2023–24 NCAA football bowl games

The 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games in the United States, primarily played to complete the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Team-competitive bowl games in FBS began on December 16 and concluded with the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8, 2024, which was won by the Michigan Wolverines. The all-star portion began on January 13 and concluded on February 24.

2023–24 NCAA football bowl games
Season2023
Number of bowls
  • 43 in DI[a]
  •   4 in DII
  • 13 in DIII
  • 60 total
All-star games5
Bowl gamesDecember 16, 2023 (2023-12-16) – January 8, 2024 (2024-01-08)[b]
National Championship2024 College Football Playoff
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipNRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
ChampionsMichigan Wolverines
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerBig Ten
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
ACC 11 5–6 (0.455) 4
American 6 3–3 (0.500) 1
Big 12 9 5–4 (0.556) 5
Big Ten 10 6–4 (0.600) 4
C–USA 4 2–2 (0.500) 1
MAC 6 2–4 (0.333) 0
Mountain West 7 3–4 (0.429) 0
Pac-12 9 5–4 (0.556) 3
SEC 9 5–4 (0.556) 6
Sun Belt 12 5–7 (0.417) 0
Independent 1 1–0 (1.000) 1

Schedule

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The schedule for the 2023–24 bowl games, announced in May 2023, is below. All times listed using EST (UTC−5).

Division I FBS bowl games

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College Football Playoff bowl games

edit
 
 
Cotton
 
Peach
 
Orange
 
Fiesta
 
Rose
 
Sugar
 
National Championship
Locations of 2023–24 CFP bowls
  – National Championship,   – Semifinal Bowl,   – Non-semifinal bowl

The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks of the regular season. The top four teams[c] in the final ranking are then seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advanced to the National Championship game. This playoff was the last to use a four-team bracket, with the College Football Playoff set to expand to 12 teams in 2024.[2]

The semifinal games for the 2023 season were the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Both were 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 advanced to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship that was contested on January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

On December 3, 2023, the College Football Playoff committee announced that it had selected Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama to participate in the 2023–24 College Football Playoff. The committee's decision to select the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) Alabama (12–1) instead of the Atlantic Coast Conference's (ACC) Florida State (13–0), who became the first undefeated Power Five conference team to not qualify for the playoff, received intense criticism from fans, writers, and commentators. Specifically, several of these viewers accused the committee of corruption, bias, and favoritism towards the SEC.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The CFP committee chair and others defended the selection of Alabama, which defeated five ranked teams (compared to Florida State's three) during the season, including No. 1 ranked Georgia in the last game of the SEC season, saying that Alabama was currently the better team overall.[10][11][12][13]

 
Interior view of NRG Stadium, site of the championship game
Semifinals Championship
January 1 – Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
  1   Michigan (OT) 27  
  4   Alabama 20   January 8 – National Championship
NRG Stadium, Houston
 
      1   Michigan 34
January 1 – Sugar Bowl
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
    2   Washington 13
 
  2   Washington 37
  3   Texas 31  

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

New Year's Six bowl games
Date Time (EST) Game Site Teams Affiliations Results Attendance U.S

Viewers (Millions)

Dec. 29 8:00 p.m. Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
No. 9 Missouri Tigers (10–2)
No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–1)
SEC
Big Ten
Missouri 14
Ohio State 3
70,114 9.72
Dec. 30 12:00 p.m. Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels (10–2)
No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (10–2)
SEC
Big Ten
Ole Miss 38
Penn State 25
71,230 7.76
4:00 p.m. Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs (12–1)
No. 5 Florida State Seminoles (13–0)
SEC
ACC
Georgia 63
Florida State 3
63,324 10.39
Jan. 1 1:00 p.m. Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium
Glendale, Arizona
No. 8 Oregon Ducks (11–2)
No. 23 Liberty Flames (13–0)[d]
Pac-12
C–USA
Oregon 45
Liberty 6
47,769 4.59
5:00 p.m. Rose Bowl
(Playoff semifinal game)
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (13–0)†
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)†
Big Ten
SEC
Michigan 27
Alabama 20 (OT)
96,371 26.10

--------------- 27.75 Simulcast

8:45 p.m. Sugar Bowl
(Playoff semifinal game)
Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 2 Washington Huskies (13–0)†
No. 3 Texas Longhorns (12–1)†
Pac-12
Big 12
Washington 37
Texas 31
68,791 17.67

--------------- 18.74 Simulcast

Jan. 8 7:30 p.m. College Football Playoff National Championship NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (14–0)‡
No. 2 Washington Huskies (14–0)‡
Big Ten
Pac-12
Michigan 34
Washington 13
72,808 24.28

---------------

25.03 Simulcast

† Semifinal teams were chosen by the selection committee.
‡ Semifinal winners advanced to the championship game.

Non-CFP bowl games

edit

Several bowl name changes were made, as compared to the prior season's bowl games:

Rankings are per the final CFP rankings that were released on December 3.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results Attendance U.S.
viewers
(millions)
Dec. 16 11:00 a.m. Myrtle Beach Bowl Brooks Stadium
Conway, South Carolina
ESPN Ohio Bobcats (9–3)
Georgia Southern Eagles (6–6)
MAC
Sun Belt
Ohio 41
Georgia Southern 21
8,059 1.20
2:15 p.m. New Orleans Bowl Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8–4)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (6–6)
C–USA
Sun Belt
Jacksonville State 34
Louisiana 31 (OT)
14,485 1.08
3:30 p.m. Cure Bowl FBC Mortgage Stadium
Orlando, Florida
ABC Appalachian State Mountaineers (8–5)
Miami (OH) RedHawks (11–2)
Sun Belt
MAC
Appalachian State 13
Miami (OH) 9
11,121 TBA
5:45 p.m. New Mexico Bowl University Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico
ESPN Fresno State Bulldogs (8–4)
New Mexico State Aggies (10–4)
MW
C–USA
Fresno State 37
New Mexico State 10
30,822 0.84
7:30 p.m. LA Bowl SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, California
ABC UCLA Bruins (7–5)
Boise State Broncos (8–5)
Pac-12
MW
UCLA 35
Boise State 22
32,780 2.38
9:15 p.m. Independence Bowl Independence Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana
ESPN Texas Tech Red Raiders (6–6)
California Golden Bears (6–6)
Big 12
Pac-12
Texas Tech 34
California 14
33,071 1.02
Dec. 18 2:30 p.m. Famous Toastery Bowl Jerry Richardson Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7–5)
Old Dominion Monarchs (6–6)
C–USA
Sun Belt
Western Kentucky 38
Old Dominion 35 (OT)
5,632 0.92
Dec. 19 9:00 p.m. Frisco Bowl Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
UTSA Roadrunners (8–4)
Marshall Thundering Herd (6–6)
American
Sun Belt
UTSA 35
Marshall 17
11,215 0.99
Dec. 21 8:00 p.m. Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida
South Florida Bulls (6–6)
Syracuse Orange (6–6)
American
ACC
South Florida 45
Syracuse 0
20,711 1.05
Dec. 22 6:30 p.m. Gasparilla Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6–6)
UCF Knights (6–6)
ACC
Big 12
Georgia Tech 30
UCF 17
30,281 2.35
Dec. 23 12:00 p.m. Birmingham Bowl Protective Stadium
Birmingham, Alabama
ABC Duke Blue Devils (7–5)
Troy Trojans (11–2)
ACC
Sun Belt
Duke 17
Troy 10
20,023 TBA
12:00 p.m. Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama
ESPN Northern Illinois Huskies (6–6)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (6–6)
MAC
Sun Belt
Northern Illinois 21
Arkansas State 19
11,310 1.57
3:30 p.m. Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas
ABC Air Force Falcons (8–4)
James Madison Dukes (11–1)
MW
Sun Belt
Air Force 31
James Madison 21
30,828 TBA
3:30 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
ESPN Georgia State Panthers (6–6)
Utah State Aggies (6–6)
Sun Belt
MW
Georgia State 45
Utah State 22
12,168 1.15
7:00 p.m. 68 Ventures Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars (6–6)
Eastern Michigan Eagles (6–6)
Sun Belt
MAC
South Alabama 59
Eastern Michigan 10
20,926 0.76
7:30 p.m. Las Vegas Bowl Allegiant Stadium
Paradise, Nevada
ABC Northwestern Wildcats (7–5)
Utah Utes (8–4)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Northwestern 14
Utah 7
20,897 TBA
10:30 p.m. Hawaii Bowl Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex
Honolulu, Hawaii
ESPN Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7–5)
San Jose State Spartans (7–5)
Sun Belt
MW
Coastal Carolina 24
San Jose State 14
7,089 0.95
Dec. 26 2:00 p.m. Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–7)
Bowling Green Falcons (7–5)
Big Ten
MAC
Minnesota 30
Bowling Green 24
28,521 2.22
5:30 p.m. First Responder Bowl Gerald J. Ford Stadium
University Park, Texas
Texas State Bobcats (7–5)
Rice Owls (6–6)
Sun Belt
American
Texas State 45
Rice 21
26,542 2.80
9:00 p.m. Guaranteed Rate Bowl Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
Kansas Jayhawks (8–4)
UNLV Rebels (9–4)
Big 12
MW
Kansas 49
UNLV 36
26,478 2.69
Dec. 27 2:00 p.m. Military Bowl Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Maryland
Virginia Tech Hokies (6–6)
Tulane Green Wave (11–2)
ACC
American
Virginia Tech 41
Tulane 20
35,849 2.26
5:30 p.m. Duke's Mayo Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
West Virginia Mountaineers (8–4)
North Carolina Tar Heels (8–4)
Big 12
ACC
West Virginia 30
North Carolina 10
42,925 3.84
8:00 p.m. Holiday Bowl Petco Park
San Diego, California
Fox USC Trojans (7–5)
No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (10–3)
Pac-12
ACC
USC 42
Louisville 28
35,317 TBA
9:00 p.m. Texas Bowl NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
ESPN No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–4)
Texas A&M Aggies (7–5)
Big 12
SEC
Oklahoma State 31
Texas A&M 23
55,212 3.07
Dec. 28 11:00 a.m. Fenway Bowl Fenway Park
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston College Eagles (6–6)
No. 24 SMU Mustangs (11–2)
ACC
American
Boston College 23
SMU 14
16,238 1.46
2:15 p.m. Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium
The Bronx, New York
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6–6)
Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7–5)
Big Ten
ACC
Rutgers 31
Miami (FL) 24
35,314 3.00
5:45 p.m. Pop-Tarts Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats (8–4)
No. 18 NC State Wolfpack (9–3)
Big 12
ACC
Kansas State 28
NC State 19
31,111 4.31
9:15 p.m. Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas
No. 14 Arizona Wildcats (9–3)
No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (10–2)
Pac-12
Big 12
Arizona 38
Oklahoma 24
55,853 3.93
Dec. 29 12:00 p.m. Gator Bowl EverBank Stadium
Jacksonville, Florida
No. 22 Clemson Tigers (8–4)
Kentucky Wildcats (7–5)
ACC
SEC
Clemson 38
Kentucky 35
40,132 3.43
2:00 p.m. Sun Bowl Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas
CBS No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–3)
No. 19 Oregon State Beavers (8–4)
Independent
Pac-12
Notre Dame 40
Oregon State 8
48,223 TBA
3:30 p.m. Liberty Bowl Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee
ESPN Memphis Tigers (9–3)
Iowa State Cyclones (7–5)
American
Big 12
Memphis 36
Iowa State 26
48,789 3.59
Dec. 30 2:00 p.m. Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee
ABC Maryland Terrapins (7–5)
Auburn Tigers (6–6)
Big Ten
SEC
Maryland 31
Auburn 13
50,088 TBA
4:30 p.m. Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Arizona
Barstool/
The CW
Wyoming Cowboys (8–4)
Toledo Rockets (11–2)
MW
MAC
Wyoming 16
Toledo 15
30,428 TBA
Jan. 1 12:00 p.m. ReliaQuest Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
ESPN2 No. 13 LSU Tigers (9–3)
Wisconsin Badgers (7–5)
SEC
Big Ten
LSU 35
Wisconsin 31
31,424 4.61
1:00 p.m. Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
ABC No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers (8–4)
No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes (10–3)
SEC
Big Ten
Tennessee 35
Iowa 0
43,861 TBA

Division I FCS bowl game

edit
 
 
Celebration
 
Crossroads
 
Live United
 
Heritage
 
Florida Beach
 
Isthmus
 
Lakefront
 
 
New England
 
Bushnell
 
Chapman
 
Whitelaw
 
Lynah
 
 
 
CC-MAC
 
Cape Henry
 
Cape Charles
Locations of 2023 Non-DI FBS bowls.
  – DI FCS,   – DII,   – DIII

The 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 Results
Dec. 16 12:00 p.m. Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
USA: ABC
Canada: TSN2
Florida A&M (11–1)
Howard (6–5)
SWAC
MEAC
Florida A&M 30
Howard 26

Division II bowl games

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There were four bowl games, which featured teams that did not qualify for the Division II postseason tournament.

The schedule included the inaugural edition of the Florida Beach Bowl, 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).[20]

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
HBCU Go Johnson C. Smith (7–3)
Fort Valley State (7–3)
CIAA
SIAC
Fort Valley State 23
Johnson C. Smith 10

Division III bowl games

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Division III had 13 bowl games, featuring teams that did not qualify for the Division III postseason tournament.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Nov 18 11:00 a.m. 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 p.m. 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
Lakefront Bowl Raabe Stadium
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Monmouth (IL) (8–2)
St. Norbert (7–3)
MWC
NACC
Monmouth (IL) 21
St. Norbert 14
1:00 p.m. Chapman Bowl Campus sites Utica (8–2)
Hobart (8–2)
Empire 8
Liberty
Utica 10
Hobart 6
2:00 p.m. Centennial-MAC Bowl Series Ursinus (7–3)
Stevenson (7–3)
Centennial
MAC
Ursinus 31
Stevenson 13
3:00 p.m. 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 p.m. Bushnell Bowl Campus sites Carnegie Mellon (9–1)
Brockport (8–2)
PAC
Empire 8
Carnegie Mellon 37
Brockport 7

All-star games

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Each of these games featured college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility was ending, who were individually invited by game organizers. These games were scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. Such 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. U.S

Viewers

(Millions)

Jan. 13 12:00 p.m. Hula Bowl FBC Mortgage Stadium
Orlando, Florida
CBS Sports Network Team Kai
Team Aina
Kai 24
Aina 17
[21] TBA
Jan. 20 12:00 p.m. Tropical Bowl Municipal Stadium
Daytona Beach, Florida
Varsity Sports Network American Team
National Team
American 17
National 17
[22] TBA
Feb. 1 8:00 p.m. East-West Shrine Bowl Ford Center at The Star
Frisco, Texas
NFL Network West Team
East Team
West 26
East 11
[23] 0.22
Feb. 3 1:00 p.m. Senior Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
National Team
American Team
National 16
American 7
[24] 0.55
Feb. 24 4:00 p.m. HBCU Legacy Bowl Yulman Stadium
New Orleans, Louisiana
Team Gaither
Team Robinson
Gaither 10
Robinson 6
[25] 0.07

Team selections

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CFP top 25 standings and bowl games

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The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee announced its final team rankings for the season on December 3, 2023. It was the 10th season of the CFP era, and the last one with a four-team playoff. This was the first time that an undefeated Power Five conference champion (Florida State) was left out of the semifinals.[26]

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 (NY6)
6 Georgia Bulldogs 12–1 SEC East Division champions Orange Bowl (NY6)
7 Ohio State Buckeyes 11–1 Big Ten East Division second place Cotton Bowl (NY6)
8 Oregon Ducks 11–2 Pac-12 second place Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
9 Missouri Tigers 10–2 SEC East Division second place Cotton Bowl (NY6)
10 Penn State Nittany Lions 10–2 Big Ten East Division third place Peach Bowl (NY6)
11 Ole Miss Rebels 10–2 SEC West Division second place (tie) Peach Bowl (NY6)
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 (NY6)
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

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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, matchup considerations, and other factors.

Number of bowl berths available: 82
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 79
Number of conditionally bowl-eligible teams: 2: (Jacksonville State and James Madison)[f]
Number of teams qualified by APR: 1 (Minnesota)[27]

Bowl-ineligible teams

edit

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 51

Conference summaries

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Conference Championship game
Date Venue (Location) Matchup Result Television U.S

Viewers (Millions)

ACC Dec. 2, 2023 Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) Florida State vs Louisville Florida State 16–6 ABC 7.03
American Dec. 2, 2023 Yulman Stadium (New Orleans, LA) SMU at Tulane SMU 26–14 ABC 1.87
Big 12 Dec. 2, 2023 AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) Texas vs Oklahoma State Texas 49–21 ABC TBA
Big Ten Dec. 2, 2023 Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) Michigan vs. Iowa Michigan 26–0 FOX 10.02
C–USA Dec. 1, 2023 Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, VA) New Mexico State at Liberty Liberty 49–35 CBSSN TBA
MAC Dec. 2, 2023 Ford Field (Detroit, MI) Miami (OH) vs. Toledo Miami (OH) 23–14 ESPN 1.29
MW Dec. 2, 2023 Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, NV) Boise State at UNLV Boise State 44–20 FOX TBA
Pac-12 Dec. 1, 2023 Washington vs Oregon Washington 34–31 ABC 9.24
SEC Dec. 2, 2023 Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) Georgia vs Alabama Alabama 27–24 CBS 17.51
Sun Belt Dec. 2, 2023 Veterans Memorial Stadium (Troy, AL) Appalachian State at Troy Troy 49–23 ESPN 0.37

† 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 a composite average of computer rankings from Anderson & Hester, Colley Matrix, Massey and Wolfe. UNLV finished with the best average rankings at 44.5, while Boise State came in second at 55.75 and San José State third at 58.5. 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' superior average computer ranking earned them the right to host the title game.[29]

Conference champions' bowl games

edit

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

edit
Division I FBS
Conference Games Record Bowls
W L Pct. Won Lost
ACC 11 5 6 .455 Gasparilla, Birmingham, Military, Fenway, Gator Boca Raton, Duke's Mayo, Holiday, Pinstripe
Pop-Tarts, Orange
American 6 3 3 .500 Frisco, Boca Raton, Liberty First Responder, Military, Fenway
Big 12 9 5 4 .556 Independence, Guaranteed Rate, Duke's Mayo
Texas, Pop-Tarts
Gasparilla, Alamo, Liberty, Sugar
Big Ten 10 6 4 .600 Las Vegas, Quick Lane, Pinstripe, Music City, Rose, Championship Cotton, Peach, ReliaQuest, Citrus
C-USA 4 2 2 .500 New Orleans, Famous Toastery New Mexico, Fiesta
MAC 6 2 4 .333 Myrtle Beach, Camellia Cure, 68 Ventures, Quick Lane, Arizona
Mountain West 7 3 4 .429 New Mexico, Armed Forces, Arizona LA, Famous Idaho Potato, Hawaii, Guaranteed Rate
Pac-12 9 5 4 .556 LA, Holiday, Alamo, Fiesta, Sugar Independence, Las Vegas, Sun, Championship
SEC 9 5 4 .556 Cotton, Peach, Orange, ReliaQuest, Citrus Texas, Gator, Music City, Rose
Sun Belt 12 5 7 .417 Cure, Famous Idaho Potato, 68 Ventures,
Hawaii, First Responder
Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Famous Toastery, Frisco,
Birmingham, Camellia, Armed Forces
Independent 1 1 0 1.000 Sun

Source:[30]

Note: The only independent team that played in an FBS bowl game was Notre Dame.

Notes

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  1. ^ 41 FBS bowl games, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game
  2. ^ Dates reflect Division I team-competitive bowl games, and exclude all-star games and bowl games in lower divisions.
  3. ^ The playoff is scheduled to expand to 12 teams, starting with the 2024–25 bowl season.[1]
  4. ^ The Liberty Flames were one of only four FBS teams in 2023 with an undefeated pre-bowl season,[14] but finished much lower in the CFP rankings as they compete in Conference USA (C-USA), one of the Group of Five conferences, generally regarded as less challenging than the Power Five conferences. However, they are the first C-USA team to compete at this level of bowl game in the history of the Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) and the subsequent College Football Playoff system, introduced in 2014.
  5. ^ Despite having a 5–7 record, Minnesota became bowl eligible due to having the highest Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams.
  6. ^ a b c As there were not enough otherwise bowl-eligible teams to fill available spots, Jacksonville State and James Madison became conditionally bowl eligible due to their winning records, despite their transitions from FCS.
  7. ^ Sam Houston was bowl ineligible due to their transition from FCS to FBS, and the Bearkats would have been bowl ineligible regardless, as they finished with a 3–9 record.
  8. ^ Arizona State self-imposed a bowl ban due to recruiting violations that occurred in 2020.[28] The Sun Devils would have been bowl ineligible regardless, as they finished with a 3–9 record.
  9. ^ Despite finishing at 6–6, Army only had five wins at the time bowl matchups were determined; additionally, two of their wins were against FCS teams.

References

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  1. ^ "College Football Playoff Expands to 12 Teams Beginning in 2024". collegefootballplayoff.com. May 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams starting with the 2024 season | NCAA.com". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "'Unfathomable': Undefeated FSU left out of CFP". ESPN. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Sigler, Jordan (December 3, 2023). "College Football Fans Claim Playoffs 'Rigged' For Money And Ratings By Putting Alabama Over Florida State". Yardbarker.
  5. ^ Armour, Nancy (December 3, 2023). "Committee snubbing unbeaten Florida State makes a mockery of College Football Playoff". USA Today.
  6. ^ Borba, Kevin (December 3, 2023). "College Football Fans Calling SEC Bias Over Florida State's College Football Playoff Snubbing". Sports Illustrated.
  7. ^ Call, James (December 4, 2023). "Tallahassee is not OK. 'Robbed' of a college playoff berth, FSU family crushed". USA Today.
  8. ^ Shepherd, Marshall (December 4, 2023). "Recency Bias, Weather, And The Snubbing Of Florida State Football". Forbes.
  9. ^ Feldman, Bruce (December 3, 2023). "What the College Football Playoff got wrong: Leaving out Florida State". The Athletic.
  10. ^ Windham, Katie (December 3, 2023). "CFP Committee Chairman Explains Why Alabama Was Selected Over Florida State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Meyer, Craig (December 7, 2023). "Brian Kelly Defends Alabama to CFP, Says Florida State 'Not the Same Team' that Beat LSU". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Jackson, Wilton (December 3, 2023). "Paul Finebaum Defends the CFP Committee Selecting Alabama Over Florida State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Rosenberg, Michael (December 3, 2023). "College Football Playoff Committee Was Right to Choose Alabama Over Florida State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 8, 2023. And so I come in defense of Alabama, which feels a bit like arguing that the bully needed the other kids' lunch money more than they did.
  14. ^ "Rankings: 2023 Week 14". College Football Playoff. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "68 Ventures is New Title Sponsor for Mobile Alabama Bowl". 68venturesbowl.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Steele, Greyson (October 2, 2023). "Kellogg Co completes split into two, independent companies – Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co". Battle Creek Enquirer.
  18. ^ Lucas, Amelia (October 2, 2023). "Kellogg's cereal business begins trading as stand-alone company WK Kellogg". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  19. ^ "Pop-Tarts® Intercepts College Football Fandom With First-Ever Pop-Tarts Bowl". kelloggcompany.com (Press release). PR Newswire. May 31, 2023.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ Crabtree, Drew (January 13, 2024). "2024 Hula Bowl Post-Game Stats and Analysis". SB Nation. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via MSN.com.
  22. ^ Quartey, Michael (January 24, 2024). "Electric College Football Fills Municipal Stadium for the 2024 Trillion Tropical Bowl in Front of the 120+ NFL and Pro Scouts". tropicalbowl.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Froyd, Crissy (February 2, 2024). "East-West Shrine Bowl final stats, results: West dominates East in 2024 NFL Draft showcase". The Sporting News. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via MSN.com.
  24. ^ "National beats American in Senior Bowl, QB Michael Penix did not play". The Boston Globe. AP. February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  25. ^ "Home". hbculegacybowl.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  26. ^ "CFP: Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama to Vie for Title". ESPN. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  27. ^ Salvador, Joseph (November 26, 2023). "Why Minnesota Is Bowl Eligible With Only Five Wins". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Gardner, Michelle (August 27, 2023). "Arizona State Football Self-Imposes Bowl Ban This Season for Alleged Recruiting Violations". AZ Central. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  29. ^ "UNLV to host Boise State in MW Football Championship" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  30. ^ "Track which conferences are winning the 2023-24 college football bowl season". NCAA.org. January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.