| Game Name: | California Bowl |
| Subheader: | Bowl Game |
| Date Game Played: | December 8 |
| Year Game Played: | 1990 |
| Football Season: | 1990 |
| Home Name Short: | San Jose State |
| Home Nickname: | Spartans |
| Home Record: | 8–2–1 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 19 |
| Home 3Q: | 15 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | NR |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | NR |
| Home Rank Ap: | NR |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 25 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Central Michigan |
| Visitor Nickname: | Chippewas |
| Visitor Record: | 8–2–1 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
| Type: | bg |
| Referee: | Nick Define (MAC) (split crew: MAC and Big West) |
| Attendance: | 25,431 |
The 1990 California Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 8, 1990 at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California. The game pitted the San Jose State Spartans and the Central Michigan Chippewas.
The Spartans went a perfect 7–0 in conference play, with a tie to Louisville in their opener and losses to #20 Washington and California. It was their first Big West Conference championship since 1987, along with their fourth in nine years. The Chippewas were co-champions of the Mid-American Conference (with Toledo, who they had beaten, 13–12). They had only two losses (to Kentucky and Ball State) and one tie (to independent Akron) in their first conference title since 1980. This was their first ever bowl game appearance.
San Jose State had 28 first downs to Central Michigan's 13, 200 rushing yards to their 63 and 442 passing yards to the Chippewas' 220. Both teams turned it over twice. San Jose State, despite having 12 penalties for 118 yards, had the ball for 37:11. Sheldon Canley rushed for 164 yards on 23 carries and five touchdowns.[1] [2]
The Chippewas did not win the MAC title again until 1994, where they advanced to the successor to the California Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl against UNLV. They did not win a bowl game until 2006. San Jose State were co-champions of the Big West with Fresno State, but the Bulldogs were invited to play. They did not return to a bowl game again until 2006. They did not win a conference championship again until 2020.