The 1987–88 NCAA football bowl games concluded the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season, featuring 18 games. Twenty ranked teams participated, and seven of the eighteen matchups were between two ranked teams. The Miami Hurricanes were declared the national champions, after upsetting #1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
Seventeen of the bowl games ended with a winner, while there was a lone tie (Auburn vs Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl).
Nine independent teams competed, along with six SEC teams, four Big Ten, four Pac-10, three WAC, three Big 8, three SWC, two ACC, one MAC, and one PCAA.
The largest margin of victory occurred twice; Clemson beat Penn State and Texas A&M beat Notre Dame, both 35-10.
The "bowl week" started on December 13 with the California Bowl, and concluded on January 2, 1988 with the Hall of Fame Bowl and the Peach Bowl.
Bowl schedule DateGameSiteTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResults Dec. 13California BowlBulldog StadiumFresno, CaliforniaESPNEastern Michigan Hurons (9–2) San Jose State Spartans (10–1)MACPCAA Eastern Michigan 30San Jose State 27 Dec. 19Independence BowlIndependence StadiumShreveport, LouisianaMizlouWashington Huskies (6–4–1) Tulane Green Wave (6–5)Pac-10Independent Washington 24Tulane 12 Dec. 22All-American BowlLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaRaycomBYU Cougars (9–3) Virginia Cavaliers (7–4)WACACC Virginia 22BYU 16 Dec. 25Jeep Eagle Aloha BowlAloha StadiumHonolulu, HIABC#10 UCLA Bruins (9–2) Florida Gators (6–5)Pac-10SEC UCLA 20Florida 16John Hancock Sun BowlSun BowlEl Paso, TexasCBSWest Virginia Mountaineers (6–5) #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–2)IndependentBig 8 Oklahoma State 35West Virginia 33 Dec. 29Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeRaycomArkansas Razorbacks (9–3) #15 Georgia Bulldogs (8–3)SWCSEC Georgia 20Arkansas 17 Dec. 30Freedom BowlAnaheim StadiumAnaheim, CaliforniaMizlouAir Force Falcons (9–3) Arizona State Sun Devils (6–4–1)WACPac-10 Arizona State 33Air Force 28SeaWorld Holiday BowlJack Murphy StadiumSan DiegoESPN#18 Iowa Hawkeyes (9–3) Wyoming Cowboys (10–2)Big TenWAC Iowa 20Wyoming 19 Dec. 31Mazda Gator BowlGator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FloridaCBS#9 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3) #7 LSU Tigers (9–1–1)IndependentSEC LSU 30South Carolina 13Astro-Bluebonnet BowlAstrodomeHoustonMizlou#19 Pittsburgh Panthers (8–3) Texas Longhorns (6–5)IndependentSWC Texas 32Pittsburgh 27 Jan. 1Rose BowlRose BowlPasadena, CaliforniaNBC#16 USC Trojans (8–3) #8 Michigan State Spartans (8–2–1)Pac-10Big Ten Michigan State 20USC 17Orange BowlNational ChampionshipOrange BowlMiamiNBC#2 Miami Hurricanes (11–0) #1 Oklahoma Sooners (11–0)IndependentBig 8 Miami 20Oklahoma 14Florida Citrus BowlFlorida Citrus BowlOrlando, FloridaABC#14 Clemson Tigers (9–2) #20 Penn State Nittany Lions (8–3)ACCIndependent Clemson 35Penn State 10Sunkist Fiesta BowlSun Devil StadiumTempe, ArizonaNBC#3 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) #5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10–1)IndependentBig 8 Florida State 31Nebraska 28Cotton Bowl ClassicCotton BowlDallasCBS#12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–3) #13 Texas A&M Aggies (9–2)IndependentSWC Texas A&M 35Notre Dame 10USF&G Sugar BowlLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansABC#6 Auburn Tigers (9–1–1) #4 Syracuse Orangemen (11–0)SECIndependent Auburn 16Syracuse 16 Jan. 2Hall of Fame BowlTampa StadiumTampa, FloridaNBCMichigan Wolverines (7–4) Alabama Crimson Tide (7–4)Big TenSEC Michigan 28Alabama 24Peach BowlAtlanta–Fulton County StadiumAtlantaMizlou#17 Tennessee Volunteers (9–2–1) Indiana Hoosiers (8–3)SECBig Ten Tennessee 27Indiana 22
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