| Season: | 1936 |
| Number Of Bowls: | 6 |
| All Star Games: | East–West Shrine Game |
| Bowl Start: | January 1, 1937 |
| Champions: | Minnesota Golden Gophers (AP, Dickinson, Dunkel) |
| Conference1: | Independents |
| Conference1 Teams: | 6 |
| Conference1 Wins: | 4 |
| Conference1 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference1 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference1 Ap Poll: | 10 |
| Conference2: | SEC |
| Conference2 Teams: | 3 |
| Conference2 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference2 Losses: | 2 |
| Conference2 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference2 Ap Poll: | 3 |
| Conference3: | SWC |
| Conference3 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference3 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference3 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference3 Ap Poll: | 2 |
| Conference4: | Border |
| Conference4 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference4 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference4 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference4 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference5: | Pacific Coast |
| Conference5 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference5 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference5 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference5 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference6: | Big Six |
| Conference6 Teams: | 0 |
| Conference6 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference6 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference6 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference7: | Big Ten |
| Conference7 Teams: | 0 |
| Conference7 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference7 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference7 Ap Poll: | 2 |
| Conference8: | Rocky Mountain |
| Conference8 Teams: | 0 |
| Conference8 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference8 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference8 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference9 Teams: | 0 |
| Conference9 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference9 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference9 Ap Poll: | 1 |
The 1936–37 NCAA football bowl games were the final games of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1936 college football season and featured six bowl games,[1] an increase of two from the prior season. In addition to the prior season's four bowls, the Cotton Bowl Classic was played for the first time, and this was the only season that the Bacardi Bowl was recognized by the NCAA. All six games were played on January 1, 1937. The national championship, according to recognized selectors, was won by Minnesota.
See also: 1936 NCAA football rankings. The below table lists top teams (per the AP Poll taken after the completion of the regular season), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in.[2] [3]
| AP | Team | W–L | Conf. | Bowl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | |||||
| Sugar Bowl | |||||
| Ind. | Rose Bowl | ||||
| — | |||||
| Rose Bowl | |||||
| Ind. | Sugar Bowl | ||||
| — | |||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| — | |||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| — | |||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| Ind. | Orange Bowl | ||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||
| — | |||||
| — | |||||
| Ind. | — | ||||
| Ind. | Cotton Bowl Classic |
Rankings are from the final regular season AP Poll.
| Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style=white-space:nowrap rowspan=6 | Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers (7–1–1) No. 5 Washington Huskies (7–1–1) | Independent PCC | Pittsburgh 21 Washington 0 |
| Sugar Bowl | Tulane Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana | No. 6 Santa Clara Broncos (7–1) No. 2 LSU Tigers (9–0–1) | Independent SEC | Santa Clara 21 LSU 14 | ||
| Orange Bowl | Miami Field Miami, Florida | No. 14 Duquesne Dukes (7–2) Mississippi State Maroons (7–2–1) | Independent SEC | Duquesne 13 Mississippi State 12 | ||
| Sun Bowl | Jones Stadium El Paso, Texas | Hardin–Simmons Cowboys (8–2) Texas Mines Miners (5–3–2) | Independent Border | Hardin–Simmons 34 Texas Mines 6 | ||
| Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | No. 16 TCU Horned Frogs (8–2–2) No. 20 Marquette Golden Avalanche (7–1) | SWC Independent | TCU 16 Marquette 6 | ||
| Bacardi Bowl | La Tropical Stadium Havana, Cuba | Auburn Tigers (7–2–1) Villanova Wildcats (7–2) | SEC Independent | Auburn 7 Villanova 7 |