1987–88 NCAA football bowl games explained
| Season: | 1987 |
| Number Of Bowls: | 18 |
| Bowl Start: | December 13, 1987 |
| Bowl End: |
January 2, 1988 |
| Championship Bowl: | Orange Bowl |
| Championship Location: | Miami, Florida |
| Champions: | Miami Hurricanes |
| Conference1: | Independent |
| Conference1 Teams: | 9 |
| Conference1 Wins: | 2 |
| Conference1 Losses: | 6 |
| Conference1 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference1 Ap Poll: | 5 |
| Conference2: | SEC |
| Conference2 Teams: | 6 |
| Conference2 Wins: | 3 |
| Conference2 Losses: | 2 |
| Conference2 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference2 Ap Poll: | 4 |
| Conference3: | Big Ten |
| Conference3 Teams: | 4 |
| Conference3 Wins: | 3 |
| Conference3 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference3 Ap Poll: | 3 |
| Conference4: | Pac-10 |
| Conference4 Teams: | 4 |
| Conference4 Wins: | 3 |
| Conference4 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference4 Ap Poll: | 3 |
| Conference5: | Big 8 |
| Conference5 Teams: | 3 |
| Conference5 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference5 Losses: | 2 |
| Conference5 Ap Poll: | 3 |
| Conference6: | SWC |
| Conference6 Teams: | 3 |
| Conference6 Wins: | 2 |
| Conference6 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference6 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference7: | WAC |
| Conference7 Teams: | 3 |
| Conference7 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference7 Losses: | 3 |
| Conference7 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference8: | ACC |
| Conference8 Teams: | 2 |
| Conference8 Wins: | 2 |
| Conference8 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference8 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference9: | MAC |
| Conference9 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference9 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference9 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference9 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference10: | PCAA |
| Conference10 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference10 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference10 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference10 Ap Poll: | 0 |
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.[1] The Miami Hurricanes were declared the national champions, after upsetting #1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.[2] [3]
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
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
|---|
| style=white-space:nowrap | Dec. 13 | California Bowl | Bulldog Stadium
Fresno, California | ESPN | Eastern Michigan Hurons (9–2)
San Jose State Spartans (10–1) | MAC
PCAA | Eastern Michigan 30
San Jose State 27 |
| style=white-space:nowrap | Dec. 19 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana | Mizlou | Washington Huskies (6–4–1)
Tulane Green Wave (6–5) | Pac-10
Independent | Washington 24
Tulane 12 |
| style=white-space:nowrap | Dec. 22 | All-American Bowl | Legion Field
Birmingham, Alabama | Raycom | BYU Cougars (9–3)
Virginia Cavaliers (7–4) | WAC
ACC | Virginia 22
BYU 16 |
| Dec. 25 | Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl | Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI | ABC | - 10 UCLA Bruins (9–2)
Florida Gators (6–5)
| Pac-10
SEC | UCLA 20
Florida 16 |
| John Hancock Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, Texas | CBS | West Virginia Mountaineers (6–5)
#11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–2) | Independent
Big 8 | Oklahoma State 35
West Virginia 33 |
| style=white-space:nowrap | Dec. 29 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee | Raycom | Arkansas Razorbacks (9–3)
#15 Georgia Bulldogs (8–3) | SWC
SEC | Georgia 20
Arkansas 17 |
| Dec. 30 | Freedom Bowl | Anaheim Stadium
Anaheim, California | Mizlou | Air Force Falcons (9–3)
Arizona State Sun Devils (6–4–1) | WAC
Pac-10 | Arizona State 33
Air Force 28 |
| SeaWorld Holiday Bowl | Jack Murphy Stadium
San Diego | ESPN | - 18 Iowa Hawkeyes (9–3)
Wyoming Cowboys (10–2)
| Big Ten
WAC | Iowa 20
Wyoming 19 |
| Dec. 31 | Mazda Gator Bowl | Gator Bowl Stadium
Jacksonville, Florida | CBS | - 9 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3)
#7 LSU Tigers (9–1–1)
| Independent
SEC | LSU 30
South Carolina 13 |
| Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | Astrodome
Houston | Mizlou | - 19 Pittsburgh Panthers (8–3)
Texas Longhorns (6–5)
| Independent
SWC | Texas 32
Pittsburgh 27 |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California | NBC | - 16 USC Trojans (8–3)
#8 Michigan State Spartans (8–2–1)
| Pac-10
Big Ten | Michigan State 20
USC 17 |
Orange Bowl
National Championship | Orange Bowl
Miami | NBC | - 2 Miami Hurricanes (11–0)
#1 Oklahoma Sooners (11–0)
| Independent
Big 8 | Miami 20
Oklahoma 14 |
| Florida Citrus Bowl | Florida Citrus Bowl
Orlando, Florida | ABC | - 14 Clemson Tigers (9–2)
#20 Penn State Nittany Lions (8–3)
| ACC
Independent | Clemson 35
Penn State 10 |
| Sunkist Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, Arizona | NBC | - 3 Florida State Seminoles (10–1)
#5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10–1)
| Independent
Big 8 | Florida State 31
Nebraska 28 |
| Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl
Dallas | CBS | - 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–3)
#13 Texas A&M Aggies (9–2)
| Independent
SWC | Texas A&M 35
Notre Dame 10 |
| USF&G Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans | ABC | - 6 Auburn Tigers (9–1–1)
#4 Syracuse Orangemen (11–0)
| SEC
Independent | Auburn 16
Syracuse 16 |
| Jan. 2 | Hall of Fame Bowl | Tampa Stadium
Tampa, Florida | NBC | Michigan Wolverines (7–4)
Alabama Crimson Tide (7–4) | Big Ten
SEC | Michigan 28
Alabama 24 |
| Peach Bowl | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta | Mizlou | - 17 Tennessee Volunteers (9–2–1)
Indiana Hoosiers (8–3)
| SEC
Big Ten | Tennessee 27
Indiana 22 | |
Notes and References
- Web site: AP and Coaches Yearly Final Polls. cfbdatawarehouse.com. 2016-11-19. 2017-03-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20170319042020/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/national_championships/poll_results.php?year=1985. dead.
- Web site: Recognized National Championships by Year. cfbdatawarehouse.com. 2016-11-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20161015173918/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/national_championships/nchamps_year.php. 2016-10-15. dead.
- Web site: 1987 Oklahoma at Miami (FL) Game Recap - SoonerStats - Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats. Keith Meador. soonerstats.com. 2016-11-19.
