2015–16 NCAA football bowl games

The 2015–16 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games. They completed the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 19, 2015 and, aside from the all-star games, ended with the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 11, 2016.

2015–16 NCAA football bowl games
Season2015
Regular seasonSeptember 3, 2015 – December 12, 2015
Number of bowls42[lower-alpha 1]
All-star games3
Bowl gamesDecember 19, 2015 – January 11, 2016
National Championship2016 College Football Playoff
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipUniversity of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
ChampionsAlabama Crimson Tide
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerSEC
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
SEC 11 9–2 (0.818) 5
Pac-12 10 6–4 (0.600) 3
Big Ten 10 5–5 (0.500) 6
ACC 10 4–6 (0.400) 3
Mountain West 8 4–4 (0.500) 0
American 8 2–6 (0.250) 2
Big 12 7 3–4 (0.429) 4
MAC 7 3–4 (0.429) 0
Conference USA 5 3–2 (0.600) 1
Sun Belt 4 2–2 (0.500) 0
Independents 2 0–2 (0.000) 1

A new record total of 41 team-competitive bowl games were played in FBS, including the national championship game and the inaugural Cure Bowl and Arizona Bowl. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, this was the tenth consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons were bowl-eligible and participated in bowl games. To fill the 80 available team-competitive bowl slots, a new record 15 teams (19% of all participants) with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—12 had a .500 (6–6) season and, for another new record, three had a sub-.500 season. Those three teams each had 5–7 seasons, sharing a new record for the most regular season losses by a bowl team, which had previously been six.[1] This situation led directly to the NCAA Division I Council imposing a three-year moratorium on new bowl games in April 2016.[2]

Schedule

The schedule for the 2015–16 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5). The rankings used were the CFP rankings.[3]

College Football Playoff and Championship Game

The 2015–16 postseason was the second to feature a College Football Playoff (CFP) to determine a national champion of Division I FBS college football. Four teams were selected by a 12-member committee to participate in a single-elimination tournament, whose semifinals were held at the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl as part of a yearly rotation of six bowls. Their winners advanced to the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 11, 2016.[4][5]

Both semifinal bowls were held on December 31, 2015.[4] Under the TV contracts with ESPN that predate the CFP, both the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl (the first two bowls in the three cycling pairs that host semi-final games) are guaranteed exclusive TV time slots on January 1, regardless of whether they will be hosting a semifinal game.[6] Analysts expressed concerns that the semifinal games could face reduced television viewership due to the New Year's Eve scheduling, believing that fans would not be accustomed to the scheduling, and that they would face competition from New Year's Eve events and television specials like New Year's Rockin' Eve, which is aired by ABC—a corporate sibling to CFP broadcaster ESPN.[4] ESPN then proposed moving the semifinal games to January 2, 2016, a Saturday, arguing that the games would enjoy a higher level of prominence if held on a day of the week that is traditionally associated with college football. However, its proposal was rejected.[4]

CFP commissioner Bill Hancock suggested this scheduling issue would instead "change the paradigm of what New Year's Eve is all about," opining that "if you're hosting a New Year's Eve party, you better have a bunch of televisions around."[7] Ratings for the two semifinal games were down from the prior season's equivalents, with the Orange Bowl reaching a 9.7 rating (in comparison to 15.5 for the 2015 Rose Bowl) and the Cotton Bowl reaching a 9.9 rating (in comparison to a 15.3 rating for the 2015 Sugar Bowl). On the online WatchESPN streaming service, the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl drew the second and third-largest streaming audiences in the service's history (excluding 2014 FIFA World Cup games), behind the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship.[8] As a result of the reduced viewership, it was reported that ESPN was negotiating $20 million worth of credits to advertisers to compensate for the lower than expected ratings.[9]

Semifinals 2016 Championship Game
December 31 – Orange Bowl
  1   Clemson 37  
  4   Oklahoma 17   January 11 – National Championship
 
      1   Clemson 40
December 31 – Cotton Bowl     2   Alabama 45
 
  2   Alabama 38
  3   Michigan State 0  
Date Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 31 Peach Bowl Georgia Dome
Atlanta, GA
12:00 pm
ESPN #18 Houston Cougars (12–1)
#9 Florida State Seminoles (10–2)
American
ACC
Houston 38
Florida State 24
Orange Bowl
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
Sun Life Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
4:00 pm
#1 Clemson Tigers (13–0)
#4 Oklahoma Sooners (11–1)
ACC
Big 12
Clemson 37
Oklahoma 17
Cotton Bowl Classic
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
8:00 pm
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)
#3 Michigan State Spartans (12–1)
SEC
Big Ten
Alabama 38
Michigan State 0
Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl[10] University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
1:00 pm
#7 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–1)
#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–2)
Big Ten
Independent
Ohio State 44
Notre Dame 28
Rose Bowl Game Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA
5:00 pm
#6 Stanford Cardinal (11–2)
#5 Iowa Hawkeyes (12–1)
Pac-12
Big Ten
Stanford 45
Iowa 16
Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm
#12 Ole Miss Rebels (9–3)
#16 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10–2)
SEC
Big 12
Ole Miss 48
Oklahoma State 20
Jan. 11 College Football Playoff National Championship
(Orange Bowl Winner vs. Cotton Bowl Winner)
University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
8:30 pm
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–1)
#1 Clemson Tigers (14–0)
SEC
ACC
Alabama 45
Clemson 40

Non-CFP bowl games

For the 2015–16 season, two new bowl games were added, the Cure Bowl and the Arizona Bowl, bringing the total number of bowl games to 41.[3][11][12][13] Due to not having enough teams with a 6–6 or better record to fill available bowl slots, the increase in number of bowls had the adverse effect of allowing a record three teams with losing records (5–7) to participate in bowls. The teams were selected by being the ones with the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) among all 5–7 teams.[14] The participating teams with a losing record were Nebraska, Minnesota, and San Jose State.[14]

Date Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl University Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
2:00 pm
ESPN Arizona Wildcats (6–6)
New Mexico Lobos (7–5)
Pac-12
Mountain West
Arizona 45
New Mexico 37
Las Vegas Bowl Sam Boyd Stadium
Whitney, NV
3:30 pm
ABC #22 Utah Utes (9–3)
BYU Cougars (9–3)
Pac-12
Independent
Utah 35
BYU 28
Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, AL
5:30 pm
ESPN Appalachian State Mountaineers (10–2)
Ohio Bobcats (8–4)
Sun Belt
MAC
Appalachian State 31
Ohio 29
Cure Bowl Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium
Orlando, FL
7:00 pm
CBSSN San Jose State Spartans (5–7)
Georgia State Panthers (6–6)
Mountain West
Sun Belt
San Jose State 27
Georgia State 16
New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
9:00 pm
ESPN Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–4)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (9–3)
C-USA
Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech 47
Arkansas State 28
Dec. 21 Miami Beach Bowl Marlins Park
Miami, FL
2:30 pm
ESPN Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (11–2)
South Florida Bulls (8–4)
C-USA
American
Western Kentucky 45
South Florida 35
Dec. 22 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, ID
3:30 pm
ESPN Akron Zips (7–5)
Utah State Aggies (6–6)
MAC
Mountain West
Akron 23
Utah State 21
Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, FL
7:00 pm
ESPN Toledo Rockets (9–2)
#24 Temple Owls (10–3)
MAC
American
Toledo 32
Temple 17
Dec. 23 Poinsettia Bowl Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, CA
4:30 pm
ESPN Boise State Broncos (8–4)
Northern Illinois Huskies (8–5)
Mountain West
MAC
Boise State 55
Northern Illinois 7
GoDaddy Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
8:00 pm
ESPN Georgia Southern Eagles (8–4)
Bowling Green Falcons (10–3)
Sun Belt
MAC
Georgia Southern 58
Bowling Green 27
Dec. 24 Bahamas Bowl Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
12:00 pm
ESPN Western Michigan Broncos (7–5)
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7–5)
MAC
C-USA
Western Michigan 45
Middle Tennessee 31
Hawaiʻi Bowl Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
8:00 pm
ESPN San Diego State Aztecs (10–3)
Cincinnati Bearcats (7–5)
Mountain West
American
San Diego State 42
Cincinnati 7
Dec. 26 St. Petersburg Bowl Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
11:00 am
ESPN Marshall Thundering Herd (9–3)
Connecticut Huskies (6–6)
C-USA
American
Marshall 16
Connecticut 10
Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX
2:00 pm
CBS Washington State Cougars (8–4)
Miami Hurricanes (8–4)
Pac-12
ACC
Washington State 20
Miami 14
Heart of Dallas Bowl Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
2:20 pm
ESPN Washington Huskies (6–6)
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9–4)
Pac-12
C-USA
Washington 44
Southern Miss 31
Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
3:30 pm
ABC Duke Blue Devils (7–5)
Indiana Hoosiers (6–6)
ACC
Big Ten
Duke 44
Indiana 41 (OT)
Independence Bowl Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
5:45 pm
ESPN Virginia Tech Hokies (6–6)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6–6)
ACC
American
Virginia Tech 55
Tulsa 52
Foster Farms Bowl Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
9:15 pm
ESPN Nebraska Cornhuskers (5–7)
UCLA Bruins (8–4)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Nebraska 37
UCLA 29
Dec. 28 Military Bowl Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, MD
2:30 pm
ESPN #21 Navy Midshipmen (10–2)
Pittsburgh Panthers (8–4)
American
ACC
Navy 44
Pittsburgh 28
Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field
Detroit, MI
5:00 pm
ESPN2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–7)
Central Michigan Chippewas (7–5)
Big Ten
MAC
Minnesota 21
Central Michigan 14
Dec. 29 Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
2:00 pm
ESPN California Golden Bears (7–5)
Air Force Falcons (8–5)
Pac-12
Mountain West
California 55
Air Force 36
Russell Athletic Bowl Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium
Orlando, FL
5:30 pm
ESPN #17 Baylor Bears (9–3)
#10 North Carolina Tar Heels (11–2)
Big 12
ACC
Baylor 49
North Carolina 38
Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium
Tucson, AZ
7:30 pm
ASN Nevada Wolf Pack (6–6)
Colorado State Rams (7–5)
Mountain West
Mountain West
Nevada 28
Colorado State 23
Texas Bowl NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
9:00 pm
ESPN #20 LSU Tigers (8–3)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (7–5)
SEC
Big 12
LSU 56
Texas Tech 27
Dec. 30 Birmingham Bowl Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
12:00 pm
ESPN Auburn Tigers (6–6)
Memphis Tigers (9–3)
SEC
American
Auburn 31
Memphis 10
Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
3:30 pm
ESPN Mississippi State Bulldogs (8–4)
NC State Wolfpack (7–5)
SEC
ACC
Mississippi State 51
NC State 28
Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium
Nashville, TN
7:00 pm
ESPN Louisville Cardinals (7–5)
Texas A&M Aggies (8–4)
ACC
SEC
Louisville 27
Texas A&M 21
Holiday Bowl Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, CA
10:30 pm
ESPN Wisconsin Badgers (9–3)
#25 USC Trojans (8–5)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Wisconsin 23
USC 21
Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
12:00 pm
ESPN2 #23 Tennessee Volunteers (8–4)
#13 Northwestern Wildcats (10–2)
SEC
Big Ten
Tennessee 45
Northwestern 6
Citrus Bowl Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium
Orlando, FL
1:00 pm
ABC #14 Michigan Wolverines (9–3)
#19 Florida Gators (10–3)
Big Ten
SEC
Michigan 41
Florida 7
Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl EverBank Field
Jacksonville, FL
12:00 pm
ESPN Georgia Bulldogs (9–3)
Penn State Nittany Lions (7–5)
SEC
Big Ten
Georgia 24
Penn State 17
Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
3:20 pm
ESPN Arkansas Razorbacks (7–5)
Kansas State Wildcats (6–6)
SEC
Big 12
Arkansas 45
Kansas State 23
Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
6:45 pm
ESPN #11 TCU Horned Frogs (10–2)
#15 Oregon Ducks (9–3)
Big 12
Pac-12
TCU 47
Oregon 41 (3OT)
Cactus Bowl Chase Field
Phoenix, AZ
10:15 pm
ESPN West Virginia Mountaineers (7–5)
Arizona State Sun Devils (6–6)
Big 12
Pac-12
West Virginia 43
Arizona State 42

+ Notre Dame is eligible for any one of the bowl bids reserved for ACC teams, if Notre Dame: (a) is bowl-eligible; and (b) is not selected for one of the CFP Bowls. Notre Dame may not be selected for one of the bowl games having ACC tie-ins unless Notre Dame has no less than one less overall loss than the winningest-remaining ACC team which has not yet been selected for a bowl game.

BYU has an agreement with the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl and the Hawaiʻi Bowl for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Cougars will appear, in place of a Mountain West team, in the Las Vegas Bowl this season.

All-star games

Date Game Site Television Participants Results
Jan. 23 East–West Shrine Game Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
4:00 pm
NFL Network East Team
West Team
West 29
East 9
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl StubHub Center
Carson, CA
6:00 pm
ESPN2 National Team
American Team
National 18
American 17
Jan. 30 Senior Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
2:30 pm
NFL Network North Team vs.
South Team
South 27
North 16

FCS bowl game

The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 28 and ended on January 9.

Date Game Site Television Participants Affiliations Results
Dec. 19 Celebration Bowl Georgia Dome
Atlanta, Georgia
12:00 pm
ABC North Carolina A&T Aggies
Alcorn State Braves
MEAC
SWAC
North Carolina A&T 41
Alcorn State 34

Results

The Southeastern Conference was the Bowl Challenge Cup winner for the 2015-16 bowl season, which is awarded to the FBS football conference with the highest winning percentage. In addition, the nine total bowl wins by the SEC were the most ever accomplished by a single conference during a single bowl season. Southeastern Conference member Alabama won the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship game to finish the year as consensus national champions for the 2015 football season.

Selection of the teams

CFP top 25 teams

On December 6, 2015, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year:[15]

RankTeamW–LConference and standingBowl game
1
Clemson Tigers
13–0
ACC championsOrange Bowl
2
Alabama Crimson Tide
12–1
SEC championsCotton Bowl Classic
3
Michigan State Spartans
12–1
Big Ten championsCotton Bowl Classic
4
Oklahoma Sooners
11–1
Big 12 championsOrange Bowl
5
Iowa Hawkeyes
12–1
Big Ten West Division championsRose Bowl
6
Stanford Cardinal
11–2
Pac-12 championsRose Bowl
7
Ohio State Buckeyes
11–1
Big Ten East Division co-championsFiesta Bowl
8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10–2
IndependentFiesta Bowl
9
Florida State Seminoles
10–2
ACC Atlantic Division second placePeach Bowl
10
North Carolina Tar Heels
11–2
ACC Coastal Division championsRussell Athletic Bowl
11
TCU Horned Frogs
10–2
Big 12 second place (tie)Alamo Bowl
12
Ole Miss Rebels
9–3
SEC West Division second placeSugar Bowl
13
Northwestern Wildcats
10–2
Big Ten West Division second place (tie)Outback Bowl
14
Michigan Wolverines
9–3
Big Ten East Division third placeCitrus Bowl
15
Oregon Ducks
9–3
Pac-12 North Division second placeAlamo Bowl
16
Oklahoma State Cowboys
10–2
Big 12 second place (tie)Sugar Bowl
17
Baylor Bears
9–3
Big Twelve fourth placeRussell Athletic Bowl
18
Houston Cougars
12–1
American championsPeach Bowl
19
Florida Gators
10–3
SEC East Division championsCitrus Bowl
20
LSU Tigers
8–3
SEC West Division third place (tie)Texas Bowl
21
Navy Midshipmen
10–2
American West Division co-championsMilitary Bowl
22
Utah Utes
9–3
Pac-12 South Division co-championsLas Vegas Bowl
23
Tennessee Volunteers
8–4
SEC East Division second place (tie)Outback Bowl
24
Temple Owls
10–2
American East Division championsBoca Raton Bowl
25
USC Trojans
8–5
Pac-12 South Division co-championsHoliday Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

The Cotton Bowl Classic and Orange Bowl featured two conference champions playing against each other. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.

ConferenceChampionW–LRankBowl game
ACCClemson Tigers
13–0
1Orange Bowl
AmericanHouston Cougars
12–1
18Peach Bowl
Big TenMichigan State Spartans
12–1
3Cotton Bowl Classic
Big 12Oklahoma Sooners
11–1
4Orange Bowl
C-USAWKU Hilltoppers
11–2
Miami Beach Bowl
MACBowling Green Falcons
10–3
GoDaddy Bowl
Mountain WestSan Diego State Aztecs
10–3
Hawaii Bowl
Pac-12Stanford Cardinal
11–2
6Rose Bowl
SECAlabama Crimson Tide
12–1
2Cotton Bowl Classic
Sun BeltArkansas State Red Wolves9–3New Orleans Bowl

Bowl-eligible teams

Number of bowl berths available: 80
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 77

Conditionally bowl-ineligible teams

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 51

Note: Being bowl-ineligible does not, in itself, exclude a team from the chance to play in a bowl game. Tiebreaker procedures based on a school's Academic Progress Rate (APR) allowed for the possibility of 5–7 teams to play in bowl games since not enough teams qualified to fill all 80 spots with at least a 6–6 record.

Note: Teams with Asterisk (*) have a 5–7 record (14 total). Since a maximum of 77 bowl slots were filled, 3 of these teams qualified for a bowl game. These teams were Nebraska, Minnesota, and San Jose State.[16] Missouri would have qualified over Minnesota or San Jose State, but announced they would decline a bowl bid.[17]

Note: There are 128 teams in FBS.

See also

Notes

  1. 41 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.

References

  1. "College Football Teams Which Played in Bowl Games Despite Losing Records". thesportsseer.com. December 30, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  2. McMurphy, Brett (April 11, 2016). "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  3. "2015–16 College Football Bowl Schedule – 2016 Playoff" Archived March 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  4. "A daunting task: Can the CFP, ESPN change old New Year's Eve habits?". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. July 2, 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  5. "College Football Playoff 101", ESPN, May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  6. "College Football Playoff drops ball with 2015 New Year's Eve semis". SI.com. January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  7. Tony Barnhart (January 6, 2014). "Before BCS ends, the whens, wheres, whys of College Football Playoff". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  8. "College Football Playoff TV ratings drop with New Year's Eve time slots". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  9. "ESPN is reportedly giving $20M back to advertisers because the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve was such a disaster". SBNation. Vox Media. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  10. "BattleFrog Announced as Title Sponsor of 45th Annual Fiesta Bowl" (Press release). Fiesta Bowl. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  11. Kelley, Kevin (May 6, 2015). "Three New Bowls Approved, Pushes Total to 42 in 2015", FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  12. Swiatecki, Chad (May 26, 2015). "Austin's Bowl Game Hopes Delayed to 2016". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  13. Lisaius, Som (October 1, 2015). "Organizers, Officials Celebrate Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl", Tucson News Now. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  14. "Nebraska, Minnesota, San Jose St. taking 5-7 records to bowl". NCAA.com. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  15. "2015 College Football Rankings – Week 15 – College Football Playoff Rankings", ESPN, December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  16. Johnson, Greg. "NCAA Football: Council approves process to allow 5–7 teams into bowl games". ncaa.com. NCAA. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  17. Paul, Richard. "Missouri not interested in bowl after 5–7 season". The Oceanside Post. Retrieved 6 December 2015.

Further reading

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