The 2016–17 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games which completed the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 17, 2016, and aside from the all-star games ended with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 9, 2017.
The total of 41 team-competitive postseason games in FBS, including the national championship game, was unchanged from the previous year. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, this was the eleventh consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games. To fill the 80 available team-competitive bowl slots, a new record of 20 teams (25% of all participants) with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—17 had a .500 (6–6) season, and three losing teams with sub-.500 records (one 6–7 and two 5–7). This was the fifth time in six years that teams with actual losing records were invited to bowl games. None of the six teams that played in bowls on December 26 had a winning record.
Schedule The schedule for the 2016–17 bowl games are below. All times are EST (UTC−5).
College Football Playoff and Championship Game The College Football Playoff system was used to determine a national champion 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 2016 season. The top four teams in the final ranking then played a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.
The semi-final games were held at the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls. Their winners advanced to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 9, 2017. As with the 2015 season, the two semi-final bowls were held on New Year's Eve (Saturday, December 31, 2016), as the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are guaranteed exclusive TV time slots on January 2 if New Year's Day fell on a Sunday (there is a gentleman's agreement to not play New Year's Day bowl games against NFL games, which are played as usual when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday), regardless of whether they will be hosting a semifinal game."College Football Playoff 101", ESPN, May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
To reduce the impact of the semi-final games' New Year's Eve scheduling—a factor that led to lower viewership of the 2015 semi-finals in comparison to 2014, it was announced on March 8, 2016, that the kickoff times of the two bowls would be pushed forward to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm ET. CFP commissioner Bill Hancock suggested that starting the games earlier would allow viewers to partake in both the CFP games and New Year's festivities. As the earlier start intrudes on the early afternoon window for New Year's Six games, the 2016 Orange Bowl was instead held as a primetime game on December 30, 2016. As a result, the "New Year's Six" bowls were stretched across a period of four days, rather than two consecutive days of three games each. In July 2016, Hancock announced that future semi-finals, when not hosted by the Rose and Sugar Bowl games, will generally be held on the final Saturday of the year.
Of the Power Five conferences, The Big Ten was represented with four teams in the New Year's Six, whereas the ACC, SEC and Pac-12 had two teams each. The Big 12 was again left out of the semifinals, and had just one team in the New Year's Six. The Group of 5 was represented by the MAC.
DateGameSiteTeamsAffiliationsResultsDec. 30Orange BowlHard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL8:00 pmNo. 11 Florida State Seminoles (9–3)No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (10–2)ACCBig Ten Florida State 33Michigan 32Dec. 31Peach Bowl(Playoff Semifinal Game)Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA3:00 pmNo. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–0)No. 4 Washington Huskies (12–1)SECPac-12Alabama 24Washington 7Fiesta Bowl(Playoff Semifinal Game)University of Phoenix StadiumGlendale, AZ7:00 pmNo. 2 Clemson Tigers (12–1)No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–1)ACCBig TenClemson 31Ohio State 0Jan. 2Cotton Bowl ClassicAT&T StadiumArlington, TX1:00 pmNo. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (10–3)No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos (13–0)Big TenMACWisconsin 24Western Michigan 16Rose BowlRose BowlPasadena, CA5:00 pmNo. 9 USC Trojans (9–3)No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions (11–2)Pac-12Big TenUSC 52Penn State 49Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA8:30 pmNo. 7 Oklahoma Sooners (10–2)No. 14 Auburn Tigers (8–4)Big 12SECOklahoma 35Auburn 19Jan. 9College Football Playoff National Championship(Peach Bowl Winner vs. Fiesta Bowl Winner)Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL8:30 pmNo. 2 Clemson Tigers (13–1)No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (14–0)ACCSECClemson 35Alabama 31
Non-CFP bowl games On April 11, 2016, the NCAA announced a freeze on new bowl games until after the 2019 season. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, the NCAA had to lower its postseason eligibility criteria repeatedly (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013), eventually allowing teams with losing records (5–7) to participate in bowls due to there being not enough bowl-eligible teams, while also having to allow teams from the same (Mountain West) conference to meet in the 2015 Arizona Bowl due to the lack of eligible teams to meet its other tie-ins. For the 2016–17 bowl season, 63% of the 128 teams playing in Division I FBS were deemed eligible and received invites to fill the 80 available slots.
Prior to the moratorium, multiple new bowl games were proposed for or approved to begin play in 2016, including one in Myrtle Beach, the Medal of Honor Bowl (which planned to convert itself from an all-star game to a sanctioned bowl after the NCAA lifted its ban on postseason championships at pre-determined locations in South Carolina), the Sun Belt/American Austin Bowl, and a Mountain West/Pac-12 bowl in Melbourne, Australia. The Sun Belt subsequently announced that it would become a new primary tie-in for the Arizona Bowl.
DateGameSiteTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResults Dec. 17New Mexico BowlUniversity StadiumAlbuquerque, NM2:00 pm ESPNNew Mexico Lobos (8–4)UTSA Roadrunners (6–6)Mountain WestC-USANew Mexico 23UTSA 20Las Vegas BowlSam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV3:30 pm ABCSan Diego State Aztecs (10–3)Houston Cougars (9–3)Mountain WestAmericanSan Diego State 34Houston 10Camellia BowlCramton BowlMontgomery, AL5:30 pm ESPNAppalachian State Mountaineers (9–3)Toledo Rockets (9–3)Sun BeltMACAppalachian State 31Toledo 28Cure BowlCamping World StadiumOrlando, FL5:30 pm CBSSNArkansas State Red Wolves (7–5)UCF Knights (6–6)Sun BeltAmericanArkansas State 31UCF 13New Orleans BowlMercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA9:00 pm ESPNSouthern Miss Golden Eagles (6–6)Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (6–6)C-USASun BeltSouthern Miss 28Louisiana–Lafayette 21Dec. 19Miami Beach BowlMarlins ParkMiami, FL2:30 pm ESPNTulsa Golden Hurricane (9–3)Central Michigan Chippewas (6–6)AmericanMACTulsa 55Central Michigan 10 Dec. 20Boca Raton BowlFAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL7:00 pm ESPNWestern Kentucky Hilltoppers (10–3)Memphis Tigers (8–4)C-USAAmericanWestern Kentucky 51Memphis 31Dec. 21Poinsettia BowlSDCCU StadiumSan Diego, CA9:00 pm ESPNBYU Cougars (8–4)Wyoming Cowboys (8–5)IndependentMountain WestBYU 24Wyoming 21Dec. 22Famous Idaho Potato BowlAlbertsons StadiumBoise, ID7:00 pm ESPNIdaho Vandals (8–4)Colorado State Rams (7–5)Sun BeltMountain WestIdaho 61Colorado State 50Dec. 23Bahamas BowlThomas Robinson StadiumNassau, Bahamas1:00 pm ESPNOld Dominion Monarchs (9–3)Eastern Michigan Eagles (7–5)C-USAMACOld Dominion 24Eastern Michigan 20Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX4:30 pm ESPNLouisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–5)No. 25 Navy Midshipmen (9–4)C-USAAmericanLouisiana Tech 48Navy 45Dollar General BowlLadd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL8:00 pm ESPNTroy Trojans (9–3)Ohio Bobcats (8–5)Sun BeltMACTroy 28Ohio 23Dec. 24Hawaii BowlAloha StadiumHonolulu, HI8:00 pm ESPNHawaii Rainbow Warriors (6–7)Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (8–4)Mountain WestC-USAHawaii 52Middle Tennessee 35 Dec. 26St. Petersburg BowlTropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL11:00 am ESPNMississippi State Bulldogs (5–7)Miami (OH) RedHawks (6–6)SECMACMississippi State 17Miami (OH) 16Quick Lane BowlFord FieldDetroit, MI2:30 pm ESPNBoston College Eagles (6–6)Maryland Terrapins (6–6)ACCBig TenBoston College 36Maryland 30Independence BowlIndependence StadiumShreveport, LA5:00 pm ESPN2NC State Wolfpack (6–6)Vanderbilt Commodores (6–6)ACCSECNC State 41Vanderbilt 17Dec. 27Heart of Dallas BowlCotton BowlDallas, TX12:00 pm ESPNArmy Black Knights (7–5)North Texas Mean Green (5–7)IndependentC-USAArmy 38North Texas 31 (OT)Military BowlNavy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD3:30 pm ESPNWake Forest Demon Deacons (6–6)No. 24 Temple Owls (10–3)ACCAmericanWake Forest 34Temple 26Holiday BowlSDCCU StadiumSan Diego, CA7:00 pm ESPNMinnesota Golden Gophers (8–4)Washington State Cougars (8–4)Big TenPac-12Minnesota 17Washington State 12Cactus BowlChase FieldPhoenix, AZ10:15 pm ESPNBaylor Bears (6–6)Boise State Broncos (10–2)Big 12Mountain WestBaylor 31Boise State 12Dec. 28Pinstripe BowlYankee StadiumBronx, NY2:00 pm ESPNNorthwestern Wildcats (6–6)No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers (8–4)Big TenACCNorthwestern 31Pittsburgh 24Russell Athletic BowlCamping World StadiumOrlando, FL5:30 pm ESPNMiami (FL) Hurricanes (8–4)No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers (10–2)ACCBig 12Miami (FL) 31West Virginia 14Foster Farms BowlLevi's StadiumSanta Clara, CA8:30 pm FoxNo. 19 Utah Utes (8–4)Indiana Hoosiers (6–6)Pac-12Big TenUtah 26Indiana 24Texas BowlNRG StadiumHouston, TX9:00 pm ESPNKansas State Wildcats (8–4)Texas A&M Aggies (8–4)Big 12SECKansas State 33Texas A&M 28Dec. 29Birmingham BowlLegion FieldBirmingham, AL2:00 pm ESPNSouth Florida Bulls (10–2)South Carolina Gamecocks (6–6)AmericanSECSouth Florida 46South Carolina 39 (OT)Belk BowlBank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC5:30 pm ESPNNo. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies (9–4)Arkansas Razorbacks (7–5)ACCSECVirginia Tech 35Arkansas 24Alamo BowlAlamodomeSan Antonio, TX9:00 pm ESPNNo. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–3)No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes (10–3)Big 12Pac-12Oklahoma State 38Colorado 8Dec. 30Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN12:00 pm ESPNGeorgia Bulldogs (7–5)TCU Horned Frogs (6–6)SECBig 12Georgia 31TCU 23Sun BowlSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TX2:00 pm CBSNo. 18 Stanford Cardinal (9–3)North Carolina Tar Heels (8–4)Pac-12ACCStanford 25North Carolina 23Music City BowlNissan StadiumNashville, TN3:30 pm ESPNNo. 21 Tennessee Volunteers (8–4)Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–3)SECBig TenTennessee 38Nebraska 24Arizona BowlArizona StadiumTucson, AZ5:30 pm ASNAir Force Falcons (9–3)South Alabama Jaguars (6–6)Mountain WestSun BeltAir Force 45South Alabama 21Dec. 31Citrus BowlCamping World StadiumOrlando, FL11:00 am ABCNo. 20 LSU Tigers (8–4)No. 13 Louisville Cardinals (9–3)SECACCLSU 29Louisville 9TaxSlayer BowlEverBank FieldJacksonville, FL11:00 am ESPNGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8–4)Kentucky Wildcats (7–5)ACCSECGeorgia Tech 33Kentucky 18Jan. 2Outback BowlRaymond James StadiumTampa, FL1:00 pm ABCNo. 17 Florida Gators (8–4)Iowa Hawkeyes (8–4)SECBig TenFlorida 30Iowa 3
All-star games DateGameSiteTelevisionParticipantsResultsJan. 15Tropical BowlDaytona StadiumDaytona Beach, FloridaPPVNational TeamAmerican TeamNational 28American 14Jan. 21East–West Shrine GameTropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL3:00 pmNFL NetworkEast TeamWest TeamWest 10 East 3NFLPA Collegiate BowlStubHub CenterCarson, CA6:00 pmFS1National TeamAmerican TeamNational 27 American 7Jan. 28Senior BowlLadd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL2:30 pmNFL NetworkNorth TeamSouth TeamSouth 16 North 15
FCS bowl game The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 26 and ended on January 7.