1981–82 NCAA football bowl games

The 1981–82 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games played in December 1981 and January 1982 to end the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. A total of 16 team-competitive games,[1] and two all-star games, were played. The post-season began with the Independence Bowl on December 12, 1981, and concluded on January 16, 1982, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.

1981–82 NCAA football bowl games
Season	1981
Number of bowls	16
Bowl games	December 12, 1981 – January 1, 1982
National Championship	1982 Orange Bowl
Location of Championship	Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Champions	Clemson Tigers
Bowl record by conference Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll Independents 5 3–2 (0.600) 4 Big Eight 5 2–3 (0.400) 3 SEC 5 2–3 (0.400) 2 Big Ten 4 2–2 (0.500) 3 Pac-10 4 1–3 (0.250) 3 SWC 4 2–2 (0.500) 2 ACC 2 2–0 (1.000) 2 WAC 1 1–0 (1.000) 1 MAC 1 1–0 (1.000) 0 PCAA 1 0–1 (0.000) 0

Schedule

Date	Game	Site	Time (US EST)	TV	Matchup (pre-game record)	AP pre-game rank	UPI (Coaches) pre-game rank
12/12	Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana		Mizlou	Texas A&M 33 (6–5) (SWC), Oklahoma State 16 (7–4) (Big Eight)	NR NR	NR NR
12/13	Garden State Bowl	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey		Mizlou	Tennessee 28 (7–4) (SEC), Wisconsin 21 (7–4) (Big Ten)	NR NR	NR NR
12/18	Holiday Bowl	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, California		ESPN	BYU 38 (10–2) (WAC Champion), Washington State 36 (8–2–1) (Pac-10)	#14 #20	#12 #18
12/19	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando Stadium Orlando, Florida			Missouri 19 (7–4) (Big Eight), Southern Miss 17 (9–1–1) (Independent)	NR #18	NR #15
12/19	California Bowl	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, California			Toledo 27 (8–3) (MAC), San Jose State 25 (9–2) (PCAA Champion)	NR NR	NR #20
12/26	Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas		CBS	Oklahoma 40 (6–4–1) (Big Eight), Houston 14 (7–3–1) (SWC)	NR NR	NR #19
12/28	Gator Bowl [2]	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida		ABC	North Carolina 31 (9–2) (ACC), Arkansas 27 (8–3) (SWC)	#11 NR	#9 #17
12/30	Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee		USA Network/ Metrosports	Ohio State 31 (8–3) (Big Ten), Navy 28 (7–3–1) (Independent)	#15 NR	#14 NR
12/31	Peach Bowl	Fulton County Stadium Atlanta		CBS	West Virginia 26 (8–3) (Independent), Florida 6 (7–4) (SEC)	NR NR	NR NR
12/31	Hall of Fame Classic	Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama			Mississippi State 10 (7–4) (SEC), Kansas 0 (8–3) (Big Eight)	NR NR	NR NR
12/31	Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl	Houston Astrodome Houston, Texas		Mizlou	Michigan 33 (8–3) (Big Ten), UCLA 14 (7–3–1) (Pac-10)	#16 #19	#13 #16
1/1	Cotton Bowl Classic[3]	Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas	12:00 PM	CBS	Texas 14 (9–1–1) (SWC), Alabama 12 (9–1–1) (SEC co-Champion)	#6 #3	#5 #3
1/1	Fiesta Bowl[4]	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona	1:30 PM	NBC	Penn State 26 (9–2) (Independent), USC 10 (9–2) (Pac-10)	#7 #8	#6 #7
1/1	Rose Bowl[5]	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California	4:30 PM	NBC	Washington 28 (9–2) (Pac-10 Champion), Iowa 0 (8–3) (Big Ten co-Champion)	#12 #13	#10 #11
1/1	Sugar Bowl [6]	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana	8:00 PM	ABC	Pittsburgh 24 (10–1) (Independent), Georgia 20 (10–1) (SEC co-Champion)	#10 #2	#8 #2
1/1	Orange Bowl [6]	Miami Orange Bowl Miami	8:00 PM	NBC	Clemson 22 (11–0) (ACC Champion), Nebraska 15 (9–2) (Big Eight Champion)	#1 #4	#1 #4

References

1. "1981 College Football Bowl Games". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
2. "N. CAROLINA WINS, 31-27, IN FOGBOUND GATOR BOWL". The New York Times. December 29, 1981. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
3. "TEXAS TOPPLES ALABAMA BY 14-12". The New York Times. January 2, 1982. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
4. "PENN ST. TROUNCES U.S.C. BY 26-10". The New York Times. January 2, 1982. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
5. "Washington Wilts Iowa's Rose, 28-0". The Washington Post. January 2, 1982. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
6. "CLEMSON FINISHES UNBEATEN; PITT RALLY TOPS GEORGIA; TIGERS DEFEAT NEBRASKA FOR 12-0 RECORD". The New York Times. January 2, 1982. Retrieved December 24, 2018.