| Game Name: | California Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | December 14 |
| Year Game Played: | 1985 |
| Football Season: | 1985 |
| Home Name Short: | Fresno State |
| Home Nickname: | Bulldogs |
| Home Record: | 10–0-1 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 16 |
| Home 3Q: | 14 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 20 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | NR |
| Home Rank Ap: | NR |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 18 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Bowling Green |
| Visitor Nickname: | Falcons |
| Visitor Record: | 11-0 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Type: | bg |
| Attendance: | 32,554 |
The 1985 California Bowl, was an American college football bowl game played on December 14, 1985 at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California. The game pitted the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Bowling Green Falcons.
The Falcons won every single regular season game, opening the season with a 31-6 trouncing of Ball State. They defeated their two non-conference opponents (Kentucky and Akron) while winning every MAC game by at least four points. This was the second Mid-American Conference title for the Falcons in four seasons. Coach Stolz announced before the game that he would leave the program for San Diego State. Fresno State did not lose any game in the regular season, with only a tie to Hawaii being the one blemish en route to their third Pacific Coast Athletic Association title in eight years and second California Bowl appearance in four seasons, which was also against Bowling Green.
The Falcons had committed just five turnovers the whole season. In the California Bowl, they turned the ball over eight times (five fumbles, three interceptions). Fresno State had 225 rushing yards and 194 passing yards. Bowling Green had 89 rushing yards and 259 passing yards. For Bowling Green, Brian McClure went 22-of-42 passes for 254 yards with 3 interceptions. Kevin Sweeney (son of coach Jim Sweeney) went 9-of-19 for 185 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.[1] [2] Fresno State’s Mike Mancini was named MVP; first punter to be selected as an MVP in a college football bowl game.[3]
Fresno State made two more bowl games before the decade ended, both of them being in the California Bowl. The two teams met again in the California Bowl in 1991.