2020–21 NCAA football bowl games

2020–21 NCAA football bowl games
Season	2020
Regular season	September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03) – December 19, 2020 (2020-12-19)
Number of bowls	29 scheduled
All-star games	2 scheduled
Bowl games	December 21, 2020 (2020-12-21) – January 11, 2021 (2021-01-11)
National Championship	2021 College Football Playoff National Championship
Location of Championship	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida
Bowl record by conference Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll AAC 6 0–0 (–) ACC 6 0–0 (–) Big Ten 5 0–0 (–) Big 12 6 0–0 (–) Conference USA 7 0–0 (–) MAC 2 0–0 (–) Mountain West 3 0–0 (–) Pac-12 2 0–0 (–) SEC 12 0–0 (–) Sun Belt 5 0–0 (–) Independents 2 0–0 (–)

The 2020–21 NCAA football games are a series of college football bowl games scheduled to complete the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 21, 2020, and, aside from the all-star games that follow, are planned to conclude with the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship played on January 11, 2021.

The number of bowl games will be lower than in recent seasons, as both the regular season and postseason are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In mid-October 2020, the NCAA waived bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020–21 bowl season, intended "to allow as many student-athletes as possible the opportunity to participate in bowl games this year."

On October 23, 2020, the Football Bowl Association announced a rebranding as "Bowl Season"; the organization works "with all existing bowls to promote the benefits of the entire bowl system."

Schedule

The schedule for the 2020–21 bowl games is below; updates are made as new information becomes available. All times are EST (UTC−5). Due to uncertainly related to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions, listed scheduling may change.

Note that Division II bowls and Division III bowls are not included here.

College Football Playoff and Championship Game

The College Football Playoff (CFP) system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts will rank the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the final five weeks of the regular season. The top four teams in the final ranking will be seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.

On August 5, 2020, CFP organizers announced that they would move the release of final rankings and semifinal matchups from December 6 to 20, in order to accommodate conferences that had delayed their championship games to mid-December.

The semifinal games for the 2020–21 season are the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Both are scheduled to be played on January 1, 2021, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The Rose Bowl game was relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Cotton Bowl Classic, after Governor Gavin Newsom's orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in California would have resulted in the game being played behind closed doors without fans. The semifinal winners will advance to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, scheduled for January 11, 2021.

Hard Rock Stadium, site of the National Championship game

	Semifinals					Championship
	January 1 – Rose Bowl AT&T Stadium, Arlington
	1	Alabama	31
	4	Notre Dame	14			January 11 – National Championship Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
						1	Alabama	52
	January 1 – Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans					3	Ohio State	24
	2	Clemson	28
	3	Ohio State	49

Each of the games in the following table is televised by ESPN.

Date	Game	Site	Teams	Affiliations	Payout	Results
Dec 30	Cotton Bowl Classic	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas 8:00 pm	No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (8–2) No. 7 Florida Gators (8–3)	Big 12 SEC	$4 million
Jan 1	Peach Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00 pm	No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats (9–0) No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (7–2)	American SEC	$3,967,500 (ACC) $2,932,500 (SEC)
	Rose Bowl	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas 4:00 pm	No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–1) No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (11–0)	ACC SEC
	Sugar Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 8:00 pm	No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (6–0) No. 2 Clemson Tigers (10–1)	Big Ten ACC
Jan 2	Fiesta Bowl	State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona 4:00 pm	No. 25 Oregon Ducks (4–2) No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones (8–3)	Pac-12 Big 12	$17 million
	Orange Bowl	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida 8:00 pm	No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies (8–1) No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (8–3)	SEC ACC	$35 million
Jan 11	College Football Playoff National Championship (Rose Bowl winner vs Sugar Bowl winner)	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida 8:00 pm	Championship game

Source:

Non-CFP bowl games

Due to a sponsorship change, what had been the Camping World Bowl played in Florida was renamed the Cheez-It Bowl, and the former Cheez-It Bowl played in Arizona became the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Also due to a sponsorship change, what had been the Belk Bowl was renamed as the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the New Mexico Bowl was moved to Frisco, Texas.

New bowls

Three new bowls had planned to debut during the 2020–21 bowl season, although only one will be played.

• The Fenway Bowl (Boston, Massachusetts) was postponed to the 2021–22 bowl season due to the pandemic.
• The LA Bowl (Inglewood, California) was initially scheduled for December 30, then postponed to the 2021–22 bowl season due to the pandemic.
• The Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, South Carolina) is scheduled for December 21.

The Montgomery Bowl was announced as a "substitute of the Fenway Bowl for this season only".

Cancelled bowls

The following annual bowl games had their 2020 editions canceled (date announced):

• Redbox Bowl (July 31): Although the COVID-19 pandemic was cited as a justification, Levi's Stadium not renewing its agreement to host the game was an additional factor, making the overall future of the bowl unclear.
• Bahamas Bowl and Hawaii Bowl (October 2): Cancelled due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic.
• Holiday Bowl (October 22): Organizers cited complications from the pandemic and the pending demolition of its home venue, SDCCU Stadium.
• Quick Lane Bowl (October 30): No specific reason was given for the cancellation.
• Pinstripe Bowl (November 27): Cancelled due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
• Sun Bowl (December 1): Cancelled due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
• Las Vegas Bowl (December 2): Cancelled due to COVID-19 complications. On December 3, it was announced that the game's new Pac-12 and SEC tie-ins would be transferred to the Armed Forces Bowl.
• Frisco Bowl (December 15): Cancelled due to COVID-19 complications within the SMU program. As a result, UTSA accepted a bid to the First Responder Bowl.
• Independence Bowl, Birmingham Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl (December 20): Cancelled due to a lack of available teams to play.
• Military Bowl (December 21): Cancelled due to a lack of available teams to play.

On December 14, the NCAA's Football Oversight Committee (FOC) announced that FBS teams would be allowed to schedule an additional game in the event of a bowl game cancellation. Such games would need to be requested not later than December 21, and played not later than December 31. A replacement game would need to be scheduled against an opponent from a conference with a tie-in to the cancelled bowl game.

The cancellations, along with the move of the Cure Bowl from CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) to ESPN due to its acquisition by ESPN Events, left the Arizona Bowl as the only bowl not televised by the ESPN family of networks. On December 10, the Arizona Bowl announced they would move their 2020 edition from CBSSN to CBS and air in the usual spot of the Sun Bowl.

Scheduled bowls

Date	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Payout	Results
Dec 21	Myrtle Beach Bowl	Brooks Stadium Conway, South Carolina 2:30 pm	ESPN	Appalachian State Mountaineers (8–3) North Texas Mean Green (4–5)	Sun Belt C–USA
Dec 22	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho 3:30 pm	ESPN	Tulane Green Wave (6–5) Nevada Wolf Pack (6–2)	American MWC	$800,000
	Boca Raton Bowl	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida 7:00 pm	ESPN	UCF Knights (6–3) No. 16 BYU Cougars (10–1)	American Independent	$900,000
Dec 23	New Orleans Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 3:00 pm	ESPN	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5–4) Georgia Southern Eagles (7–5)	C–USA Sun Belt	$825,000
	Montgomery Bowl	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama 7:00 pm	ESPN	Memphis Tigers (7–3) Florida Atlantic Owls (5–3)	American C–USA
Dec 24	New Mexico Bowl	Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas 3:30 pm	ESPN	Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (4–4) Houston Cougars (3–4)	MWC American	$1.05 million
Dec 25	Camellia Bowl	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama 2:30 pm	ESPN	Marshall Thundering Herd (7–2) Buffalo Bulls (5–1)	C–USA MAC	$300,000
Dec 26	Gasparilla Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida Noon	ABC	South Carolina Gamecocks (2–8) UAB Blazers (6–3)	SEC C–USA	$1.125 million
	Cure Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida Noon	ESPN	Liberty Flames (9–1) No. 12 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11–0)	Independent Sun Belt	$573,125
	First Responder Bowl	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, Texas 3:30 pm	ABC	No. 19 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (9–1) UTSA Roadrunners (7–4)	Sun Belt C–USA	$824,545
	LendingTree Bowl	Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama 3:30 pm	ESPN	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5–6) Georgia State Panthers (5–4)	C–USA Sun Belt	$1.5 million
Dec 29	Cheez-It Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 5:30 pm	ESPN	No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7–3) No. 18 Miami Hurricanes (8–2)	Big 12 ACC	$6,071,760
	Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, Texas 9:00 pm	ESPN	No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6–3) Colorado Buffaloes (4–1)	Big 12 Pac-12	$8,252,740
Dec 30	Duke's Mayo Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina Noon	ESPN	Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4–4) Wisconsin Badgers (3–3)	ACC Big Ten	$4,780,461
	Music City Bowl	Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee 3:30 pm	ESPN	No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes (6–2) Missouri Tigers (5–5)	Big Ten SEC	$5.7 million
Dec 31	Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas Noon	ESPN	No. 24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6–2) Mississippi State Bulldogs (3–7)	American SEC	$1.35 million
	Arizona Bowl	Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona 2:00 pm	CBS	Ball State Cardinals (6–1) No. 22 San Jose State Spartans (7–0)	MAC MWC	$350,000
	Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee 4:00 pm	ESPN	West Virginia Mountaineers (5–4) Tennessee Volunteers (3–7)	Big 12 SEC	$4.7 million
	Texas Bowl	NRG Stadium Houston, Texas 8:00 pm	ESPN	Arkansas Razorbacks (3–7) TCU Horned Frogs (6–4)	SEC Big 12	$6.4 million
Jan 1	Citrus Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 1:00 pm	ABC	Auburn Tigers (6–4) No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats (6–2)	SEC Big Ten	$8,224,578
Jan 2	Gator Bowl	TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida Noon	ESPN	No. 23 NC State Wolfpack (8–3) Kentucky Wildcats (4–6)	ACC SEC	$5.35 million
	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 12:30 pm	ABC	Ole Miss Rebels (4–5) No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers (6–1)	SEC Big Ten	$6.4 million

Source:

FCS bowl game

The Celebration Bowl, held between the champions of the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) was canceled, due to both conferences having postponed football to spring 2021 due to COVID-19.

The NCAA has likewise delayed the Division I FCS tournament to April 2021, with the 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game scheduled to occur in May 2021.

All-star games

The East–West Shrine Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Date	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Results
Jan 30	Senior Bowl	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama 2:30 pm	NFL Network	North Team South Team
Jan 31	Hula Bowl	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii 7:00 pm	CBS Sports Network	Team Kai Team Aina

Team selections

In mid-October, the NCAA waived its usual bowl eligibility requirements. In early November, the Pac-12 Conference announced that its teams would need to have at least a .500 record to be considered for a bowl game. The Mid-American Conference announced that they are only allowing their top two teams to go to bowl games.

Programs removed from bowl consideration

Multiple programs opted out of, or were otherwise removed from, bowl consideration in advance of the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings being released on December 20 (date announced):

• Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3–6), December 5 — opted out.
• LSU Tigers (5–5), December 9 — opted out of bowl consideration as part of a self-imposed one-year postseason ban over Level III sanctions involving former LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
• Boston College Eagles (6–5), December 10 — opted out.
• Pittsburgh Panthers (6–5), December 11 — opted out.
• Virginia Cavaliers (5–5), December 13 — opted out.
• Stanford Cardinal (4–2), December 13 — opted out.
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3–7), December 14 — opted out.
• SMU Mustangs (7–3), December 15 — originally selected to play in the Frisco Bowl, but withdrew due to pandemic concerns within the team, leading to the bowl's cancellation.
• Kansas State Wildcats (4–6), December 16 — opted out.
• Virginia Tech Hokies (5–6), December 16 — opted out. The program had appeared in 27 consecutive bowl games, dating back to the 1993 Independence Bowl. At the time of opting out, this was the longest active bowl appearance streak, and the fourth-longest in college football history.
• Louisville Cardinals (4–7), December 16 — advised by the ACC that "we’re not in line for a bowl".
• San Diego State Aztecs (4–4), December 16 — opted out.
• UCLA Bruins (3–4), December 17 — opted out.
• Utah Utes (3–2), December 18 — opted out.
• Washington Huskies (3–1), December 18 — opted out. The Huskies also had to give up their spot in the 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, due to having an insufficient number of players available.
• USC Trojans (5–1), December 19 — opted out.
• Penn State Nittany Lions (4–5), December 19 — opted out.
• Minnesota Golden Gophers (3–4), December 20 — opted out.
• Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–5), December 20 — opted out.
• Michigan State Spartans (2–5), December 20 — opted out.
• Arizona State Sun Devils (2–2), December 20 — opted out.
• Maryland Terrapins (2–3), December 20 — opted out.
• Boise State Broncos (5–2), December 20 — opted out. The program had appeared in 18 consecutive bowl games, dating back to the 2002 Humanitarian Bowl.

Bowl teams with losing records

Nine teams with losing records received bowl invitations, the first such occurrences since the 2016 season:

Further information: Bowl eligibility § Bowl teams with losing records

• Arkansas Razorbacks (3–7) to the Texas Bowl
• Houston Cougars (3–4) to the New Mexico Bowl
• Kentucky Wildcats (4–6) to the Gator Bowl
• Mississippi State Bulldogs (3–7) to the Armed Forces Bowl
• North Texas Mean Green (4–5) to the Myrtle Beach Bowl
• Ole Miss Rebels (4–5) to the Outback Bowl
• South Carolina Gamecocks (2–8) to the Gasparilla Bowl
• Tennessee Volunteers (3–7) to the Liberty Bowl
• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5–6) to the LendingTree Bowl

CFP top 25 standings and bowl games

See also: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

On December 20, 2020, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year.

This was the seventh year of the College Football Playoff era. Of the 28 playoff spots awarded during that time, 22 went to Alabama (6), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4), and Notre Dame (2).

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	11–0	SEC champions	Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
2	Clemson Tigers	10–1	ACC champions	Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
3	Ohio State Buckeyes	6–0	Big Ten champions	Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
4	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	10–1	ACC second place	Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
5	Texas A&M Aggies	8–1	SEC West Division second place	Orange Bowl
6	Oklahoma Sooners	8–2	Big 12 champions	Cotton Bowl
7	Florida Gators	8–3	SEC East Division champions	Cotton Bowl
8	Cincinnati Bearcats	9–0	American champions	Peach Bowl
9	Georgia Bulldogs	7–2	SEC East Division second place	Peach Bowl
10	Iowa State Cyclones	8–3	Big 12 second place	Fiesta Bowl
11	Indiana Hoosiers	6–1	Big Ten East Division second place	Outback Bowl
12	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	11–0	Sun Belt co-champions	Cure Bowl
13	North Carolina Tar Heels	8–3	ACC third place	Orange Bowl
14	Northwestern Wildcats	6–2	Big Ten West Division champions	Citrus Bowl
15	Iowa Hawkeyes	6–2	Big Ten West Division second place	Music City Bowl
16	BYU Cougars	10–1	Independent	Boca Raton Bowl
17	USC Trojans	5–1	Pac-12 South Division champions	none (opted out)
18	Miami Hurricanes	8–2	ACC fourth place (tie)	Cheez-It Bowl
19	Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns	9–1	Sun Belt co-champions	First Responder Bowl
20	Texas Longhorns	6–3	Big 12 third place	Alamo Bowl
21	Oklahoma State Cowboys	7–3	Big 12 fourth place	Cheez-It Bowl
22	San Jose State Spartans	7–0	Mountain West champions	Arizona Bowl
23	NC State Wolfpack	8–3	ACC fifth place	Gator Bowl
24	Tulsa Golden Hurricane	6–2	American second place	Armed Forces Bowl
25	Oregon Ducks	4–2	Pac-12 champions	Fiesta Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 20, with W–L record at that time. Two bowls feature a matchup of conference champions—the Arizona Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.

Conference	Champion	W–L	Rank	Bowl game
ACC	Clemson Tigers	10–1	2	Sugar Bowl (CFP)
American	Cincinnati Bearcats	9–0	8	Peach Bowl
Big Ten	Ohio State Buckeyes	6–0	3	Sugar Bowl (CFP)
Big 12	Oklahoma Sooners	8–2	6	Cotton Bowl
C-USA	UAB Blazers	6–3	NR	Gasparilla Bowl
MAC	Ball State Cardinals	6–1	NR	Arizona Bowl
Mountain West	San Jose State Spartans	7–0	22	Arizona Bowl
Pac-12	Oregon Ducks	4–2	25	Fiesta Bowl
SEC	Alabama Crimson Tide	11–0	1	Rose Bowl (CFP)
Sun Belt†	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	11–0	12	Cure Bowl
	Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns	9–1	19	First Responder Bowl

Note: Champions of Power Five conferences are assured of a spot in a New Year's Six (NY6) bowl game.

† The Sun Belt Championship Game was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues, resulting in co-champions being declared.

Further reading

• Palm, Jerry. "Playoff Projection". CBS Sports. CBS Sports bowl expert Jerry Palm picks the teams he feels will comprise the national semifinals at the end of the season along with bowl projections for every single game.

External links

• Bowl Season website
• College Football Playoff website
• 2020–21 Bowl Season Schedule