2011–12 NCAA football bowl games explained

Season:2011
Regular Season:September 1, 2011 – December 10, 2011
Number Of Bowls:35
All Star Games:5
Bowl Start:December 17, 2011
Bowl End:January 9, 2012 (team-competitive)
Championship Bowl:2012 BCS National Championship
Championship Location:Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
Champions:Alabama Crimson Tide
Bowl Challenge Cup:(tie) C-USA and MAC
Conference1:Big Ten
Conference1 Teams:10
Conference1 Wins:4
Conference1 Losses:6
Conference1 Ap Poll:4
Conference2:SEC
Conference2 Teams:9
Conference2 Wins:6
Conference2 Losses:3
Conference2 Ap Poll:5
Conference3:ACC
Conference3 Teams:8
Conference3 Wins:2
Conference3 Losses:6
Conference3 Ap Poll:3
Conference4:Big 12
Conference4 Teams:8
Conference4 Wins:6
Conference4 Losses:2
Conference4 Ap Poll:4
Conference5:Pac-12
Conference5 Teams:7
Conference5 Wins:2
Conference5 Losses:5
Conference5 Ap Poll:3
Conference6:Big East
Conference6 Teams:5
Conference6 Wins:3
Conference6 Losses:2
Conference6 Ap Poll:2
Conference7:Conference USA
Conference7 Teams:5
Conference7 Wins:4
Conference7 Losses:1
Conference7 Ap Poll:2
Conference8:MAC
Conference8 Teams:5
Conference8 Wins:4
Conference8 Losses:1
Conference8 Ap Poll:0
Conference9:Mountain West
Conference9 Teams:5
Conference9 Wins:2
Conference9 Losses:3
Conference9 Ap Poll:2
Conference10:Sun Belt
Conference10 Teams:3
Conference10 Wins:1
Conference10 Losses:2
Conference10 Ap Poll:0
Conference11:WAC
Conference11 Teams:3
Conference11 Wins:0
Conference11 Losses:3
Conference11 Ap Poll:0
Conference12:Independents
Conference12 Teams:2
Conference12 Wins:1
Conference12 Losses:1
Conference12 Ap Poll:0

The 2011–12 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games. They concluded the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and included 35 team-competitive games and five all-star games. The games began on December 17, 2011, and, aside from the all-star games, concluded with the 2012 BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans, that was played on January 9, 2012.

The total of 35 team-competitive bowls was unchanged from the previous year. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, this was the sixth consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games. To fill the 70 available team-competitive bowl slots, a total of 14 teams (20% of all participants) with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games - 13 had a .500 (6-6) season and, for the first time ever, a team with a sub-.500 (6-7) season was invited to a bowl game.

Selection of the teams

See main article: Bowl eligibility and Automatic bids to college bowl games.

In the previous year's bowl cycle, the NCAA scrapped a bylaw which mandated that a school with a non-losing record of 6–6 in regular season play were not eligible unless conferences could not fill out available bowl positions with teams with a winning record of seven (or more) wins. The new rule was stretched further in this 2011-12 bowl season when a team with a losing record, the 6–7 UCLA Bruins, were invited to a bowl game. The Bruins, the Pac-12 South Division winners, finished 6–6 but the USC Trojans (10–2), winners of the division, were barred from postseason play because of the University of Southern California athletics scandal of the mid-2000s, and the resulting two-year ban. The conference and the school applied for a waiver, which the NCAA accepted, based on their bowl eligibility after the sixth win, but having to play in an unmerited conference championship game.[1]

This interpretation of policy ultimately led to Western Kentucky, with a 7–5 winning record, or Ball State, with a 6–6 non-losing record, going uninvited.

Bowl eligibility

Eligible

Number of bowl berths available: 70
Number of teams assured of bowl eligibility: 71 (72, with 6–7 UCLA becoming bowl-eligible per NCAA waiver)

Western Kentucky (7–5) and Ball State (6–6) were not extended invitations to bowl games.

Teams unable to become bowl-eligible

Fiesta Bowl controversy

In March 2011, because of illegal campaign contributions to politicians friendly to the Fiesta Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors fired bowl CEO John Junker. The scandal threatened the Fiesta Bowl's status as a BCS game for the 2011-12 season, as the BCS said it might replace the bowl in its lineup if officials could not convince them it should remain.[3] [4] In May 2011, the BCS fined the Fiesta Bowl organization US $1 million without removing their BCS spot.

New bowl sponsors

Meineke has transferred their sponsorship from the game in Charlotte to the Houston-based game previously known as the Texas Bowl, and was renamed the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Belk Department Stores assumes the title sponsorship for the North Carolina contest, renaming that game the Belk Bowl. The Idaho Potato Commission takes over as the title sponsor for the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho and has been renamed the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, while Montreal-based Gildan, a maker of T-shirts, underwear and socks, will begin sponsorship of the previously unsponsored New Mexico Bowl this season. All of the bowl games will have a presenting or title sponsor.

Moratorium on new bowl games

The NCAA has placed a three-year moratorium, starting with the 2011-12 bowl season, on any new bowl games. This follows the addition of two new games (Pinstripe Bowl, TicketCity Bowl) for the 2010-11 bowl season, bringing the total number of bowl games to 35. The expansion to 70 teams required to fill these 35 bowl games has challenged the ability to actually find enough teams with winning (7-5 or better) records to fill bowl slots. Teams with non-winning (6-6) and losing (6-7) records have participated in bowl games since the expansion to 35 games. By the 2012-13 bowl season, with multiple teams ineligible due to sanctions, the NCAA was forced to anticipate a need to allow teams with even worse (5-7) losing records to fill bowl selection slots in 2012-13.

Schedule

The official schedule was released June 17, 2011.[5] Though it is traditionally the date for many bowl games to be played, none will be held on January 1, due to that date being on a Sunday and conflict with the National Football League's slate of Sunday games.[6]

Subsequently, the Fiesta Bowl moved from January 5 to January 2, in its traditional spot following the Rose Bowl, after the 2011 NFL lockout was settled. The Monday evening spot was held open for a possible Monday Night Football game.[7]

NOTE: All times are US EST (UTC −5).

Non-BCS games

DateBowlLocationTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResults
Dec. 17New Mexico BowlUniversity Stadium
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
2:00 pm
ESPNWyoming Cowboys (8–4)
Temple Owls (8–4)
MWC
MAC
Wyoming 15
Temple 37
Famous Idaho Potato BowlBronco Stadium
Boise State University
Boise, ID
5:30 pm
Ohio Bobcats (9–4)
Utah State Aggies (7–5)
MAC
WAC
Ohio 24
Utah State 23
New Orleans BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
9:00 pm
San Diego State Aztecs (8–4)
Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8–4)
style=white-space:nowrap MWC
Sun Belt
style=white-space:nowrap San Diego State 30
Louisiana–Lafayette 32
Dec. 20Beef 'O' Brady's BowlTropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
8:00 pm
FIU Golden Panthers (8–4)
Marshall Thundering Herd (6–6)
Sun Belt
C-USA
FIU 10
Marshall 20
Dec. 21Poinsettia BowlSDCCU Stadium
San Diego, CA
8:00 pm
  1. 18 TCU Horned Frogs (10–2)
    Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–4)
MWC
WAC
TCU 31
Louisiana Tech 24
Dec. 22Maaco Bowl Las VegasSam Boyd Stadium
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Whitney, NV
8:00 pm
  1. 7 Boise State Broncos (11–1)
    Arizona State Sun Devils (6–6)
MWC
Pac-12
Boise State 56
Arizona State 24
Dec. 24Hawaii BowlAloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
8:00 pm
style=white-space:nowrap Nevada Wolf Pack (7–5)
#21 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (11–2)
WAC
C-USA
Nevada 17
Southern Miss 24
Dec. 26Independence BowlIndependence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
5:00 pm
ESPN2Missouri Tigers (7–5)
North Carolina Tar Heels (7–5)
Big 12
ACC
Missouri 41
North Carolina 24
Dec. 27Little Caesars Pizza BowlFord Field
Detroit, MI
4:30 pm
ESPNPurdue Boilermakers (6–6)
Western Michigan Broncos (7–5)
Big Ten
MAC
Purdue 37
Western Michigan 32
Belk BowlBank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
8:00 pm
North Carolina State Wolfpack (7–5)
Louisville Cardinals (7–5)
ACC
Big East
North Carolina State 31
Louisville 24
Dec. 28Military BowlRFK Stadium
Washington, DC
4:30 pm
Air Force Falcons (7–5)
Toledo Rockets (8–4)[8]
MWC
MAC
Air Force 41
Toledo 42
Holiday BowlSnapdragon Stadium
San Diego, CA
8:00 pm
  1. 24 Texas Longhorns (7–5)
    California Golden Bears (7–5)
Big 12
Pac-12
Texas 21
California 10
Dec. 29Champs Sports BowlCitrus Bowl
Orlando, FL
5:30 pm
Florida State Seminoles (8–4)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–4)
ACC
Independent
Florida State 18
Notre Dame 14
Alamo BowlAlamodome
San Antonio, TX
9:00 pm
  1. 12 Baylor Bears (9–3)
    Washington Huskies (7–5)
Big 12
Pac-12
Baylor 67
Washington 56
Dec. 30Armed Forces BowlGerald J. Ford Stadium
University Park, TX
Noon
BYU Cougars (9–3)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8–4)
Independent
C-USA
BYU 24
Tulsa 21
Pinstripe BowlYankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
3:20 pm
Iowa State Cyclones (6–6)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8–4)
Big 12
Big East
Iowa State 13
Rutgers 27
Music City BowlLP Field
Nashville, TN
6:40 pm
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6–6)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (6–6)
ACC
SEC
Wake Forest 17
Mississippi State 23
Insight BowlSun Devil Stadium
Tempe, AZ
10:00 pm
Iowa Hawkeyes (7–5)
#14 Oklahoma Sooners (9–3)
Big Ten
Big 12
Iowa 14
Oklahoma 31
Dec. 31Meineke Car Care Bowl of TexasReliant Stadium
Houston, TX
Noon
Texas A&M Aggies (6–6)
Northwestern Wildcats (6–6)
Big 12
Big Ten
Texas A&M 33
Northwestern 22
Sun BowlSun Bowl Stadium
University of Texas El Paso
El Paso, TX
2:00 pm
CBSGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8–4)
Utah Utes (7–5)
ACC
Pac-12
Georgia Tech 27
Utah 30 (OT)
AutoZone Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
3:30 pm
ABCCincinnati Bearcats (9–3)
Vanderbilt Commodores (6–6)
Big East
SEC
Cincinnati 31
Vanderbilt 24
Kraft Fight Hunger BowlAT&T Park
San Francisco, CA
3:30 pm
ESPNIllinois Fighting Illini (6–6)[9]
UCLA Bruins (6–7)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Illinois 20
UCLA 14
Chick-fil-A BowlGeorgia Dome
Atlanta, GA
7:30 pm
  1. 25 Auburn Tigers (7–5)
    Virginia Cavaliers (8–4)
SEC
ACC
Auburn 43
Virginia 24
Jan. 2TicketCity BowlCotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
Noon
ESPNU
  1. 22 Penn State Nittany Lions (9–3)
    #19 Houston Cougars (12–1)
Big Ten
C-USA
Penn State 14
Houston 30
Outback BowlRaymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
1:00 pm
ABC
  1. 17 Michigan State Spartans (10–3)
    #16 Georgia Bulldogs (10–3)
Big Ten
SEC
Michigan State 33
Georgia 30 (3OT)
Capital One BowlCitrus Bowl
Orlando, FL
1:00 pm
ESPN
  1. 20 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–3)
    #9 South Carolina Gamecocks (10–2)
Big Ten
SEC
Nebraska 13
South Carolina 30
Gator BowlEverBank Field
Jacksonville, FL
1:00 pm
ESPN2Ohio State Buckeyes (6–6)
Florida Gators (6–6)
Big Ten
SEC
Ohio State 17
Florida 24
Jan. 6Cotton Bowl ClassicCowboys Stadium
Arlington, TX
8:00 pm
FOX
  1. 8 Kansas State Wildcats (10–2)
    #6 Arkansas Razorbacks (10–2)
Big 12
SEC
Kansas State 16
Arkansas 29
Jan. 7BBVA Compass BowlLegion Field
Birmingham, AL
1:00 pm
ESPNSMU Mustangs (7–5)
Pittsburgh Panthers (6–6)
C-USA
Big East
SMU 28
Pittsburgh 6
Jan. 8GoDaddy.com BowlLadd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
9:00 pm
NIU Huskies (10–3)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (10–2)
MAC
Sun Belt
NIU 38
Arkansas State 20

2012 Bowl Championship Series schedule

DateGameSiteTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResults
Jan. 2Rose BowlRose Bowl
Pasadena, CA
5:00 pm
  1. 10 Wisconsin Badgers (11–2)
    #5 Oregon Ducks (11–2)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Wisconsin 38
Oregon 45
Fiesta BowlUniversity of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
8:30 pm
  1. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (11–1)
    #4 Stanford Cardinal (11–1)
Big 12
Pac-12
Oklahoma State 41
Stanford 38 (OT)
Jan. 3Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm
  1. 13 Michigan Wolverines (10–2)
    #11 Virginia Tech Hokies (11–2)
Big Ten
ACC
Michigan 23
Virginia Tech 20 (OT)
Jan. 4Orange BowlSun Life Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
8:30 pm
style=white-space:nowrap
  1. 15 Clemson Tigers (10–3)
    #23 West Virginia Mountaineers (9–3)
ACC
Big East
Clemson 33
West Virginia 70
Jan. 9BCS National Championship GameMercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm
  1. 1 LSU Tigers (13–0)
    #2 Alabama Crimson Tide (11–1)
SEC
SEC
LSU 0
Alabama 21

Post-BCS all-star games

DateGameSiteTelevisionParticipantsResults
Jan. 16Casino del Sol College All-Star GameKino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Tucson, AZ
6:00 pm
Fox Sports Arizona and Fox College SportsStars vs. StripesStripes 24
Stars 21
Jan. 212012 East–West Shrine GameTropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
4:00 pm
East Team vs.
West Team
West 20
East 17
NFLPA Collegiate BowlThe Home Depot Center
Carson, CA
6:00 pm
NBC Sports NetworkAmerican vs. NationalNational 20
American 14
The Battle of FloridaFAU Stadium
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
8:00 pm
Fox College SportsNorth Florida vs.
South Florida
North Florida 51
South Florida 3
style=white-space:nowrap Jan. 282012 Senior BowlLadd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
4:00 pm
NFL Networkstyle=white-space:nowrap North Team vs.
South Team
North 23
South 13

Note: The NFLPA Texas vs The Nation game was not played in 2012, and the NFLPA instead sponsored the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Losing Record? UCLA Still Wants a Bowl . Miller, Ted . November 29, 2011 . ESPN . December 8, 2011.
  2. Web site: NCAA Approves UCLA Bowl Waiver . Peter . Yoon . ESPN LA . November 30, 2011 . December 1, 2011.
  3. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/03/30/fiesta-bowl-bcs.ap/index.html#ixzz1I8IZ4dwj BCS confident it could cut ties with Fiesta Bowl if deemed necessary
  4. Wetzel, Dan, "BCS conducts shallow probe as party rages on", Yahoo! Sports, retrieved on 31 March 2011.
  5. Web site: 2011–12 Bowl Schedule . ESPN . June 17, 2011.
  6. Web site: Texas Longhorns: Football, Basketball, Baseball and more Statesman.com . 2012-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110620190635/http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2011/06/17/jan_1_2012_the.html . 2011-06-20 . dead .
  7. Web site: Fiesta Bowl likely on the move - to Jan. 2, 2012 - CBSSports.com . 2012-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425052913/http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/31381391 . 2012-04-25 . dead .
  8. [2011 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]
  9. [2011 Army Black Knights football team|Army]