| 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of bowls |
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| All-star games | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl games | December 16, 2023 – January 8, 2024[lower-alpha 2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Championship | 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location of Championship | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games is a series of college football games scheduled to primarily complete the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Team-competitive games are set to begin in mid-December and conclude with the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8, 2024.
Schedule
The schedule for the 2023–24 bowl games, announced in May 2023, is below. All times are EST (UTC−5).
Division I FBS bowl games
College Football Playoff bowl games
– National Championship, – Semifinal Bowl, – Non-semifinal bowlThe College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A committee of experts will rank the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks of the regular season. The top four teams[lower-alpha 3] in the final ranking are then seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.
The semifinal games for the 2023 season are the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Both will be played on January 1, 2024, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of two bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners will advance to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship to be contested on January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| January 1 – Rose BowlRose Bowl, Pasadena | ||||||||
| 1 | Michigan | |||||||
| 4 | Alabama | January 8 – National ChampionshipNRG Stadium, Houston | ||||||
| January 1 – Sugar BowlCaesars Superdome, New Orleans | ||||||||
| 2 | Washington | |||||||
| 3 | Texas | |||||||
Each of the games in the following table is scheduled to be televised by ESPN.
- † Semifinal teams are chosen by the selection committee
- ‡ Semifinal winners advance to the championship game
Non-CFP bowl games
Several bowl name changes were made, as compared to the prior season's bowl games:
- Due to construction at its normal stadium, the Bahamas Bowl was temporarily relocated to North Carolina and branded as the Famous Toastery Bowl per its title sponsor.[2]
- Due to a change in title sponsor, the LendingTree Bowl was renamed as the 68 Ventures Bowl.[3]
- Sponsor Kellogg's (renamed Kellanova in October 2023, after the company's North American cereal business was spun off as the WK Kellogg Co[4][5]) renamed the Cheez-It Bowl as the Pop-Tarts Bowl.[6]
The "affiliations" column reflects conference tie-ins for each bowl; the conference affiliations of teams actually invited may vary based on bowl eligibility and other factors.
Division I FCS bowl game
– DI FCS, – DII, – DIIIThe Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) has one bowl game, played between HBCUs, which acts as a de facto Black college football national championship. The FCS also has a postseason bracket tournament that culminates in the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia |
ABC | Howard Bison (6–5) Florida A&M Rattlers (11–1) |
MEAC SWAC |
Division II bowl games
Division II has four bowl games which feature teams that did not qualify for the Division II postseason tournament.
The schedule includes the inaugural edition of the Florida Beach Bowl, to be contested between teams from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), two conferences mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).[7]
| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 1 | 7:00 p.m. | America's Crossroads Bowl | Hammond Central High School Hammond, Indiana |
No broadcast | McKendree (5–5) Ashland (8–3) |
GLVC GMAC |
Ashland 23 McKendree 20 |
| Dec. 2 | 1:00 p.m. | Live United Bowl | Arkansas High School Texarkana, Arkansas |
Southern Arkansas (9–2) Missouri Western (8–3) |
GAC MIAA |
Southern Arkansas 43 Missouri Western 27 | |
| Dec. 2 | 1:00 p.m. | Heritage Bowl | Tiger Stadium Corsicana, Texas |
Southern Nazarene (6–5) Emporia State (8–3) |
GAC MIAA |
Emporia State 55 Southern Nazarene 24 | |
| Dec. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Florida Beach Bowl | DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
Johnson C. Smith (7–3) Fort Valley State (7–3) |
CIAA SIAC |
Division III bowl games
Division III has thirteen bowl games which feature teams that did not qualify for the Division III postseason tournament.
| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 18 | 11:00 AM | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Campus sites | Franklin & Marshall (7–3) King's (PA) (8–2) |
Centennial MAC |
Franklin & Marshall 30 King's (PA) 7 | |
| 12:00 PM | Muhlenberg (9–1) Lebanon Valley (6–4) |
Muhlenberg 23 Lebanon Valley 7 | |||||
| Whitelaw Bowl | RPI (7–3) Widener (7–3) |
Liberty MAC |
RPI 49 Widener 21 | ||||
| Lynah Bowl | Washington & Jefferson (8–2) Merchant Marine (7–2) |
PAC NEWMAC |
Washington & Jefferson 46 Merchant Marine 21 | ||||
| New England Bowl | Salve Regina (8–2) Anna Maria (5–4) |
NEWMAC ECFC |
Salve Regina 37 Anna Maria 34 | ||||
| Western New England (7–3) UMass Dartmouth (9–1) |
CCC MASCAC |
Western New England 37 UMass Dartmouth 7 | |||||
| Cape Henry Bowl | Wilkes (4–6) Bridgewater (7–3) |
Landmark ODAC |
Wilkes 35 Bridgewater 17 | ||||
| Cape Charles Bowl | Lycoming (4–6) Washington & Lee (8–2) |
Lycoming 20 Washington & Lee 17 | |||||
| Cousin Subs Lakefront Bowl | Raabe Stadium Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |
Monmouth (IL) (8–2) St. Norbert (7–3) |
MWC NACC |
Monmouth (IL) 21 St. Norbert 14 | |||
| 1:00 PM | Chapman Bowl | Campus sites | Utica (8–2) Hobart (8–2) |
Empire 8 Liberty |
Utica 10 Hobart 6 | ||
| 2:00 PM | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Ursinus (7–3) Stevenson (7–3) |
Centennial MAC |
Ursinus 31 Stevenson 13 | |||
| 3:00 PM | Culver's Isthmus Bowl | Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium Sun Prairie, Wisconsin |
Wisconsin–Platteville (6–4) Augustana (IL) (8–2) |
WIAC CCIW |
Wisconsin–Platteville 36 Augustana (IL) 10 | ||
| 5:00 PM | Bushnell Bowl | Campus sites | Carnegie Mellon (9–1) Brockport (8–2) |
PAC Empire 8 |
Carnegie Mellon 37 Brockport 7 |
All-star games
Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which debuted in 2012 and was played 12 times through January 2023, was discontinued. The East–West Shrine Bowl relocated from Nevada (where its prior two editions had been played) to Texas.
| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 13 | 12:00 p.m. | Hula Bowl | FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, Florida |
CBS Sports Network | Team Kai Team Aina |
[8] | |
| Jan. 20 | 11:00 a.m. | Tropical Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida |
Varsity Sports Network | American Team National Team |
[9] | |
| Feb. 1 | 8:00 p.m. | East–West Shrine Bowl | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
NFL Network | West Team East Team |
[10] | |
| Feb. 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Senior Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama |
National Team American Team |
[11] | ||
| Feb. 24 | 4:00 p.m. | HBCU Legacy Bowl | Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana |
Team Robinson Team Gaither |
[12] |
Team selections
CFP top 25 standings and bowl games
The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee announced its final team rankings for the season on December 3, 2023. It was the tenth season of the CFP era. This was the first time that an undefeated Power Five conference champion (Florida State) was left out of the semifinals.[13]
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan Wolverines | 13–0 | Big Ten champions | Rose Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 2 | Washington Huskies | 13–0 | Pac-12 champions | Sugar Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 3 | Texas Longhorns | 12–1 | Big 12 champions | Sugar Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 12–1 | SEC champions | Rose Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 5 | Florida State Seminoles | 13–0 | ACC champions | Orange Bowl |
| 6 | Georgia Bulldogs | 12–1 | SEC East Division champions | Orange Bowl |
| 7 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 11–1 | Big Ten East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
| 8 | Oregon Ducks | 11–2 | Pac-12 second place | Fiesta Bowl |
| 9 | Missouri Tigers | 10–2 | SEC East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
| 10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division third place | Peach Bowl |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 10–2 | SEC West Division second place (tie) | Peach Bowl |
| 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 10–2 | Big 12 second place (tie) | Alamo Bowl |
| 13 | LSU Tigers | 9–3 | SEC West Division second place (tie) | ReliaQuest Bowl |
| 14 | Arizona Wildcats | 9–3 | Pac-12 third place | Alamo Bowl |
| 15 | Louisville Cardinals | 10–3 | ACC second place | Holiday Bowl |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 9–3 | Independent | Sun Bowl |
| 17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 10–3 | Big Ten West Division champions | Citrus Bowl |
| 18 | NC State Wolfpack | 9–3 | ACC third place | Pop-Tarts Bowl |
| 19 | Oregon State Beavers | 8–4 | Pac-12 fourth place (tie) | Sun Bowl |
| 20 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 9–4 | Big 12 second place (tie) | Texas Bowl |
| 21 | Tennessee Volunteers | 8–4 | SEC East Division third place | Citrus Bowl |
| 22 | Clemson Tigers | 8–4 | ACC sixth place (tie) | Gator Bowl |
| 23 | Liberty Flames | 13–0 | C–USA champions | Fiesta Bowl |
| 24 | SMU Mustangs | 11–2 | AAC champions | Fenway Bowl |
| 25 | Kansas State Wildcats | 8–4 | Big 12 fourth place (tie) | Pop-Tarts Bowl |
Bowl-eligible teams
Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible, with at least five of those wins being against FBS opponents. The College Football Playoff semifinal games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl-eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.
- ACC (11): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
- American (6): Memphis, Rice, SMU, South Florida, Tulane, UTSA
- Big Ten (9): Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota[lower-alpha 4], Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
- Big 12 (9): Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, West Virginia
- C–USA (4): Jacksonville State[lower-alpha 5], Liberty, New Mexico State, Western Kentucky
- MAC (6): Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo
- Mountain West (7): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
- Pac-12 (8): Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington
- SEC (9): Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M
- Sun Belt (12): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison[lower-alpha 5], Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
- Independent (1): Notre Dame
Number of bowl berths available: 82
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 79
Number of conditionally bowl-eligible teams: 2: (Jacksonville State and James Madison)[lower-alpha 5]
Number of teams qualified by APR: 1 (Minnesota)[14]
Bowl-ineligible teams
- ACC (3): Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest
- American (8): Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Navy[lower-alpha 6],[15][16] North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, UAB
- Big Ten (5): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue
- Big 12 (5): Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU
- C–USA (5): FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston[lower-alpha 7], UTEP
- MAC (6): Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Western Michigan
- Mountain West (5): Colorado State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State
- Pac-12 (4): Arizona State[lower-alpha 8], Colorado, Stanford, Washington State
- SEC (5): Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt (2): Louisiana–Monroe, Southern Miss
- Independent (3): Army[lower-alpha 6], UConn, UMass
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 51
Conference summaries
| Conference | Championship game | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue (Location) | Matchup | Result | |
| ACC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | Florida State vs Louisville | Florida State 16–6 |
| American | Dec. 2, 2023 | Yulman Stadium (New Orleans, LA) | SMU at Tulane | SMU 26–14 |
| Big 12 | Dec. 2, 2023 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) | Texas vs Oklahoma State | Texas 49–21 |
| Big Ten | Dec. 2, 2023 | Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) | Michigan vs. Iowa | Michigan 26–0 |
| C–USA | Dec. 1, 2023 | Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, VA) | New Mexico State at Liberty | Liberty 49–35 |
| MAC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) | Miami (OH) vs. Toledo | Miami (OH) 23–14 |
| MW† | Dec. 2, 2023 | Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, NV) | Boise State at UNLV | Boise State 44–20 |
| Pac-12 | Dec. 1, 2023 | Washington vs Oregon | Washington 34–31 | |
| SEC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) | Georgia vs Alabama | Alabama 27–24 |
| Sun Belt | Dec. 2, 2023 | Veterans Memorial Stadium (Troy, AL) | Appalachian State at Troy | Troy 49–23 |
† Boise State, UNLV, and San José State all finished with a 6–2 conference record, creating a three-way tie. Since all three teams did not face each other during the season and none of the teams were in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings before the conference championship game, the three-way tie was broken by computer rankings from Anderson & Hester, Colley Matrix, Massey and Wolfe. UNLV finished with the best average rankings, while Boise State came in second and San José State at third. Therefore, the Broncos and Rebels secured their spots in the MW Championship. UNLV and Boise State did not play each other during the regular season. The Rebels had the higher average ranking and earned the right to host the title game.[18]
Conference champions' bowl games
Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 3, 2023, with win–loss records at that time.
| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | SMU | 11–2 | 24 | Fenway Bowl |
| ACC | Florida State | 13–0 | 5 | Orange Bowl |
| Big Ten | MichiganCFP | 13–0 | 1 | Rose Bowl |
| Big 12 | TexasCFP | 12–1 | 3 | Sugar Bowl |
| C–USA | Liberty | 13–0 | 23 | Fiesta Bowl |
| MAC | Miami (OH) | 11–2 | – | Cure Bowl |
| Mountain West | Boise State | 8–5 | – | LA Bowl |
| Pac-12 | WashingtonCFP | 13–0 | 2 | Sugar Bowl |
| SEC | AlabamaCFP | 12–1 | 4 | Rose Bowl |
| Sun Belt | Troy | 11–2 | – | Birmingham Bowl |
CFP College Football Playoff participant
Conference performance in bowl games
| Conference | Total games | Wins-Losses ( Pct.) |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| American | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Big Ten | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Big 12 | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| CUSA | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| MAC | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Mountain West | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Pac-12 | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| SEC | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Sun Belt | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
| Independent | 0 | 0–0 (–) |
Notes
- ↑ 41 FBS bowl games, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.
- ↑ Dates exclude all-star games.
- ↑ The playoff is scheduled to expand to 12 teams, starting with the 2024–25 bowl season.[1]
- ↑ Despite having a 5–7 record, Minnesota is bowl-eligible due to having the highest Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams.
- 1 2 3 As there will not be enough otherwise bowl-eligible teams to fill the available spots, Jacksonville State and James Madison are conditionally bowl-eligible due to their winning records, despite their transitions from FCS.
- ↑ Sam Houston is bowl-ineligible due to their transition from FCS to FBS. However, the Bearkats would have been bowl-ineligible regardless, as they finished with a 3–9 record
- ↑ Arizona State self-imposed a bowl ban due to recruiting violations that occurred in 2020.[17] However, the Sun Devils would have been bowl-ineligible regardless, as they finished with a 3–9 record.
References
- ↑ "College Football Playoff Expands to 12 Teams Beginning in 2024". collegefootballplayoff.com. May 17, 2023.
- ↑ Hofheimer, Bill (November 14, 2023). "Famous Toastery Named Title Sponsor of ESPN Events' Charlotte Bowl Game". ESPN Pressroom (Press release). ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ↑ "68 Ventures is New Title Sponsor for Mobile Alabama Bowl". 68venturesbowl.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ↑ Kellogg Co completes split into two, independent companies – Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co Battle Creek Enquirer October 2, 2023
- ↑ Kellogg’s cereal business begins trading as stand-alone company WK Kellogg CNBC October 2, 2023
- ↑ "Pop-Tarts® Intercepts College Football Fandom With First-Ever Pop-Tarts Bowl". kelloggcompany.com (Press release). PR Newswire. May 31, 2023.
- ↑ "DRV PNK Stadium to Host Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl on Dec. 13". intermiamicf.com. Inter Miami CF Communications Department. October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Caribe Royale Orlando Resort to Serve as Title Sponsor of the 2024 Hula Bowl". hulabowl.com (Press release). Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "TV – Trillion Tropical Bowl". tropicalbowl.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Events". shrinebowl.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Game Central". seniorbowl.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Home". hbculegacybowl.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "CFP: Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama to Vie for Title". ESPN. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ↑ Salvador, Joseph (November 26, 2023). "Why Minnesota Is Bowl Eligible With Only Five Wins". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ↑ Gardner, Michelle (August 27, 2023). "Arizona State Football Self-Imposes Bowl Ban This Season for Alleged Recruiting Violations". AZ Central. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ↑ "UNLV to host Boise State in MW Football Championship" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.