl (2009, 2013).
  8. The rotation is as follows: Tostitos (2006), Allstate (2007), FedEx (2008), Citi (2009).
  9. |http://www.gatorbowl.com/images/_pdfs/GBA_12_14_10.pdf
  10. http://www.chick-fil-abowl.com/PressBox/BowlHistory/tabid/107/Default.aspx
  11. Valero Energy Corporation Alamo Bowl press release
  12. http://missouri.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1025750
  13. Bowl Game at Yankee Stadium
  14. http://curebowl.com/
  15. http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2010/04/la-christmas-bo.html
  16. http://www.christmasbowl.org/
  17. http://www.nunesmagician.com/2010/4/23/1439809/what-the-hell-was-the-cure-bowl
  18. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/23/ncaa-approves-record-35-bowl-games/
  19. cstv.com - August 24, 2009
  20. http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/bowls/college_division_minor_bowls.php
  21. There were two separate games played in Birmingham during this time. The original game, the Hall of Fame Bowl, moved to Tampa, Florida, effective with the 1986 game, and several years later changed its name to the Outback Bowl. A second game known as the All-American Bowl was then organized, and was played from 1986 to 1990.
  22. http://www.orangebowl.org/OB.php?sec=history
  23. The Nation's Home for NAIA Football

Further reading[]

  • Oriard, Michael (2009). Bowled Over: Big-Time College Football from the Sixties to the BCS Era. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-3329-2.

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of college bowl games.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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