San Antonio, TX
Venue: Alamodome
65,000 - Turf
Date: Late December through 2008 and in 2010; January 2010
The original Alamo Bowl, on Jan. 4, 1947, drew only 3,730 fans, so the idea was dropped. However, after the Alamadome was opened, with a seating capacity of 65,000 for football, the game was revived on Dec. 31, 1993. Since 1995, the bowl has matched teams from the Big 10 and the Big 12.
Ft. Worth, TX
Venue: Amon G. Carter Stadium
44,008 - Grass
Date: Late December Website
Inaugurated in 2003 under the sponsorship of PlainsCapital Bank, the Ft. Worth Bowl originally matched teams from Conference USA and the Big Twelve. After operating without a sponsor in 2005, the game won sponsorship from Bell Helicopter, which renamed it the Armed Forces Bowl.
Birmingham, AL
Venue: Legion Field
71,594 - Turf
Date: December 2006-2008; January 2010 Website
Birmingham, Alabama, hosted two now-defunct bowl games, the Dixie Bowl in 1948-49 and the All-American Classic from 1977 through 1990. The city decided to try again in 2006 with a game named, straightforwardly enough, the Birmingham Bowl. Then the website of Papa John's Pizza signed a four-year agreement to sponsor the bowl. ESPN Regional Television owns and operates the game. One team will always come from Conference USA and the other team will come from the Big East and the Mid-American Conference in alternate years.
St. Petersburg, FL
Venue: Tropicana Field
45,000 - Turf
Date: December Website
The St. Petersburg Bowl was one of two new bowl games authorized by the NCAA in 2008. (The other was the EagleBank Bowl.) The first game, sponsored by magicjack, was played on Dec. 20, 2008. The restaurant chain Beef O'Brady's took over sponsorship in 2009. The game matches teams from the Big East Conference and Conference USA. If one of those conferences cannot send a team, a replacement will be selected from the Sun Belt Conference.
Charlotte, NC
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
73,367 - Grass
Date: Late December Website
Inaugurated in 2002, this game was known as the Continental Tire Bowl for its first three years. In 2005, Meineke Car Care Centers became the title sponsor; Meineke was replaced in 2011 by Belk, a department store chain headquartered in Charlotte. The bowl matches teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East.
Orlando, FL
Venue: Citrus Bowl
70,188 - Grass
Date: January 1947-58, in 1960, and since 1987;
December in 1958 and from 1960 through 1985 Website
This game originated as the Tangerine Bowl in 1947 and became the Florida Citrus Bowl in 1983, with sponsorship from the Florida Department of Citrus. CompUSA was a sponsor from 1992 through 2002. The bowl is currently sponsored by Capital One. It matches teams from the SEC and the Big 10.
Orlando, FL
Venue: Citrus Bowl
70,188 - Grass
Date: December 1990-91 and since 1996; January 1993-96
The Blockbuster Bowl was created by Blockbuster Video in 1990 as the first bowl game with a purely commercial name. Carquest Auto Parts took it over and renamed it the Carquest Bowl in 1993. It became the MicronPC Bowl in 1997. Micron dropped its sponsorship after the game in 2000 and the Florida Citrus Council took over, moved it from Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando, and renamed it the Tangerine Bowl, which was also the original name of the Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2004, Champs Sports became the sponsor.
Atlanta, GA
Venue: Georgia Dome
71,228 - AstroTurf
Date: December 1968-79, 1981-86, 1988-90, 1993, 1995-2002, 2004
January 1981, 1988, 1992-93, 1995, and 2004 Website
The Peach Bowl was founded in 1968 with no conference attachments, and therefore simply invited the best teams available, featuring the ACC and/or the SEC. This resulted in good matchups in some years and not such good matchups in others. Attendance varied accordingly, from a little over 20,000 to nearly 60,000. The move into the Georgia Dome in 1993 from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium has brought much bigger crowds to the bowl. Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain, began sponsoring the game in 1997 and took over full naming rights in 2006.
Boise, ID
Venue: Bronco Stadium (Boise State)
30,000 - Turf
Date: December through 2002; January and December in 2004 Website
This game was established in 1997 as the Humanitarian Bowl, sponsored by the World Humanitarian Sports Hall of Fame. Crucial.com sponsored the game from 1999 through the January 2004 game. It was renamed in December of 2004, when MPC Computers took over sponsorship. After MPC dropped its sponsorship, the bowl reverted to its original name, but it became the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2011.
San Francisco, CA
Venue: SBC Park
37,000 - Grass
Date: December through 2009; January and December in 2011 Website
This game originated as the San Francisco Bowl, which held its first game on Dec. 31, 2002. It was established by Giants Enterprises, an entity organized by the San Francisco Giants baseball team to develop non-baseball uses for SBC Park. Diamond Walnuts became a title sponsor. In 2004, the name was changed to the Emerald Bowl, reflecting the name of the company's Emerald Nuts snack brand. Kraft Foods became the sponsor in 2010 and renamed it the Fight Hunger Bowl, as it became part of the company's hunger relief campaign. It now matches a Pac-10 team against a Western Athletic Conference team.
Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Alltel Stadium
73,000 - Grass
Date: January 1946-54, 1960, 1965, 1971, 1989, 1991, and since 1996;
December 1954-58, 1960-63, 1965-69, 1971-87, 1989, and 1991-94 Website
When first played on Jan. 1, 1946, the Gator Bowl drew only 7,362 fans and it struggled with low attendance figures until the mid-1960s. Since then, however, attendance has been well over 60,000 in most years, with a high of 82,911 for the game in December of 1989.
Mobile, AL
Venue: Ladd-Peebles Stadium
40,646 - Grass
Date: December 1999-2005; January 2007 Website
Established in 1999 by the City of Mobile, Alabama, this was originally known as the Mobile Bowl. GMAC took over sponsorship in 2001 and renamed it. In October of 2010, GoDaddy.com became the sponsor and the bowl was renamed again.
Honolulu, HI
Venue: Aloha Stadium
50,000 - Grass
Date: December Website
This bowl was founded in 2002 by ESPN Regional, the marketing arm of the sports network, in partnership with the University of Hawaii, the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA.
San Diego, CA
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium
71,000 - Grass
Date: December Website
From 1978 through 1994, this game always featured the WAC champion against an at-large or Big Ten team. Since 1995, it has matched the WAC champion or a Pac-10 team against a Big 12 team. It's played in late December.
Shreveport, LA
Venue: Independence Stadium
50,832 - Grass
Date: December Website
This game originally matched the Southland Conference champion against an at-large opponent. In 1981, though, the Independence Bowl began inviting major college teams. Since 1995, the bowl has featured an SEC team against an at-large team.
Tucson, AZ
Venue: Arizona Stadium
57,803 - Grass
Date: December
This game originated as the Copper Bowl on Dec. 31, 1989. It took its present name in 1997. The bowl always featured a WAC team until 1998, when it offered a matchup between the Big East and the Big 12.
Memphis, TN
Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
62,380 - Grass
Date: December through 2008 and 2010; January 2010 Website
The Liberty Bowl has had three different homes. From 1959 through 1963, it was played before small crowds in Philadelphia. It moved in 1964 to Atlantic City, where the game drew only 6,000 fans. The bowl then headed south, to Memphis, where it has been much more successful. It now features a Conference USA team against an at-large opponent.
Detroit, MI
Venue: Ford Field
65,000 - Turf
Date: December Website
This game was established as the Motor City Bowl, a post-season contest for the Mid-American Conference champion, replacing the Las Vegas Bowl in that respect. The Motor City Bowl was originally played in the Pontiac Silverdome. It moved to Ford Field in 2002. In 2009, Little Caesars Pizza took over sponsorship and the game was renamed.
Las Vegas, NV
Venue: Sam Boyd Stadium
40,000 - AstroTurf
Date: December
In 1992, the Las Vegas Bowl was created as a post-season game between the Mid-American and Big West champions, replacing the California Bowl and the Raisin Bowl. Since 1997, it has matched a WAC team against an at-large opponent. MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting took over sponsorship in 2009 and the game became known as the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.
The galleryfurniture.com bowl for the first two years of its existence, this game was renamed the Houston Bowl in 2002 and became the Texas Bowl in 2006. It matches a Big 12 team against an at-large team.
Washington, DC
Venue: RFK Stadium
45,596 - Grass
Date: December Website
The EagleBank Bowl was first played on December 20, 2008. Organizers had planned to call it the Congressional Bowl, but Eagle Bank soon became the titular sponsor. Navy agreed to meet a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the inaugural bowl game and the ACC agreed to send its ninth best team to the bowl, if there were nine or more bowl-eligible teams. Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor, took over sponsorship in 2010 and renamed it the Military Bowl.
Nashville, TN
Venue: Adelphia Coliseum
67,000 - Grass
Date: December
This bowl game was played in Vanderbilt Stadium in its first year, then moved into the newly-opened Adelphia Coliseum, now LP Field, which is the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. It matches a team from the Southeastern Conference against an at-large team.
New York, NY
Venue: Yankee Stadium
50,086 - Grass
Date: December Website
New Era is the titular sponsor and the "Pinstripe" in the name comes from the New York Yankees' famous pinstriped uniforms. The Yankees are also sponsors of the game, which received an initial four-year license from the NCAA. The bowl game will feature the Big East team with the third-best conference record against the Big 12 team with the sixth-best conference record.
Albuquerque, NM
Venue: University of New Mexico Stadium
37,370 - Grass
Date: December Website
Financed by a $2 million line of credit from ESPN, the New Mexico Bowl originally featured the #3 or #4 team from the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and the #3 team from the Western Athletic Conference. It now matches teams from the MWC and the Pacific 12, if both conferences have enough bowl-eligible teams. If not, an at-large team is invited for the conference(s) that can't furnish a team.
New Orleans, LA
Venue: New Orleans Superdome
77,446 - AstroTurf
Date: December Website
One of the newest of the bowl games is conducted by the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. It matches the Sunbelt Conference champion against a team from the Mountain West Conference. The 2005 game was played in Lafayette, LA, because of the severe damage suffered by the Superdome from Hurricane Katrina.
Tampa, FL
Venue: Raymond James Stadium
65,000 - Grass
Date: December in 1986; January since 1988 Website
Originally the Hall of Fame Bowl, established to raise funds for the College Football Hall of Fame, this bowl took its present name in 1995, when Outback Steakhouse became the sponsor. The bowl currently offers a matchup between the SEC and Big 10.
San Diego, CA
Qualcomm Stadium
71,000 - Grass
Date: December Website
When the Silicon Valley Classic went out of business because of financial problems, it was replaced by the Poinsettia Bowl, which is operated by the organizers of the Holiday Bowl and played at the same venue, San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union, the bowl matches a team from the Mountain West Conference against an at-large opponent.
El Paso, TX
Venue: Sun Bowl
52,000 - Astroturf
Date: January 1936-58 and 1977;
December 1958-75 and since 1977 Website
One of the oldest of the post-season games, the Sun Bowl never achieved the major status of the other bowls that date to the 1930s. In fact, it lost its identity entirely for five years, 1989-93, when it was known as the John Hancock Bowl under sponsorship from the insurance company. It became the Sun Bowl again in 1994, when the sponsorship ended. The Sun Bowl now hosts a game between a Pac-10 team and a team from the Big Twelve or Big East.
After the Cotton Bowl Classic moved from its namesake stadium to Cowboys Stadium in 2010, a move began to stage a new post-season game in the Cotton Bowl. Originally known as the Dallas Football Classic, it took on its present name when Ticketcity signed on as sponsor. The game features Big Ten and Big 12 teams.
