2017–18 NCAA 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]

2017–18 NCAA football bowl games
Season2017
Regular seasonAugust 26, 2017 (2017-08-26) – December 9, 2017 (2017-12-09)
Number of bowls41[lower-alpha 1]
All-star games3
Bowl gamesDecember 16, 2017 (2017-12-16) – January 8, 2018 (2018-01-08)
National Championship2018 College Football Playoff
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipMercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta
ChampionsAlabama Crimson Tide
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerBig Ten
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
SEC 11 5–6 (0.455) 5
ACC 10 4–6 (0.400) 4
Conference USA 9 4–5 (0.444) 0
Pac-12 9 1–8 (0.111) 3
Big Ten 8 7–1 (0.875) 5
Big 12 8 5–3 (0.625) 3
American 7 4–3 (0.571) 3
Mountain West 6 3–3 (0.500) 1
MAC 5 1–4 (0.200) 0
Sun Belt 5 4–1 (0.800) 0
Independents 2 2–0 (1.000) 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] To fill the 78 available bowl slots, a total of 15 teams (19% of all participants) with non-winning (6–6) seasons participated in bowl games. This marks only the second time in seven years that no teams with losing seasons (6–7 or 5–7) had to be invited to fill available bowl berths.

Schedule

The schedule for the 2017–18 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5).[4][5]

College Football Playoff and Championship Game

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.

Semifinals Championship
January 1 – Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
  1   Clemson 6  
  4   Alabama 24   January 8 – Championship
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
 
      4   Alabama (OT) 26
January 1 – Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
    3   Georgia 23
 
  2   Oklahoma 48
  3   Georgia (2OT) 54  
Date Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 29 Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
8:30 pm
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–2)
No. 8 USC Trojans (11–2)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Ohio State 24
USC 7
Dec. 30 Fiesta Bowl University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, Arizona
4:00 pm
No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (10–2)
No. 11 Washington Huskies (10–2)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Penn State 35
Washington 28
Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
8:00 pm
No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (12–1)
No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (10–2)
Big Ten
ACC
Wisconsin 34
Miami 24
Jan. 1 Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
12:30 pm
No. 12 UCF Knights (12–0)
No. 7 Auburn Tigers (10–3)
American
SEC
UCF 34
Auburn 27
Rose Bowl

(Playoff Semifinal Game)

Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
5:00 pm
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12–1)
No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (12–1)
SEC
Big 12
Georgia 54
Oklahoma 48 (2OT)
Sugar Bowl

(Playoff Semifinal Game)

Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
8:45 pm
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (11–1)
No. 1 Clemson Tigers (12–1)
SEC
ACC
Alabama 24
Clemson 6
Jan. 8 College Football Playoff National Championship

(Rose Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
8:00 pm
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (13–1)
SEC
SEC
Alabama 26
Georgia 23 (OT)

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] For the 2017–18 bowl season, 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 Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 16 New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
1:00 pm
ESPN Troy Trojans (10–2)
North Texas Mean Green (9–4)
Sun Belt
C–USA
Troy 50
North Texas 30
Cure Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
2:30 pm
CBSSN Georgia State Panthers (6–5)
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (6–6)
Sun Belt
C-USA
Georgia State 27
Western Kentucky 17
Las Vegas Bowl Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, Nevada
3:30 pm
ABC No. 25 Boise State Broncos (10–3)
Oregon Ducks (7–5)
Mountain West
Pac–12
Boise State 38
Oregon 28
New Mexico Bowl Dreamstyle Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico
4:30 pm
ESPN Marshall Thundering Herd (7–5)
Colorado State Rams (7–5)
C–USA
Mountain West
Marshall 31
Colorado State 28
Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama
8:00 pm
ESPN Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (6–6)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (7–4)
C–USA
Sun Belt
Middle Tennessee 35
Arkansas State 30
Dec. 19 Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida
7:00 pm
ESPN Florida Atlantic Owls (10–3)
Akron Zips (7–6)
C–USA
MAC
Florida Atlantic 50
Akron 3
Dec. 20 Frisco Bowl Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
8:00 pm
ESPN Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6–6)
SMU Mustangs (7–5)
C–USA
American
Louisiana Tech 51
SMU 10
Dec. 21 Gasparilla Bowl Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, Florida
8:00 pm
ESPN Temple Owls (6–6)
FIU Panthers (8–4)
American
C–USA
Temple 28
FIU 3
Dec. 22 Bahamas Bowl Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
12:30 pm
ESPN Ohio Bobcats (8–4)
UAB Blazers (8–4)
MAC
C–USA
Ohio 41
UAB 6
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
4:00 pm
ESPN Wyoming Cowboys (7–5)
Central Michigan Chippewas (8–4)
Mountain West
MAC
Wyoming 37
Central Michigan 14
Dec. 23 Birmingham Bowl Legion Field
Birmingham, Alabama
12:00 pm
ESPN South Florida Bulls (9–2)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (6–6)
American
Big 12
South Florida 38
Texas Tech 34
Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas
3:30 pm
ESPN Army Black Knights (9–3)
San Diego State Aztecs (10–2)
Independent
Mountain West
Army 42
San Diego State 35
Dollar General Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
7:00 pm
ESPN Appalachian State Mountaineers (8–4)
Toledo Rockets (11–2)
Sun Belt
MAC
Appalachian State 34
Toledo 0
Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii
8:30 pm
ESPN Fresno State Bulldogs (9–4)
Houston Cougars (7–4)
Mountain West
American
Fresno State 33
Houston 27
Dec. 26 Heart of Dallas Bowl Cotton Bowl Stadium
Dallas, Texas
1:00 pm
ESPN Utah Utes (6–6)
West Virginia Mountaineers (7–5)
Pac-12
Big 12
Utah 30
West Virginia 14
Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
5:15 pm
ESPN Duke Blue Devils (6–6)
Northern Illinois Huskies (8–4)
ACC
MAC
Duke 36
Northern Illinois 14
Cactus Bowl Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
9:00 pm
ESPN Kansas State Wildcats (7–5)
UCLA Bruins (6–6)
Big 12
Pac-12
Kansas State 35
UCLA 17
Dec. 27 Independence Bowl Independence Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana
1:30 pm
ESPN Florida State Seminoles (6–6)
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8–4)
ACC
C–USA
Florida State 42
Southern Miss 13
Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium
Bronx, New York
5:15 pm
ESPN Iowa Hawkeyes (7–5)
Boston College Eagles (7–5)
Big Ten
ACC
Iowa 27
Boston College 20
Foster Farms Bowl Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, California
8:30 pm
Fox Purdue Boilermakers (6–6)
Arizona Wildcats (7–5)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Purdue 38
Arizona 35
Texas Bowl NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
9:00 pm
ESPN Texas Longhorns (6–6)
Missouri Tigers (7–5)
Big 12
SEC
Texas 33
Missouri 16
Dec. 28 Military Bowl Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Maryland
1:30 pm
ESPN Navy Midshipmen (6–6)
Virginia Cavaliers (6–6)
American
ACC
Navy 49
Virginia 7
Camping World Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
5:15 pm
ESPN No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–3)
No. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies (9–3)
Big 12
ACC
Oklahoma State 30
Virginia Tech 21
Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas
9:00 pm
ESPN No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs (10–3)
No. 13 Stanford Cardinal (9–4)
Big 12
Pac-12
TCU 39
Stanford 37
Holiday Bowl SDCCU Stadium
San Diego, California
9:00 pm
FS1 No. 16 Michigan State Spartans (9–3)
No. 18 Washington State Cougars (9–3)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Michigan State 42
Washington State 17
Dec. 29 Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
1:00 pm
ESPN Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7–5)
Texas A&M Aggies (7–5)
ACC
SEC
Wake Forest 55
Texas A&M 52
Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, Texas
3:00 pm
CBS No. 24 NC State Wolfpack (8–4)
Arizona State Sun Devils (7–5)
ACC
Pac-12
NC State 52
Arizona State 31
Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee
4:30 pm
ESPN No. 21 Northwestern Wildcats (9–3)
Kentucky Wildcats (7–5)
Big Ten
SEC
Northwestern 24
Kentucky 23
Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Arizona
5:30 pm
CBSSN New Mexico State Aggies (6–6)
Utah State Aggies (6–6)
Sun Belt
Mountain West
New Mexico State 26
Utah State 20 (OT)
Dec. 30 TaxSlayer Bowl EverBank Field
Jacksonville, Florida
12:00 pm
ESPN No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8–4)
Louisville Cardinals (8–4)
SEC
ACC
Mississippi State 31
Louisville 27
Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl
Memphis, Tennessee
12:30 pm
ABC Iowa State Cyclones (7–5)
No. 20 Memphis Tigers (10–2)
Big 12
American
Iowa State 21
Memphis 20
Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
12:00 pm
ESPN2 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–4)
Michigan Wolverines (8–4)
SEC
Big Ten
South Carolina 26
Michigan 19
Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
1:00 pm
ABC No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–3)
No. 17 LSU Tigers (9–3)
Independent
SEC
Notre Dame 21
LSU 17

All-star games

Date Game Site Television Participants Results
Jan. 20 East–West Shrine Game Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, Florida
3:00 pm
NFL Network East Team
West Team
West 14
East 10
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
5:00 pm
FS1 American Team
National Team
National 23
American 0
Jan. 27 Senior Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
2:30 pm
NFL Network North Team
South Team
South 45
North 16

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.

Date Game Site Television Participants Affiliations Results
Dec. 16 Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
12:00 pm
ABC North Carolina A&T Aggies
Grambling State Tigers
MEAC
SWAC
North Carolina A&T 21
Grambling State 14

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).

RankTeamW–LConference and standingBowl game
1
Clemson Tigers
12–1
ACC championsSugar Bowl
2
Oklahoma Sooners
12–1
Big 12 championsRose Bowl
3
Georgia Bulldogs
12–1
SEC championsRose Bowl
4
Alabama Crimson Tide
11–1
SEC West Division co-championsSugar Bowl
5
Ohio State Buckeyes
11–2
Big Ten championsCotton Bowl Classic
6
Wisconsin Badgers
12–1
Big Ten West Division championsOrange Bowl
7
Auburn Tigers
10–3
SEC West Division co-championsPeach Bowl
8
USC Trojans
11–2
Pac-12 championsCotton Bowl Classic
9
Penn State Nittany Lions
10–2
Big Ten East Division second place (tie)Fiesta Bowl
10
Miami Hurricanes
10–2
ACC Coastal Division championsOrange Bowl
11
Washington Huskies
10–2
Pac-12 North Division co-championsFiesta Bowl
12
UCF Knights
12–0
AAC championsPeach Bowl
13
Stanford Cardinal
9–4
Pac-12 North Division co-championsAlamo Bowl
14
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9–3
IndependentCitrus Bowl
15
TCU Horned Frogs
10–3
Big 12 second placeAlamo Bowl
16
Michigan State Spartans
9–3
Big Ten East Division second place (tie)Holiday Bowl
17
LSU Tigers
9–3
SEC West Division third placeCitrus Bowl
18
Washington State Cougars
9–3
Pac-12 North Division third placeHoliday Bowl
19
Oklahoma State Cowboys
9–3
Big 12 third placeCamping World Bowl
20
Memphis Tigers
10–2
AAC West Division championsLiberty Bowl
21
Northwestern Wildcats
9–3
Big Ten West Division second placeMusic City Bowl
22
Virginia Tech Hokies
9–3
ACC Coastal Division second placeCamping World Bowl
23
Mississippi State Bulldogs
8–4
SEC West Division fourth place (tie)TaxSlayer Bowl
24
NC State Wolfpack
8–4
ACC Atlantic Division second placeSun Bowl
25
Boise State Broncos
10–3
MWC championsLas Vegas Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

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.

ConferenceChampionW–LRankBowl game
ACCClemson Tigers
12–1
1Sugar Bowl
AmericanUCF Knights
12–0
12Peach Bowl
Big TenOhio State Buckeyes
11–2
5Cotton Bowl Classic
Big 12Oklahoma Sooners
12–1
2Rose Bowl
C-USAFlorida Atlantic Owls
10–3
Boca Raton Bowl
MACToledo Rockets
11–2
Dollar General Bowl
Mountain WestBoise State Broncos
10–3
25Las Vegas Bowl
Pac-12USC Trojans
11–2
8Cotton Bowl Classic
SECGeorgia Bulldogs
12–1
3Rose Bowl
Sun BeltAppalachian State Mountaineers8–4Dollar General Bowl
Troy Trojans
10–2
New Orleans Bowl

denotes a conference that named co-champions

Bowl-eligible teams

Number of teams going to bowl games: 78

Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81

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] But a few days later the Florida State administration issued a statement saying that Delaware State did in fact meet that threshold, once non-athletic scholarship funds were factored in.[11]

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

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 49

Television viewers and ratings

Most watched non-CFP bowl games

RankDateMatchupNetworkViewers (millions)TV Rating[13]GameLocation
1 December 30, 2017, 8:00 ET #10 Miami 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.

College Football Playoff

GameDateMatchupNetworkViewers (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

  1. 40 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.
  2. 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]
  3. 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.
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References

  1. Dinich, Heather (June 28, 2016). "College Football Playoff tweaks dates in upcoming seasons". ESPN. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  2. "2017–18 college football bowl schedule, dates, times, TV channels". CBS Sports. May 10, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  3. "2017–18 College Football Playoff and bowl schedule". ESPN. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  4. "The full bowl schedule is here now". SB Nation. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. Patterson, Chip (December 3, 2017). "2017 Bowl Games: Announcements, schedule, College Football Playoff matchups". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. "Nebraska, Minnesota, San Jose St. taking 5–7 records to bowl". NCAA.com. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  7. "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  8. "NCAA moratorium means no bowl game for Myrtle Beach, for now". Myrtle Beach Online. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  9. "Selection Committee Rankings: Final Top 25 Rankings" (PDF). College Football Playoff. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  10. Rollins, Khadrice (December 21, 2017). "Florida State Is Not Bowl Eligible but Will Still Play in Independence Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  11. Knight, Joey (December 22, 2017). "FSU Says Reddit Is Wrong; Seminoles Are Bowl Eligible After All". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  12. "Ole Miss announces self-imposed bowl ban for 2017 season". SI.com. February 22, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  13. "College Football TV Ratings". SportsMediaWatch.com. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  14. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV RATINGS". SportsMediaWatch.com. Retrieved 5 January 2018.

Further reading

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