2017–18 NCAA football bowl games
College football bowl games
The 2017–18 NCAA football bowl games was a series of college football bowl games which completed the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The games began on December 16, 2017, and aside from the all-star games ended with the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship , which was played on January 8, 2018.[ 1]
The total of 40 team-competitive bowls in FBS, including the national championship game, was one less than the previous year, with the folding of the Poinsettia Bowl .[ 2] [ 3]
Schedule
The schedule for the 2017–18 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC −5).[ 4] [ 5]
The College Football Playoff system was used to determine a national champion of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks of the 2017 season. The top four teams in the final ranking played a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game .
The semifinal games were the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl . Both were played on New Year's Day , as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the CFP New Year's Six bowl games. Their winners advanced to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia , on January 8, 2018.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium , site of the National Championship gameESPN .
Non-CFP bowl games
On April 11, 2016, the NCAA announced a freeze on new bowl games until after the 2019 season. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, the NCAA had to lower its postseason eligibility criteria repeatedly (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013), eventually allowing teams with losing seasons (5–7) to participate in bowls due to there being not enough bowl-eligible teams, while also having to allow teams from the same conference to meet in the 2015 Arizona Bowl due to the lack of eligible teams to meet its other tie-ins.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] 62% of the 130 teams playing in Division I FBS were deemed eligible to participate in a bowl game, with 60% actually receiving invites to fill the 78 available slots.
For the 2017–18 bowl season, changes from the prior season's bowl games include the relocation of the Miami Beach Bowl to Frisco, Texas as the Frisco Bowl , and the discontinuation of the Poinsettia Bowl . The Russel Athletic Bowl was renamed the Camping World Bowl under a new sponsorship, and after going without a sponsor for two years, the St. Petersburg Bowl was renamed the Gasparilla Bowl (a name that pays homage to Tampa Bay's Gasparilla Pirate Festival ).
Date
Time (EST)
Game
Site
Television
Teams
Affiliations
Results
Dec. 16
1:00 p.m.
New Orleans Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana
ESPN
Troy Trojans (10–2)North Texas Mean Green (9–4)
Sun Belt C–USA
Troy 50
2:30 p.m.
Cure Bowl
Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida
CBSSN
Georgia State Panthers (6–5)Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (6–6)
Sun Belt C-USA
Georgia State 27
3:30 p.m.
Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada
ABC
No. 25 Boise State Broncos (10–3)Oregon Ducks (7–5)
MWC Pac–12
Boise State 38
4:30 p.m.
New Mexico Bowl
Dreamstyle Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico
ESPN
Marshall Thundering Herd (7–5)Colorado State Rams (7–5)
C–USA MWC
Marshall 31
8:00 p.m.
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (6–6)Arkansas State Red Wolves (7–4)
C–USA Sun Belt
Middle Tennessee 35
Dec. 19
7:00 p.m.
Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida
Florida Atlantic Owls (10–3)Akron Zips (7–6)
C–USA MAC
Florida Atlantic 50
Dec. 20
8:00 p.m.
Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6–6)SMU Mustangs (7–5)
C–USA American
Louisiana Tech 51
Dec. 21
8:00 p.m.
Gasparilla Bowl
Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida
Temple Owls (6–6)FIU Panthers (8–4)
American C–USA
Temple 28
Dec. 22
12:30 p.m.
Bahamas Bowl
Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas
Ohio Bobcats (8–4)UAB Blazers (8–4)
MAC C–USA
Ohio 41
4:00 p.m.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho
Wyoming Cowboys (7–5)Central Michigan Chippewas (8–4)
MWC MAC
Wyoming 37
Dec. 23
12:00 p.m.
Birmingham Bowl
Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama
South Florida Bulls (9–2)Texas Tech Red Raiders (6–6)
American Big 12
South Florida 38
3:30 p.m.
Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas
Army Black Knights (9–3)San Diego State Aztecs (10–2)
Independent MWC
Army 42
7:00 p.m.
Dollar General Bowl
Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama
Appalachian State Mountaineers (8–4)Toledo Rockets (11–2)
Sun Belt MAC
Appalachian State 34
Dec. 24
8:30 p.m.
Hawaii Bowl
Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii
Fresno State Bulldogs (9–4)Houston Cougars (7–4)
MWC American
Fresno State 33
Dec. 26
1:00 p.m.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, Texas
Utah Utes (6–6)West Virginia Mountaineers (7–5)
Pac-12 Big 12
Utah 30
5:15 p.m.
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field Detroit, Michigan
Duke Blue Devils (6–6)Northern Illinois Huskies (8–4)
ACC MAC
Duke 36
9:00 p.m.
Cactus Bowl
Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona
Kansas State Wildcats (7–5)UCLA Bruins (6–6)
Big 12 Pac-12
Kansas State 35
Dec. 27
1:30 p.m.
Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana
Florida State Seminoles (6–6)Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8–4)
ACC C–USA
Florida State 42
5:15 p.m.
Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York
Iowa Hawkeyes (7–5)Boston College Eagles (7–5)
Big Ten ACC
Iowa 27
8:30 p.m.
Foster Farms Bowl
Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California
Fox
Purdue Boilermakers (6–6)Arizona Wildcats (7–5)
Big Ten Pac-12
Purdue 38
9:00 p.m.
Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium Houston, Texas
ESPN
Texas Longhorns (6–6)Missouri Tigers (7–5)
Big 12 SEC
Texas 33
Dec. 28
1:30 p.m.
Military Bowl
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland
Navy Midshipmen (6–6)Virginia Cavaliers (6–6)
American ACC
Navy 49
5:15 p.m.
Camping World Bowl
Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida
No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–3)Virginia Tech Hokies (9–3)
Big 12 ACC
Oklahoma State 30
9:00 p.m.
Alamo Bowl
Alamodome San Antonio, Texas
No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs (10–3)Stanford Cardinal (9–4)
Big 12 Pac-12
TCU 39
9:00 p.m.
Holiday Bowl
SDCCU Stadium San Diego, California
FS1
No. 16 Michigan State Spartans (9–3)Washington State Cougars (9–3)
Big Ten Pac-12
Michigan State 42
Dec. 29
1:00 p.m.
Belk Bowl
Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina
ESPN
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7–5) Texas A&M Aggies (7–5)
ACC SEC
Wake Forest 55
3:00 p.m.
Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas
CBS
No. 24 NC State Wolfpack (8–4)Arizona State Sun Devils (7–5)
ACC Pac-12
NC State 52
4:30 p.m.
Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee
ESPN
No. 21 Northwestern Wildcats (9–3)Kentucky Wildcats (7–5)
Big Ten SEC
Northwestern 24
5:30 p.m.
Arizona Bowl
Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona
CBSSN
New Mexico State Aggies (6–6)Utah State Aggies (6–6)
Sun Belt MWC
New Mexico State 26
Dec. 30
12:00 p.m.
TaxSlayer Bowl
EverBank Field Jacksonville, Florida
ESPN
No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8–4) Louisville Cardinals (8–4)
SEC ACC
Mississippi State 31
12:30 p.m.
Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tennessee
ABC
Iowa State Cyclones (7–5) Memphis Tigers (10–2)
Big 12 American
Iowa State 21
Jan. 1
12:00 p.m.
Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida
ESPN2
South Carolina Gamecocks (8–4)Michigan Wolverines (8–4)
SEC Big Ten
South Carolina 26
1:00 p.m.
Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida
ABC
No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–3)LSU Tigers (9–3)
Independent SEC
Notre Dame 21
FCS bowl game
The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 25 and ended on January 6 .
All-star games
Selection of the teams
CFP top 25 teams
On December 3, 2017, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year.[ 9]
In the fourth year of the College Football Playoff era, this was the first time that two of the four semifinalists were from the same conference (Georgia and Alabama of the SEC).
Three bowls featured two conference champions playing against each other—the Dollar General Bowl , Cotton Bowl Classic , and Rose Bowl . Rankings are per the above CFP standings.
† denotes a conference that named co-champions
Bowl-eligible teams
ACC (10): Boston College , Clemson , Duke , Florida State ,[ b] Louisville , Miami (FL) , NC State , Virginia , Virginia Tech , Wake Forest American (7): Houston , Memphis , Navy , SMU , South Florida , Temple , UCF Big Ten (8): Iowa , Michigan , Michigan State , Northwestern , Ohio State , Penn State , Purdue , Wisconsin Big 12 (8): Iowa State , Kansas State , Oklahoma , Oklahoma State , TCU , Texas , Texas Tech , West Virginia C-USA (10): FIU , Florida Atlantic , Louisiana Tech , Marshall , Middle Tennessee , North Texas , Southern Miss , UAB , UTSA , Western Kentucky MAC (7): Akron , Buffalo , Central Michigan , Northern Illinois , Ohio , Toledo , Western Michigan Mountain West (6): Boise State , Colorado State , Fresno State , San Diego State , Utah State , Wyoming Pac-12 (9): Arizona , Arizona State , Oregon , Stanford , UCLA , USC , Utah , Washington , Washington State SEC (9): Alabama , Auburn , Georgia , Kentucky , LSU , Mississippi State , Missouri , South Carolina , Texas A&M Sun Belt (5): Appalachian State , Arkansas State , Georgia State , New Mexico State , Troy Independent (2): Army , Notre Dame Number of bowl berths available: 78 Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81
Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth
As there are more bowl-eligible teams than bowl berths, three bowl-eligible teams did not receive a bowl berth:
Bowl-ineligible teams
ACC (4): Georgia Tech , North Carolina , Pittsburgh , Syracuse American (5): Cincinnati , East Carolina , Tulane , Tulsa , UConn Big Ten (6): Illinois , Indiana , Maryland , Minnesota , Nebraska , Rutgers Big 12 (2): Baylor , Kansas C-USA (4): Charlotte , Old Dominion , Rice , UTEP MAC (5): Ball State , Bowling Green , Eastern Michigan , Kent State , Miami (OH) Mountain West (6): Air Force , Hawaii , Nevada , New Mexico , San Jose State , UNLV Pac-12 (3): California , Colorado , Oregon State SEC (5): Arkansas , Florida , Ole Miss ,[ c] Tennessee , Vanderbilt Sun Belt (7): Coastal Carolina ,[ d] Georgia Southern , Idaho , Louisiana , Louisiana–Monroe , South Alabama , Texas State Independent (2): BYU , UMass Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 49
Television viewers and ratings
Non-CFP bowl games
Rank
Date
Matchup
Network
Viewers (millions)
TV Rating[ 13]
Game
Location
1
December 30, 2017, 8:00 ET
#10 Miami (FL)
24
#6 Wisconsin 34
ESPN
11.7
6.3
Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium , Miami Gardens, FL
2
December 30, 2017, 4:00 ET
#11 Washington
28
#9 Penn State 35
10.2
5.7
Playstation Fiesta Bowl
University of Phoenix Stadium , Glendale, AZ
3
December 29, 2017, 8:00 ET
#8 USC
7
#5 Ohio State 24
9.5
5.3
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium , Arlington, TX
4
January 1, 2018, 1:00 ET
#17 Notre Dame 21
#14 LSU
17
ABC
8.7
5.1
Citrus Bowl presented by Overton's
Camping World Stadium , Orlando, FL
5
January 1, 2018, 12:30 ET
#12 UCF 34
#7 Auburn
27
ESPN
8.4
4.6
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium , Atlanta, GA
6
January 1, 2018, Noon ET
Michigan
19
South Carolina 26
ESPN2
5.1
2.8
Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium , Tampa, FL
7
December 29, 2017, 5:15 ET
Kentucky
23
#21 Northwestern 24
ESPN
4.6
2.8
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium , Nashville, TN
8
December 30, 2017, Noon ET
Louisville
27
#23 Mississippi State 31
4.4
2.7
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
EverBank Field , Jacksonville, FL
9
December 28, 2017, 9:00 ET
#15 TCU 39
#13 Stanford
37
4.4
2.5
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome , San Antonio, TX
10
December 28, 2018, 5:15 ET
#22 Virginia Tech
21
#19 Oklahoma State 30
4.4
2.6
Camping World Bowl
Camping World Stadium , Orlando, FL
#CFP Rankings .
Game
Date
Matchup
Network
Viewers (millions)
TV Rating[ 14]
Location
Rose Bowl (semifinal)
January 1, 2018, 5:00 ET
#3 Georgia 54
#2 Oklahoma
48
ESPN
26.91
13.7
Rose Bowl , Pasadena, CA
Sugar Bowl (semifinal)
January 1, 2018, 8:45 ET
#4 Alabama 24
#1 Clemson
6
21.47
11.4
Mercedes-Benz Superdome , New Orleans, LA
National Championship
January 8, 2018, 8:00 ET
#4 Alabama 26
#3 Georgia
23
28.44
15.6
Mercedes-Benz Stadium , Atlanta, GA
Notes
^ 40 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.
^ In mid-December, multiple media sources reported that Florida State might not have met its bowl eligibility requirements. The team had a record of 6–6, with one of the wins – their 77–6 victory over Delaware State – against an FCS team. For such a game to count towards bowl eligibility, the FCS opponent must have used at least 90 percent of its allotted scholarships, and it was not clear that Delaware State had done so.[ 10] [ 11]
^ Despite winning six games for a .500 (6–6) regular-season record, Ole Miss is bowl-ineligible due to a self-imposed bowl ban.[ 12]
^ Coastal Carolina is in the second year of its two-year transition from FCS to FBS and is bowl-ineligible due to NCAA regulations, but would have been ineligible based on record in any case.
References
^ Dinich, Heather (June 28, 2016). "College Football Playoff tweaks dates in upcoming seasons" . ESPN . Retrieved July 28, 2016 . ^ "2017–18 college football bowl schedule, dates, times, TV channels" . CBS Sports . May 10, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017 .^ "2017–18 College Football Playoff and bowl schedule" . ESPN . December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017 .^ "The full bowl schedule is here now" . SB Nation . December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017 .^ Patterson, Chip (December 3, 2017). "2017 Bowl Games: Announcements, schedule, College Football Playoff matchups" . CBS Sports . Retrieved December 7, 2017 . ^ "Nebraska, Minnesota, San Jose St. taking 5–7 records to bowl" . NCAA.com . Retrieved December 18, 2015 .^ "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games" . ESPN.com . Retrieved April 12, 2016 .^ "NCAA moratorium means no bowl game for Myrtle Beach, for now" . Myrtle Beach Online . Associated Press. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .^ "Selection Committee Rankings: Final Top 25 Rankings" (PDF) . College Football Playoff. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017 .^ Rollins, Khadrice (December 21, 2017). "Florida State Is Not Bowl Eligible but Will Still Play in Independence Bowl" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved December 31, 2017 . ^ Knight, Joey (December 22, 2017). "FSU Says Reddit Is Wrong; Seminoles Are Bowl Eligible After All" . Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved December 31, 2017 . ^ "Ole Miss announces self-imposed bowl ban for 2017 season" . SI.com . February 22, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017 .^ "College Football TV Ratings" . SportsMediaWatch.com . Retrieved December 6, 2018 .^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV RATINGS" . SportsMediaWatch.com . Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
Further reading
Conference seasons Inter-conference All-Americans
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