2019–20 NCAA football bowl games
The 2019–20 NCAA football games was a series of college football bowl games played to complete the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 20, 2019, and, aside from the all-star games that followed, ended with the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship played on January 13, 2020.
The total of 40 team-competitive bowls in FBS, including the national championship game, was unchanged from the previous season. With the first staging of the Hula Bowl since January 2008, the number of all-star games increased from three to four.
Schedule
The schedule for the 2019–20 bowl games is below. All times are EST. The schedule consists of 40 bowl games in FBS and one bowl game in FCS. Division II bowls and Division III bowls are not included here. After the National Championship game, there are additionally four all-star games scheduled.College Football Playoff and Championship Game
The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship 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 regular season. The top four teams in the final ranking were seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.The semifinal games for the 2019–20 season were the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl. Both were played on December 28, 2019, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners advanced to the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, scheduled for January 13, 2020.
, site of the National Championship game
| Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 28 | Cotton Bowl Classic | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas 12:00pm | No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions No. 17 Memphis Tigers | Big Ten American | Penn State 53 Memphis 39 |
| Dec. 28 | Peach Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 4:00pm | No. 1 LSU Tigers No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners | SEC Big 12 | LSU 63 Oklahoma 28 |
| Dec. 28 | Fiesta Bowl | State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona 8:00pm | No. 3 Clemson Tigers No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes | ACC Big Ten | Clemson 29 Ohio State 23 |
| Dec. 30 | Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida 8:00pm | No. 9 Florida Gators No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers | SEC ACC | Florida 36 Virginia 28 |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 5:00pm | No. 6 Oregon Ducks No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers | Pac-12 Big Ten | Oregon 28 Wisconsin 27 |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 8:45pm | No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs No. 7 Baylor Bears | SEC Big 12 | Georgia 26 Baylor 14 |
| Jan. 13 | College Football Playoff National Championship | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 8:00pm | No. 1 LSU Tigers No. 3 Clemson Tigers | SEC ACC | LSU 42 Clemson 25 |
Non CFP bowl games
For the 2019–20 bowl season, the Dollar General Bowl changed sponsors to become the LendingTree Bowl. The Cure Bowl, previously held at Camping World Stadium, changed venues to Exploria Stadium—both are in Orlando, Florida. As the First Responder Bowl's usual venue of the Cotton Bowl in Dallas was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict with the 2020 NHL Winter Classic, the 2019 edition was played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in nearby University Park, Texas.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 20 | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 2:00 pm | ESPN | Buffalo Bulls Charlotte 49ers | MAC C–USA | Buffalo 31 Charlotte 9 |
| Dec. 20 | Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas 7:30 pm | ESPN2 | Kent State Golden Flashes Utah State Aggies | MAC MWC | Kent State 51 Utah State 41 |
| Dec. 21 | New Mexico Bowl | Dreamstyle Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico 2:00 pm | ESPN | San Diego State Aztecs Central Michigan Chippewas | MWC MAC | San Diego State 48 Central Michigan 11 |
| Dec. 21 | Cure Bowl | Exploria Stadium Orlando, Florida 2:30 pm | CBSSN | Liberty Flames Georgia Southern Eagles | Independent Sun Belt | Liberty 23 Georgia Southern 16 |
| Dec. 21 | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida 3:30 pm | ABC | Florida Atlantic Owls SMU Mustangs | C–USA American | Florida Atlantic 52 SMU 28 |
| Dec. 21 | Camellia Bowl | Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama 5:30 pm | ESPN | Arkansas State Red Wolves FIU Panthers | Sun Belt C–USA | Arkansas State 34 FIU 26 |
| Dec. 21 | Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada 7:30 pm | ABC | Washington Huskies No. 19 Boise State Broncos | Pac-12 MWC | Washington 38 Boise State 7 |
| Dec. 21 | New Orleans Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 9:00 pm | ESPN | No. 20 Appalachian State Mountaineers UAB Blazers | Sun Belt C–USA | Appalachian State 31 UAB 17 |
| Dec. 23 | Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 2:30 pm | ESPN | UCF Knights Marshall Thundering Herd | American C–USA | UCF 48 Marshall 25 |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaii Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii 8:00 pm | ESPN | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors BYU Cougars | MWC Independent | Hawaii 38 BYU 34 |
| Dec. 26 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana 4:00 pm | ESPN | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Miami Hurricanes | C–USA ACC | Louisiana Tech 14 Miami 0 |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan 8:00 pm | ESPN | Pittsburgh Panthers Eastern Michigan Eagles | ACC MAC | Pittsburgh 34 Eastern Michigan 30 |
| Dec. 27 | Military Bowl | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland 12:00 pm | ESPN | North Carolina Tar Heels Temple Owls | ACC American | North Carolina 55 Temple 13 |
| Dec. 27 | Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium The Bronx, New York 3:20 pm | ESPN | Michigan State Spartans Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Big Ten ACC | Michigan State 27 Wake Forest 21 |
| Dec. 27 | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas 6:45 pm | ESPN | Texas A&M Aggies No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowboys | SEC Big 12 | Texas A&M 24 Oklahoma State 21 |
| Dec. 27 | Holiday Bowl | SDCCU Stadium San Diego, California 8:00 pm | FS1 | No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes No. 22 USC Trojans | Big Ten Pac-12 | Iowa 49 USC 24 |
| Dec. 27 | Cheez-It Bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona 10:15 pm | ESPN | Air Force Falcons Washington State Cougars | MWC Pac-12 | Air Force 31 Washington State 21 |
| Dec. 28 | Camping World Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 12:00 pm | ABC | No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Iowa State Cyclones | Independent Big 12 | Notre Dame 33 Iowa State 9 |
| Dec. 30 | First Responder Bowl | Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, Texas 12:30 pm | ESPN | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Western Michigan Broncos | C–USA MAC | Western Kentucky 23 Western Michigan 20 |
| Dec. 30 | Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee 4:00 pm | ESPN | Louisville Cardinals Mississippi State Bulldogs | ACC SEC | Louisville 38 Mississippi State 28 |
| Dec. 30 | Redbox Bowl | Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California 4:00 pm | Fox | California Golden Bears Illinois Fighting Illini | Pac-12 Big Ten | California 35 Illinois 20 |
| Dec. 31 | Belk Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina 12:00 pm | ESPN | Kentucky Wildcats Virginia Tech Hokies | SEC ACC | Kentucky 37 Virginia Tech 30 |
| Dec. 31 | Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas 2:00 pm | CBS | Arizona State Sun Devils Florida State Seminoles | Pac-12 ACC | Arizona State 20 Florida State 14 |
| Dec. 31 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee 3:45 pm | ESPN | No. 23 Navy Midshipmen Kansas State Wildcats | American Big 12 | Navy 20 Kansas State 17 |
| Dec. 31 | Arizona Bowl | Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona 4:30 pm | CBSSN | Wyoming Cowboys Georgia State Panthers | MWC Sun Belt | Wyoming 38 Georgia State 17 |
| Dec. 31 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas 7:30 pm | ESPN | Texas Longhorns No. 11 Utah Utes | Big 12 Pac-12 | Texas 38 Utah 10 |
| Jan. 1 | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 1:00 pm | ABC | No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide No. 14 Michigan Wolverines | SEC Big Ten | Alabama 35 Michigan 16 |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 1:00 pm | ESPN | No. 18 Minnesota Golden Gophers No. 12 Auburn Tigers | Big Ten SEC | Minnesota 31 Auburn 24 |
| Jan. 2 | Birmingham Bowl | Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama 3:00 pm | ESPN | No. 21 Cincinnati Bearcats Boston College Eagles | American ACC | Cincinnati 38 Boston College 6 |
| Jan. 2 | Gator Bowl | TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida 7:00 pm | ESPN | Tennessee Volunteers Indiana Hoosiers | SEC Big Ten | Tennessee 23 Indiana 22 |
| Jan. 3 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho 3:30 pm | ESPN | Ohio Bobcats Nevada Wolf Pack | MAC MWC | Ohio 30 Nevada 21 |
| Jan. 4 | Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas 11:30 am | ESPN | Tulane Green Wave Southern Miss Golden Eagles | American C–USA | Tulane 30 Southern Miss 13 |
| Jan. 6 | LendingTree Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama 7:30 pm | ESPN | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Miami RedHawks | Sun Belt MAC | Louisiana 27 Miami 17 |
FCS bowl game
The FCS has one bowl game. They also had a championship bracket that culminated in the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 21 | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00 pm | ABC | North Carolina A&T Aggies Alcorn State Braves | MEAC SWAC | North Carolina A&T 64 Alcorn State 44 |
All-star games
Organizers renamed the East–West Shrine Game to East–West Shrine Bowl. The Hula Bowl returned for its first playing since January 2008.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Results |
| Jan. 18 | East–West Shrine Bowl | Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida 3:00pm | NFL Network | East Team West Team | East 31 West 27 |
| Jan. 18 | NFLPA Collegiate Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 7:00pm | NFL Network | National Team American Team | National 30 American 20 |
| Jan. 25 | Senior Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama 2:30pm | NFL Network | North Team South Team | North 34 South 17 |
| Jan. 26 | Hula Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii 10:30pm | CBS Sports Network | Team Kai Team Aina | Kai 23 Aina 7 |
Team selections
CFP top 25 standings and bowl games
On December 8, 2019, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year. Two of the four semifinalists – Clemson and Oklahoma – had also been semifinalists the previous season. This was the sixth year of the College Football Playoff era, and the first year that Alabama was not in the semifinals.| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
1 | LSU Tigers | 13–0 | SEC champions | Peach Bowl |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 13–0 | Big Ten champions | Fiesta Bowl |
3 | Clemson Tigers | 13–0 | ACC champions | Fiesta Bowl |
4 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12–1 | Big 12 champions | Peach Bowl |
5 | Georgia Bulldogs | 11–2 | SEC East Division champions | Sugar Bowl |
6 | Oregon Ducks | 11–2 | Pac-12 champions | Rose Bowl |
7 | Baylor Bears | 11–2 | Big 12 first place | Sugar Bowl |
8 | Wisconsin Badgers | 10–3 | Big Ten West Division co-champions | Rose Bowl |
9 | Florida Gators | 10–2 | SEC East division second place | Orange Bowl |
10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
11 | Utah Utes | 11–2 | Pac-12 South Division champions | Alamo Bowl |
12 | Auburn Tigers | 9–3 | SEC West Division third place | Outback Bowl |
13 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 10–2 | SEC West Division second place | Citrus Bowl |
14 | Michigan Wolverines | 9–3 | Big Ten East Division third place | Citrus Bowl |
15 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 10–2 | Independent | Camping World Bowl |
16 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 9–3 | Big Ten West Division third place | Holiday Bowl |
17 | Memphis Tigers | 12–1 | American champions | Cotton Bowl |
18 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 10–2 | Big Ten West Division co-champions | Outback Bowl |
19 | Boise State Broncos | 12–1 | Mountain West champions | Las Vegas Bowl |
20 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 12–1 | Sun Belt champions | New Orleans Bowl |
21 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 10–3 | American East Division champions | Birmingham Bowl |
22 | USC Trojans | 8–4 | Pac-12 South Division second place | Holiday Bowl |
23 | Navy Midshipmen | 10–2 | American West Division co-champions | Liberty Bowl |
24 | Virginia Cavaliers | 9–4 | ACC Coastal Division champions | Orange Bowl |
25 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 8–4 | Big 12 third place | Texas Bowl |
Conference champions' bowl games
Two bowls featured a matchup of conference champions—the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
| ACC | Clemson Tigers | 13–0 | Fiesta Bowl | |
| American | Memphis Tigers | 12–1 | Cotton Bowl | |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | 13–0 | Fiesta Bowl | ||
| Big 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12–1 | Peach Bowl | |
| C-USA | Florida Atlantic Owls | 10–3 | Boca Raton Bowl | |
| MAC | Miami RedHawks | LendingTree Bowl | ||
| Mountain West | Boise State Broncos | 12–1 | Las Vegas Bowl | |
| Pac-12 | Oregon Ducks | 11–2 | Rose Bowl | |
| SEC | LSU Tigers | 13–0 | Peach Bowl | |
| Sun Belt | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 12–1 | New Orleans Bowl |
Bowl-eligible teams
Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible, with at least five of those wins being against FBS opponents. The College Football Playoff semi-final games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.However, six teams needed to win seven games to become bowl eligible for the 2019–20 season – Army and Hawaii because their regular season consisted of 13 games, and the other four because they defeated two FCS teams during the season. At season's end, Florida, Hawaii, Liberty, and Virginia Tech were bowl-eligible with at least seven wins each, while Army and East Carolina did not reach the seven win threshold.
- ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- American : Cincinnati, Memphis, Navy, SMU, Temple, Tulane, UCF
- Big Ten : Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
- Big 12 : Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
- C-USA : Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Western Kentucky
- MAC : Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West : Air Force, Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
- Pac-12 : Arizona State, California, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Washington State, USC
- SEC : Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M
- Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana
- Independent : BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame
Number of bowl berths available: 78
Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth
As there were more bowl-eligible teams than there were bowl berths available, one team that was bowl-eligible did not receive an invitation.Bowl-ineligible teams
- ACC : Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Syracuse
- American : East Carolina, Houston, South Florida, Tulsa, UConn
- Big Ten : Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers
- Big 12 : Kansas, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia
- C-USA : Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, UTEP, UTSA
- MAC : Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois
- Mountain West : Colorado State, Fresno State, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
- Pac-12 : Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA
- SEC : Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt : Coastal Carolina, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
- Independent : Army, New Mexico State, UMass