About This Quiz
For college football fans, there's no better time of the year than the bowl season, which takes place in December and January each year. During this time, the holidays are definitely a priority, but as soon as the stuffing and presents are finished, it's time to gather around the television to see which teams will finish the year on a high note and which teams will be looking to the next season to avenge their losses.Â
Of course, not every team makes it into a bowl game, as there are several requirements that have to be met to be considered a bowl-eligible team. But for the teams that are eligible, both the players and fans get the opportunity to travel to unique locations to experience local entertainment and one final game before the season comes to a close. That, of course, is for the teams that don't make it into the College Football Playoff. The lucky teams that reach the playoff compete in one of the New Year's Six bowls, where the focus is on a national championship instead of a vacation opportunity.
When you're ready to identify these bowl games, get started and see if this quiz can get you fired up for bowl season.
Though the Music City Bowl is currently played in Nissan Stadium, the inaugural game in 1998 was played in Vanderbilt Stadium, where Virginia Tech faced off against Alabama. The Tide couldn't muster much offense that game, losing 38-7 to the Hokies.
The Liberty Bowl is played each season at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. Aside from the bowl game being played there annually, the stadium also host the Memphis Tigers, a member of the American Athletic Conference.
Some of the biggest games in college football history have been played at the Rose Bowl, one of the sport's most celebrated venues. One such game was the 2006 National Championship, which pitted USC against Texas. Texas won the game when quarterback Vince Young scored a rushing touchdown in the last minute of the game.
Advertisement
The Peach Bowl is named after the "Peach State" where it takes place, Georgia. There were only a few seasons, from 2006 until 2013, that the bowl didn't carry its current name, but when it was included as one of the New Year's Six games, the name reverted back to honor the game's tradition.
Since bowl season comes during the winter months, the games are usually held in warm-weather cities, but the Pinstripe Bowl is one of two bowls held in the Northeast, where the weather is much colder. In 2018, the Miami Hurricanes had to travel up north for the game, losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in an unfamiliar environment.
One of the New Years' Six bowls, the only College Football Playoff game to take place in the Fiesta Bowl so far came in 2016 when Clemson faced off against Ohio State. Ohio State was favored in the game despite being ranked lower, but Clemson put on an incredible performance to win the game 31-0.
Advertisement
Iowa and Michigan have the most appearances in the Outback Bowl, each having reached the bowl six times. Both schools have a 3-3 record in the game, while South Carolina holds the most wins with four.
Texas Tech has more appearances in the Sun Bowl than any other team in the bowl's history. However, the Red Raiders haven't fared well against the competition, winning only one game in their nine appearances.
Considering the Quick Lane Bowl takes place in Detroit, it comes as no surprise that Ford Motor Company serves as the sponsor for the event. In fact, Quick Lane is actually owned by Ford, providing express services to car owners.
Advertisement
The 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl saw the highest-scoring game in the bowl's history. In that matchup, Idaho and Colorado State put up a combined 111 points, with Idaho scoring 61 to take home the victory.
Before being renamed in 1983, the Citrus Bowl was known as the Tangerine Bowl. The first game was played on Jan. 1, 1947, as Catawba defeated Maryville in a blowout victory with a final score of 31-6.
Started in 1935, the Sugar Bowl celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2009 when Utah faced off against Alabama. Even though Alabama was heavily favored, Utah overcame the Tide in a 31-17 victory.
Advertisement
Before the 2014 Bahamas Bowl, the last time a major bowl game was played outside the United States or Canada was in 1937. That bowl, called the Bacardi Bowl, was played in Havana, Cuba, where Auburn played Villanova to a draw.
The 1984 Holiday Bowl saw BYU win a national championship by defeating the Michigan Wolverines. By going undefeated that season, BYU claimed the only official national championship in the school's history.
Appalachian State got its first chance at the New Orleans Bowl in 2018 when the school faced off against Middle Tennessee. Appalachian State didn't disappoint, as they poured it on Middle Tennessee, winning the game 45-13.
Advertisement
Though the Las Vegas Bowl is currently held at Sam Boyd Stadium, the stadium will be replaced by Allegiant Stadium in 2020 as the Oakland Raiders of the NFL make the move to Las Vegas. With the new stadium, the Las Vegas Bowl will be relocated as well.
Virginia earned a huge victory over South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl by shutting out the Gamecocks 28-0. Virginia's wide receiver, Olamide Zaccheaus, was named the MVP of the game after recording 12 receptions for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
The most recent College Football Playoff in 2018-19 included the Cotton Bowl Classic in the opening round. During the contest, Clemson dominated Notre Dame 30-3 behind the arm of their freshman quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
Advertisement
In 1994, the Gator Bowl was held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators, while Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was being constructed to host future games. In the 1994 contest, an unranked Tennessee team upset Virginia Tech, which was ranked No. 17 at the time.
In a fitting fashion, no team holds more victories in the Armed Forces Bowl than Army, which currently has three victories in three appearances. Army achieved its most recent win in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl by racking up 70 points on an ill-prepared Houston defense.
West Virginia appeared in the 2018 Camping World Bowl for the fifth time in team history, tied for the most of any team. However, including the 2018 outing, West Virginia has yet to score a victory in this bowl game.
Advertisement
The Nevada Wolf Pack is the only team to appear more than once in the Arizona Bowl, playing in both the inaugural game and the 2018 matchup. Nevada walked away with victories in both games, giving the school a perfect record in the bowl.
As long as the conference has enough bowl-eligible teams, C-USA has an automatic tie-in to the First Responder Bowl. However, the conference hasn't produced a team for the game the past two seasons, as schools from the Pac-12 and Mountain West have found their way into the bowl instead.
The Marshall Thundering Herd put on an incredible rushing performance in the 2018 Gasparilla Bowl, rushing for five touchdowns to take the win over South Florida. Keion Davis, the team's running back, was named the MVP of the game after rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
Advertisement
From its inaugural season in 2002 until 2013, the Redbox Bowl was played at AT&T Park, which is an MLB ballpark that hosts the San Francisco Giants. Because it's a baseball field, both teams had to occupy the same sideline, divided from one another at the 50-yard line.
The Boca Raton Bowl is hosted at FAU Stadium, the home of the Florida Atlantic Owls. The first game was played in 2014 between Marshall and Northern Illinois in front of a crowd of 29,419 screaming fans. Marshall took the lead in the first quarter of that game and never looked back.
The MEAC and SWAC are conferences comprised of historically black colleges and universities. Played in Atlanta, the Celebration Bowl serves as the national championship for these two conferences, which has been the case since 2015.
Advertisement
Two of college football's major conferences, the Big 12 and the SEC, face off against one another in the Texas Bowl each season. Previously, teams from the Big East, C-USA, MWC and Big Ten had tie-ins to the bowl.
After LendingTree signed on as a sponsor prior to the 2019 season, the Dollar General Bowl was renamed the LendingTree Bowl. With the change in sponsorship, teams have a chance to leave a new mark on the game when it takes place on Jan. 6, 2020.
Prior to 2010, the Military Bowl was called the EagleBank Bowl after its former sponsor. However, Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor, signed on as the sponsor in 2010, renaming the game the Military Bowl.
Advertisement
Gardner Minshew helped the Washington State Cougars overcome the Iowa State Cyclones in the 2018 Alamo Bowl by throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns. For his performance, Minshew was named the MVP of the bowl, which ended his college football career on a positive note.
South Florida was the last ranked team to play in the Birmingham Bowl, which it did in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. The school also played in the inaugural bowl in 2006, winning all three games to hold a 3-0 record in the Birmingham Bowl.
The Cure Bowl is an event put on each December to promote awareness for breast cancer. Revenue from the game helps fund research by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, meaning the bowl serves both as entertainment and as a fundraiser.
Advertisement
Prior to the 2018 matchup between TCU and Cal, the Cheez-it Bowl was named the Cactus Bowl. When Kellogg signed on as a sponsor in 2018, the bowl was renamed after the company's famous cracker, Cheez-it.
The New Mexico Bowl has been played at the same stadium, Dreamstyle Stadium, since it was first held in 2006. Opened in 1960, the stadium is home to the New Mexico Lobos, who have actually appeared in the bowl on four occasions.
Having appeared in five contests at the Camellia Bowl, the Sun Belt holds an overall record of 3-2 in the game. Appalachian State has the most wins of any team from the Sun Belt, winning back-to-back games in 2015 and 2016.
Advertisement
A member of the Mountain West Conference, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors receive an automatic invitation to the Hawaii Bowl if they are bowl-eligible at the end of the season. If not, another team from the Mountain West receives the invitation.
The Frisco Bowl takes place in Frisco, Texas at Toyota Stadium, which traditionally hosts the Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. The stadium also serves as the location of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, opened in 2018.
Inaugurated in 1976, the Independence Bowl is named for the United States Bicentennial, which honored the creation of the United States 200 years prior. In the first game, McNeese State overcame Tulsa in the fourth quarter to take home the victory.
Advertisement
In 2018, it was the Orange Bowl's opportunity to be part of the College Football Playoff. In the game, Alabama faced off against Oklahoma in a high-scoring affair that saw Alabama walk away with a 45-34 victory.