College Football Bowl Game Names: A Comprehensive History and Overview

College football bowl games are a celebrated tradition, marking the end of the season for many teams. With 134 college football teams in Division I football, not all can make the historic bowl games that are part of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Teams that have had a strong -- but not quite playoff-strong -- season are still eligible to play in a bowl game to cap off their campaign. If you're a college football fan, you surely know the significance of these games. For fans who aren't as familiar, let's delve into the history of bowl games.

The Origins of Bowl Games

The bowl game originated with what is known as the oldest bowl, the Rose Bowl, where the first matchup took place in 1902 between Michigan and Stanford. After Michigan blew out Stanford 49-0, the event would not return for another 14 years. In 1916, Washington State beat Brown 14-0, beginning an annual tradition. The ninth iteration of the game, in 1923, was the first to be played in the current Rose Bowl Stadium.

Since then, as more bowls entered the fray, these games have become cultural events for the cities that host them. Major bowl games such as the Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl were collectively known as the New Year's Six, representing the oldest bowl games in the sport. These bowls have featured college football's biggest moments and determined many national champions.

The Evolution of Bowl Games

College football has evolved to include anywhere from 30 to over 40 bowl games a year, eligible for teams that finished the season with a .500 winning percentage or better. The New Year's Six bowls now serve as the quarterfinals and semifinals of the College Football Playoff. For nearly a century, bowl games were the purview of only the very best teams, but a steady proliferation of new bowl games required more teams, with 70 participating teams by the 2010-11 bowl season, then 80 participating teams by the 2015-16 bowl season. As a result, the NCAA has steadily relaxed the criteria for bowl eligibility. Teams with a non-winning record (6-6) were allowed starting in 2010.

Bowl games are not limited to the Bowl Subdivision; teams in the three lower divisions of the NCAA-the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, and Division III-are also allowed to participate in bowl games. The playoff structure in those three divisions discourages most high-caliber teams from participating in bowl games, as teams would rather contest for their division's national championship than play in a bowl game. The same basic guidelines for bowl eligibility apply for those contests.

The College Football Playoff (CFP)

Six major bowl games, known as the New Year's Six, rotate the hosting of the two semifinal games which determine the teams that play in the final College Football Playoff National Championship game. The New Year's Six includes six of the ten oldest bowl games (missing the Sun, Gator, Citrus and Liberty bowls), continuing their original history of pitting the very best teams in the country against each other.

The New Year's Six Bowls

Rose Bowl: Played in Pasadena, California. It is the oldest bowl game, starting in 1902. In 2025, Ohio State beat Oregon, 41 to 21.
Sugar Bowl: Held in New Orleans, Louisiana. It's tied for the second-oldest bowl game. It's been played since 1935. In 2025, Notre Dame defeated Georgia 23-10.
Orange Bowl: Played in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is tied for the second-oldest bowl game, starting in 1935. In 2025, Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24.
Cotton Bowl: Played in Arlington, Texas. It's the fifth-oldest bowl game, with the first Cotton Bowl being played in 1937. In 2025, Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14.
Fiesta Bowl: Held in Glendale, Arizona, is the 10th-oldest bowl game and has been played annually since 1971. For many years, the Fiesta Bowl was played in Tempe, but it moved to Glendale in 2007. In 2025, Penn State beat Boise State, 31 to 14.
Peach Bowl: The ninth-oldest bowl game, is held in Atlanta, Georgia. It started in 1968. In 2025, Texas defeated Arizona State 39-31.

Other Bowl Games

Besides the six bowl games that are part of the College Football Playoff, there are a number of other postseason invitationals. Generally, two conferences will agree to send teams of a particular standing to a game beforehand. For instance, the Rose Bowl traditionally features the Big Ten and Pac-12 conference champions. Generally, the payout to the participating teams in a bowl game is closely correlated to its prestige.

Bowl Game Sponsorships

Also, essentially every one now is "sponsored" by a corporation for advertising purposes. The sponsor's name becomes part of the bowl's name, often resulting in very long, complicated names; in many cases it becomes the only name (the bowl's previous name being eliminated) as with the Peach, Florida Citrus, Tangerine, Music City, Texas, Humanitarian and Hall of Fame Bowls. In other cases the sponsor's name is more obviously featured than the bowl's own.

The 2025-26 CFP and Bowl Game Schedule

35 bowl games are scheduled for the 2025-26 season, in addition to the 11 games of the CFP.

First Round (Dec. 20-21, 2025)

Friday, Dec. 20: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Boise State 24
Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 Kansas State 21
Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Memphis 17
Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Oklahoma 35

Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1, 2026)

Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Georgia 14
Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31
Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Alabama 10

Semifinals (Jan. 9-10, 2026)

Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14

CFP National Championship Game (Jan. 19, 2026)

No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 31

List of Other Bowls Throughout History

68 Ventures Bowl
Alamo Bowl
All-American Bowl
Aloha Bowl
Arizona Bowl
Armed Forces Bowl
Art of Sport LA Bowl
Aviation Bowl
Bacardi Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Bahamas Bowl
BBVA Compass Bowl
BCS Championship
Beef O'Brady's Bowl
Belk Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Blockbuster Bowl
Bluebonnet Bowl
Bluegrass Bowl
Boca Raton Bowl
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Cactus Bowl
California Bowl
Camellia Bowl
Camping World Bowl
Capital One Bowl
Carquest Bowl
Champs Sports Bowl
Cheez-It Bowl
Cherry Bowl
Citrus Bowl
Continental Tire Bowl
Copper Bowl
Cotton Bowl
Cure Bowl
Delta Bowl
Dixie Bowl
Dixie Classic
Dollar General Bowl
Duke's Mayo Bowl
EagleBank Bowl
Emerald Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Famous Toastery Bowl
Fenway Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
Fight Hunger Bowl
First Responder Bowl
Fort Worth Bowl
Fort Worth Classic
Foster Farms Bowl
Freedom Bowl
Frisco Bowl
Frisco Football Classic
Gallery Furniture Bowl
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Garden State Bowl
Gasparilla Bowl
Gator Bowl
GMAC Bowl
GoDaddy.com Bowl
GoDaddy Bowl
Gotham Bowl
Great Lakes Bowl
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Hall of Fame Bowl
Hall of Fame Classic
Harbor Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Holiday Bowl
Houston Bowl
Humanitarian Bowl
Independence Bowl
Insight Bowl
International Bowl
Junior Rose Bowl
LA Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Lending Tree Bowl
Liberty Bowl
Little Caesers
Los Angeles Christmas Festival
Maaco Bowl
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Miami Beach Bowl
Micron PC Bowl
Military Bowl
Mobile Alabama Bowl
Montgomery Bowl
Motor City Bowl
MPC Computers Bowl
Music City Bowl
Myrtle Beach Bowl
New Mexico Bowl
New Orleans Bowl
Oahu Classic
Oil Bowl
Outback Bowl
PapaJohns.com Bowl
Pasadena Bowl
Pinstripe Bowl
Poinsettia Bowl
Pop Tarts Bowl
Presidential Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Raisin Bowl
Rate Bowl
Redbox Bowl
ReliaQuest Bowl
Russell Athletic Bowl
Salad Bowl
Salute to Veterans Bowl
San Diego East-West Christmas Classic
San Francisco Bowl
Seattle Bowl
Shrine Bowl
Silicon Valley Bowl
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
St. Petersburg Bowl

Defunct Bowl Games

College football bowl games have a rich history, with many games appearing and disappearing over the years. Several factors can contribute to a bowl game's demise, including financial difficulties, lack of sponsorship, and difficulty securing teams to participate. Here are some of the defunct bowl games:

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AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Formerly Texas vs. Chicago College All-Star Game (College All-Stars vs.
First 4 seasons in Abilene, last 2 in Arlington.
Like Cola Bowl, Royal Crown Bowl, Pepsi-Cola/Sigler Printing Bowl, The Graphic Edge Bowl).
This bowl is a doubleheader with the Iowa runner-up playing in the first game and the Iowa champion in the second.
Citizens Bank Bowl - Pittsburg, Kansas. Known in its last season as the Football Capital of Kansas Bowl.
Dixie Rotary Bowl - St.
Pilgrim's Pride Bowl - Mt.
Robert A. Also known as the Ford Motor City Bowl and the Motor City Bowl.
Florida A&M vs.
Florida Memorial University vs.
Slippery Rock University vs.
Nebraska-Kearney vs.
Missouri Valley College vs.
Hofstra Pride vs.
Fresno State vs.
Texas College Steers vs.
Bethune-Cookman vs.
McNeese State vs.
Northeastern Huskies vs.
University of Corpus Christi vs.
Hampton Pirates vs.
Maryland State Hawks vs.
McNeese State University vs.
John Carroll Blue Streaks vs.
Canisius Golden Griffins.
Evansville Purple Aces vs.
Hosted by Allen University.
Midwestern State Mustangs vs.
Pittsburg State Gorillas vs.
Emporia State Hornets vs.
Shaw Bears vs.
North Carolina College vs.
McMurry University vs.
Hosted by Florida A&M, featuring HBCUs.
Lenoir-Rhyne Bears vs.
West Alabama Tigers vs.
Allen Yellow Jackets vs.
Tampa Spartans vs.
Fayetteville State Broncos vs.
West Chester Golden Rams vs.
First bowl game that was played in North Carolina.
Millsaps Majors vs.
Sam Houston State Bearkats vs.
Western Carolina Catamounts vs.
Wofford Terriers vs.
Muhlenberg College vs.
Pepperdine University vs.

Proposed Bowl Games

Chocolate Bowl' hosted college football 'Chocolate Bowl' be a good idea?".
Austin's bowl game hopes delayed to 2016".
Group envisions bowl game in St. Louis".
What The Hell Was The Cure Bowl & The Christmas Bowl?".
Two other venues of "Group of Five" schools in Florida-Spectrum Stadium (UCF, Orlando) and FAU Stadium (Florida Atlantic, Boca Raton)-are being considered for other potential bowls.
A possible bowl in Little Rock would pit C-USA and the Sun Belt.

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