2020–21 NCAA football bowl games

The 2020–21 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games scheduled to complete the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Team-competitive games began on December 21, 2020, and concluded with the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship played on January 11, 2021. Three all-star games followed, concluding with the 2021 Hula Bowl, played on January 31, 2021.

2020–21 NCAA football bowl games
Season2020
Regular seasonSeptember 3, 2020 (2020-09-03) – December 19, 2020 (2020-12-19)
Number of bowls26[a]
All-star games3
Bowl gamesDecember 21, 2020 (2020-12-21) – January 11, 2021 (2021-01-11)[b]
National Championship2021 College Football Playoff
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipHard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
ChampionsAlabama Crimson Tide
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerBig 12
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
SEC 9 7–2 (0.778) 4
AAC 6 1–5 (0.167) 1
ACC 6 0–6 (0.000) 4
Conference USA 6 0–6 (0.000) 0
Big 12 5 5–0 (1.000) 4
Sun Belt 5 4–1 (0.800) 2
Big Ten 5 3–2 (0.600) 4
Mountain West 3 2–1 (0.667) 1
Independents 3 2–1 (0.667) 2
MAC 2 2–0 (1.000) 2
Pac-12 2 0–2 (0.000) 1

The number of bowl games was lower than in recent seasons (25 team-competitive bowls aside from the National Championship Game, and three all-star games), as both the regular season and postseason were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In mid-October 2020, the NCAA waived bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020–21 bowl season, intended "to allow as many student-athletes as possible the opportunity to participate in bowl games this year."[2] This led to nine teams with losing records accepting bids to bowl games, surpassing the six teams with losing records who were deemed bowl eligible (rules not waived) in order to fill the 2016–17 NCAA football bowl games – consistent with the ongoing proliferation of what used to be a limited number of bowl games intended to reward the best teams in college football.

Schedule

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The schedule for the 2020–21 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5). Note that Division II bowls and Division III bowls are not included here.

On October 23, 2020, the Football Bowl Association announced a rebranding as "Bowl Season"; the organization works "with all existing bowls to promote the benefits of the entire bowl system."[3] The organization's logo was visible on the field at some bowl games.[4]

College Football Playoff and Championship Game

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The College Football Playoff (CFP) system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the final five weeks of the regular season. On August 5, 2020, CFP organizers announced that they would move the release of final rankings and semifinal matchups from December 6 to 20, in order to accommodate conferences that had delayed their championship games to mid-December.[5] The top four teams in the final ranking were seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.

The semifinal games for the 2020–21 season were the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.[6] Both were played on January 1, 2021, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The Rose Bowl game was relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Cotton Bowl Classic, after Governor Gavin Newsom's orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in California would have resulted in the game being played behind closed doors without fans.[7] The semifinal winners advanced to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, played on January 11, 2021.

In the event of COVID-19 issues within the playoff teams, CFP organizers had identified contingency dates (which did not need to be used) of January 11 and January 12 for the semifinals and January 18 for the championship game.[8]

 
Hard Rock Stadium, site of the National Championship game
Semifinals Championship
January 1 – Rose Bowl
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
  1   Alabama 31  
  4   Notre Dame 14   January 11 – National Championship
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
 
      1   Alabama 52
January 1 – Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
    3   Ohio State 24
 
  2   Clemson 28
  3   Ohio State 49  

Each of the games in the following table was televised by ESPN.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 30 8:00 p.m. Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (8–2)
No. 7 Florida Gators (8–3)
Big 12
SEC
Oklahoma 55
Florida 20
Jan. 1 12:00 p.m. Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (7–2)
No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats (9–0)
SEC
American
Georgia 24
Cincinnati 21
4:00 p.m. Rose Bowl
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (11–0)
No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–1)
SEC
ACC
Alabama 31
Notre Dame 14
8:00 p.m. Sugar Bowl
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (6–0)
No. 2 Clemson Tigers (10–1)
Big Ten
ACC
Ohio State 49
Clemson 28
Jan. 2 4:00 p.m. Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium
Glendale, Arizona
No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones (8–3)
No. 25 Oregon Ducks (4–2)
Big 12
Pac-12
Iowa State 34
Oregon 17
8:00 p.m. Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies (8–1)
No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (8–3)
SEC
ACC
Texas A&M 41
North Carolina 27
Jan. 11 8:00 p.m. College Football Playoff National Championship

(Rose Bowl Winner vs. Sugar Bowl Winner)

Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–0)
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (7–0)
SEC
Big Ten
Alabama 52
Ohio State 24

Source:[6]

Non-CFP bowl games

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Due to a sponsorship change, what had been the Camping World Bowl played in Florida was renamed the Cheez-It Bowl, and the former Cheez-It Bowl played in Arizona became the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Also due to a sponsorship change, what had been the Belk Bowl was renamed as the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the New Mexico Bowl was moved to Frisco, Texas.[9]

New bowls

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Three new bowls had planned to debut during the 2020–21 bowl season, although only one was actually played.

The Montgomery Bowl was announced as a "substitute of the Fenway Bowl for this season only".[12]

Cancelled bowls

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The following annual bowl games had their 2020 editions canceled (date announced):

On December 14, the NCAA's Football Oversight Committee (FOC) announced that FBS teams would be allowed to schedule an additional game in the event of a bowl game cancellation.[30] Such games would need to be requested not later than December 21, and played not later than December 31.[30] A replacement game would need to be scheduled against an opponent from a conference with a tie-in to the canceled bowl game.[30]

The cancellations, along with the move of the Cure Bowl from CBS Sports Network to ESPN due to its acquisition by ESPN Events, left the Arizona Bowl as the only bowl not televised by the ESPN family of networks.[31] On December 10, it was announced that the Arizona Bowl would be shifted from CBS Sports Network to the main CBS network as a substitute for the Sun Bowl.[32]

Bowls played

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Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams[c] Affiliations[d] Results
Dec. 21 2:30 p.m. Myrtle Beach Bowl Brooks Stadium
Conway, South Carolina
ESPN Appalachian State Mountaineers (8–3)
North Texas Mean Green (4–5)
Sun Belt
C–USA
Appalachian State 56
North Texas 28
Dec. 22 3:30 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
Nevada Wolf Pack (6–2)
Tulane Green Wave (6–5)
MWC
American
Nevada 38
Tulane 27
7:00 p.m. Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida
No. 16 BYU Cougars (10–1)
UCF Knights (6–3)
Independent
American
BYU 49
UCF 23
Dec. 23 3:00 p.m. New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
Georgia Southern Eagles (7–5)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5–4)
Sun Belt
C–USA
Georgia Southern 38
Louisiana Tech 3
7:00 p.m. Montgomery Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama
Memphis Tigers (7–3)
Florida Atlantic Owls (5–3)
American
C–USA
Memphis 25
Florida Atlantic 10
Dec. 24 3:30 p.m. New Mexico Bowl Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (4–4)
Houston Cougars (3–4)
MWC
American
Hawaii 28
Houston 14
Dec. 25 2:30 p.m. Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama
Buffalo Bulls (5–1)
Marshall Thundering Herd (7–2)
MAC
C–USA
Buffalo 17
Marshall 10
Dec. 26 3:30 p.m. First Responder Bowl Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, Texas
ABC No. 19 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (9–1)
UTSA Roadrunners (7–4)
Sun Belt
C–USA
Louisiana 31
UTSA 24
3:30 p.m. LendingTree Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
ESPN Georgia State Panthers (5–4)
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5–6)
Sun Belt
C–USA
Georgia State 39
Western Kentucky 21
7:30 p.m. Cure Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
Liberty Flames (9–1)
No. 12 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11–0)
Independent
Sun Belt
Liberty 37
Coastal Carolina 34 (OT)
Dec. 29 5:30 p.m. Cheez-It Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7–3)
No. 18 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (8–2)
Big 12
ACC
Oklahoma State 37
Miami (FL) 34
9:00 p.m. Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas
No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6–3)
Colorado Buffaloes (4–1)
Big 12
Pac-12
Texas 55
Colorado 23
Dec. 30 12:00 p.m. Duke's Mayo Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
Wisconsin Badgers (3–3)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4–4)
Big Ten
ACC
Wisconsin 42
Wake Forest 28
Dec. 31 12:00 p.m. Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas
Mississippi State Bulldogs (3–7)
No. 24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6–2)
SEC
American
Mississippi State 28
Tulsa 26
2:00 p.m. Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Arizona
CBS Ball State Cardinals (6–1)
No. 22 San Jose State Spartans (7–0)
MAC
MWC
Ball State 34
San Jose State 13
4:00 p.m. Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee
ESPN West Virginia Mountaineers (5–4)
Army Black Knights (9–2)
Big 12
Independent
West Virginia 24
Army 21
Jan. 1 1:00 p.m. Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
ABC No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats (6–2)
Auburn Tigers (6–4)
Big Ten
SEC
Northwestern 35
Auburn 19
Jan. 2 12:00 p.m. Gator Bowl TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, Florida
ESPN Kentucky Wildcats (4–6)
No. 23 NC State Wolfpack (8–3)
SEC
ACC
Kentucky 23
NC State 21
12:30 p.m. Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
ABC Ole Miss Rebels (4–5)
No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers (6–1)
SEC
Big Ten
Ole Miss 26
Indiana 20

Source:[6][10][33][34]

FCS bowl game

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The Celebration Bowl, held between the champions of the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) was canceled, due to both conferences having postponed football to spring 2021 due to COVID-19.[35]

The NCAA has likewise delayed the Division I FCS tournament to April 2021, with the 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game scheduled to occur in May 2021.[36]

All-star games

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The East–West Shrine Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.[37][38]

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Participants Results
Jan. 17 Tropical Bowl Celebration High School
Celebration, Florida
National Team
American Team
National 20
American 17
Jan. 30 2:30 p.m. Senior Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
NFL Network National Team
American Team
National 27
American 24
Jan. 31 9:30 p.m. Hula Bowl Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii
CBS Sports Network Team Kai
Team Aina
Kai 15
Aina 13

Team selections

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In mid-October, the NCAA waived its usual bowl eligibility requirements.[39] In early November, the Pac-12 Conference announced that its teams would need to have at least a .500 record to be considered for a bowl game.[40] Additionally, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) only allowed their top two teams to go to bowl games.[41]

Programs removed from bowl consideration

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Multiple programs opted out of, or were otherwise removed from, bowl consideration in advance of final CFP standings and bowl announcements on December 20. Each program is listed with its win–loss record and the date its removal was announced.

The following programs dropped out of their respective bowl games after the pairings were set:

Bowl teams with losing records

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Nine teams with losing records received bowl invitations, the first such occurrences since the 2016 season:

Six of the nine teams played their bowls, recording three wins (Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss) and three losses (Houston, North Texas, and Western Kentucky).

CFP top 25 standings and bowl games

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On December 20, 2020, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year.[83]

This was the seventh year of the College Football Playoff era. Of the 28 playoff spots awarded during that time, 22 went to Alabama (6), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4), and Notre Dame (2).

Rank Team W–L Conference and standing Bowl game
1 Alabama Crimson Tide 11–0 SEC champions Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
2 Clemson Tigers 10–1 ACC champions Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 6–0 Big Ten champions Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10–1 ACC first place Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
5 Texas A&M Aggies 8–1 SEC West Division second place Orange Bowl (NY6)
6 Oklahoma Sooners 8–2 Big 12 champions Cotton Bowl (NY6)
7 Florida Gators 8–3 SEC East Division champions Cotton Bowl (NY6)
8 Cincinnati Bearcats 9–0 American champions Peach Bowl (NY6)
9 Georgia Bulldogs 7–2 SEC East Division second place Peach Bowl (NY6)
10 Iowa State Cyclones 8–3 Big 12 first place Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
11 Indiana Hoosiers 6–1 Big Ten East Division second place Outback Bowl
12 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11–0 Sun Belt co-champions Cure Bowl
13 North Carolina Tar Heels 8–3 ACC fourth place (tie) Orange Bowl (NY6)
14 Northwestern Wildcats 6–2 Big Ten West Division champions Citrus Bowl
15 Iowa Hawkeyes 6–2 Big Ten West Division second place Music City Bowl (canceled)
16 BYU Cougars 10–1 Independent Boca Raton Bowl
17 USC Trojans 5–1 Pac-12 South Division champions none (opted out)
18 Miami (FL) Hurricanes 8–2 ACC third place Cheez-It Bowl
19 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 9–1 Sun Belt co-champions First Responder Bowl
20 Texas Longhorns 6–3 Big 12 fourth place Alamo Bowl
21 Oklahoma State Cowboys 7–3 Big 12 third place Cheez-It Bowl
22 San Jose State Spartans 7–0 Mountain West champions Arizona Bowl
23 NC State Wolfpack 8–3 ACC fourth place (tie) Gator Bowl
24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6–2 American second place Armed Forces Bowl
25 Oregon Ducks 4–2 Pac-12 champions Fiesta Bowl (NY6)

Conference champions' bowl games

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Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 20, with win–loss records at that time. Two bowls featured a matchup of conference champions—the Arizona Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Champions of the Power Five conferences were assured of a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game.

Conference Champion W–L Rank Bowl game
ACC Clemson Tigers 10–1 2 Sugar Bowl (semifinal)
American Cincinnati Bearcats 9–0 8 Peach Bowl (NY6)
Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes 6–0 3 Sugar Bowl (semifinal)
Big 12 Oklahoma Sooners 8–2 6 Cotton Bowl (NY6)
C-USA UAB Blazers 6–3 Gasparilla Bowl (canceled)
MAC Ball State Cardinals 6–1 Arizona Bowl
Mountain West San Jose State Spartans 7–0 22 Arizona Bowl
Pac-12 Oregon Ducks 4–2 25 Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
SEC Alabama Crimson Tide 11–0 1 Rose Bowl (semifinal)
Sun Belt Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11–0 12 Cure Bowl
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 9–1 19 First Responder Bowl

† The Sun Belt Championship Game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues, resulting in co-champions being declared.[84]

Television ratings

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All times Eastern. CFP Rankings.

Non-CFP bowl games

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Rank Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV Rating[85] Game Location
1 January 1, 2021, 12:00 p.m. No. 9 Georgia 24 No. 8 Cincinnati 21 ESPN 8.7 4.9 Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
2 January 1, 2021, 8:00 p.m. No. 13 North Carolina 27 No. 5 Texas A&M 41 7.6 4.3 Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
3 January 2, 2021, 4:00 p.m. No. 25 Oregon 17 No. 10 Iowa State 34 6.7 3.8 Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
4 December 30, 2020, 8:00 p.m. No. 7 Florida 20 No. 6 Oklahoma 55 5.8 3.2 Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
5 January 1, 2021, 1:00 p.m. Auburn 19 No. 14 Northwestern 35 ABC 4.8 2.8 Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
6 January 2, 2021, 12:30 p.m. Ole Miss 26 No. 11 Indiana 20 4.1 2.5 Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
7 December 31, 2020, 4:00 p.m. West Virginia 24 Army 21 ESPN 3.7 2.2 Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
8 December 29, 2020, 5:30 p.m. No. 21 Oklahoma State 37 No. 18 Miami (FL) 34 3.2 1.8 Cheez-It Bowl Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
9 December 29, 2020, 9:00 p.m. No. 20 Texas 55 Colorado 23 3.0 1.7 Alamo Bowl Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
10 January 2, 2021, 12:00 p.m. No. 23 NC State 21 Kentucky 23 2.7 1.7 Gator Bowl TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL

College Football Playoff

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Game Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV Rating[85] Location
Rose Bowl (semifinal) January 1, 2021, 4:30 p.m. No. 4 Notre Dame 14 No. 1 Alabama 31 ESPN 18.9 9.6 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Sugar Bowl (semifinal) January 1, 2021, 8:00 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State 49 No. 2 Clemson 28 19.1 9.8 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
National Championship January 11, 2021, 8:00 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State 24 No. 1 Alabama 52 18.6 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

Notes

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  1. ^ Bowl count includes the National Championship game.
  2. ^ Dates exclude all-star games.
  3. ^ Win–loss records are prior to the bowl game being played.
  4. ^ Reflects actual conferences of participants, for specific teams that are listed. Else, reflects conference tie-ins, which are subject to change as bowl invitations are issued and accepted.

References

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Further reading

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  • Palm, Jerry. "Playoff Projection". CBS Sports. CBS Sports bowl expert Jerry Palm picks the teams he feels will comprise the national semifinals at the end of the season along with bowl projections for every single game.