The 68 Ventures Bowl is a postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd-Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The game currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference. Originally known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl during its first two playings, it has undergone many name changes.
The game was known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl for its first two playings, in 1999 and 2000. GMAC (now Ally Financial) had become the title sponsor for the 2000 playing, and the game was renamed as the GMAC Bowl for the 2001 though January 2010 playings. It was then the GoDaddy.com Bowl for the January 2011 to January 2013 playings when GoDaddy took over sponsorship.[1] In May 2013, it was announced that the ".com" would be dropped from the bowl's name, rebranding it as the GoDaddy Bowl for the January 2014 through December 2015 editions.[2] Dollar General took over sponsorship on August 17, 2016,[3] with the 2016 through 2018 playings branded as the Dollar General Bowl. It was announced on May 29, 2019, that Dollar General would no longer sponsor the bowl.[4] It was temporarily called by its original name, the Mobile Alabama Bowl,[4] until new sponsorship by LendingTree was announced on November 15, 2019, making it the LendingTree Bowl.[5] On May 15, 2023, the game came under new sponsorship and was renamed as the 68 Ventures Bowl.[6]
When the bowl first began, it was played as one of the first games of the bowl season in December. The 2006 season saw the game moved to January, and it served as one of the last bowls played before the national championship game of either the Bowl Championship Series or the College Football Playoff. For the 2015 season, the bowl was moved back to December, where it remained for every subsequent playing except for the 2019 season.[4]
From 1999 to 2009, the bowl pitted a Conference USA (C-USA) team against a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), except for the first two playings, when the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) could receive the bid if one of its easternmost teams qualified as bowl eligible.
For the January 2010 edition, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was to participate in the bowl as its ninth bowl tie-in. The ACC failed to have sufficient bowl-eligible teams to fill the slot, and the bowl chose Sun Belt Conference champion Troy as a replacement.[7] A MAC vs. Sun Belt matchup was then featured for a total of 11 consecutive bowls, through the January 2020 edition. That streak was broken when the December 2020 edition invited teams from C-USA and the Sun Belt. After Arkansas State of the Sun Belt appeared in the 2012 through 2015 editions of the bowl, the conference and bowl committee agreed on changing the team selection bylaws to avoid repeat appearances by teams in consecutive years.
The 2001 game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and East Carolina Pirates set the record as the highest-scoring bowl game of all time, and Marshall achieved what was then the greatest scoring comeback in bowl history.[8] In this contest, Marshall battled back from a 38–8 deficit to win. 64–61, in double overtime. Thundering Herd quarterback Byron Leftwich threw for 576 yards in the game. The 2008 game had the largest margin of victory in bowl history, with Tulsa defeating Bowling Green, 63–7. Following the 2023 game, a 59–10 win by South Alabama over Eastern Michigan, an altercation took place on-field between the teams prior to the trophy presentation, initiated by a Eastern Michigan player sucker punching a South Alabama player while the South Alabama marching band and team were singing the school's alma mater.[9] [10]
| Date | Bowl name | Winning team | Losing team | Attnd. | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1999 | 28 | 14 | 34,200 | [11] | ||||
| December 20, 2000 | 28 | 21 | 40,300 | [12] | ||||
| December 19, 2001 | 64 | 61 (2OT) | 40,139 | [13] | ||||
| December 18, 2002 | 38 | 15 | 40,646 | [14] | ||||
| December 18, 2003 | 49 | 28 | 40,620 | [15] | ||||
| December 22, 2004 | 52 | 35 | 29,500 | [16] | ||||
| December 21, 2005 | 45 | 13 | 35,422 | [17] | ||||
| January 7, 2007 | 28 | 7 | 28,706 | [18] | ||||
| January 6, 2008 | 63 | 7 | 36,932 | [19] | ||||
| January 6, 2009 | 45 | 13 | 32,816 | [20] | ||||
| January 6, 2010 | 44 | 41 (2OT) | 34,486 | [21] | ||||
| January 6, 2011 | 35 | 21 | 38,168 | [22] | ||||
| January 8, 2012 | 38 | 20 | 38,734 | [23] | ||||
| January 6, 2013 | 17 | 13 | 37,913 | [24] | ||||
| January 5, 2014 | 23 | 20 | 36,119 | [25] | ||||
| January 4, 2015 | 63 | 44 | 36,811 | [26] | ||||
| December 23, 2015 | 58 | 27 | 28,656 | [27] | ||||
| December 23, 2016 | 28 | 23 | 32,377 | [28] | ||||
| December 23, 2017 | 34 | 0 | 28,706 | [29] | ||||
| December 22, 2018 | 42 | 32 | 31,818 | [30] | ||||
| January 6, 2020 | Louisiana | 27 | 17 | 29,212 | [31] | |||
| December 26, 2020 | Georgia State | 39 | 21 | 5,128 | [32] | |||
| December 18, 2021 | Liberty | 56 | 20 | 15,186 | [33] | |||
| December 17, 2022 | Southern Miss | 38 | 24 | 20,512 | [34] | |||
| December 23, 2023 | South Alabama | 59 | 10 | 20,926 | [35] |
| Date played | MVP | School | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1999 | TCU | QB | ||
| December 20, 2000 | TCU | RB | ||
| December 19, 2001 | Marshall | QB | ||
| December 18, 2002 | Marshall | QB | ||
| December 18, 2003 | Miami (OH) | QB | ||
| December 22, 2004 | Bowling Green | QB | ||
| December 21, 2005 | Toledo | QB | ||
| January 7, 2007 | Southern Miss | RB | ||
| January 6, 2008 | Tulsa | QB | ||
| January 6, 2009 | Tarrion Adams | Tulsa | RB | |
| January 6, 2010 | Central Michigan | QB | ||
| January 6, 2011 | Austin Boucher | Miami (OH) | QB | |
| January 8, 2012 | Northern Illinois | QB | ||
| January 6, 2013 | Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State | QB | |
| January 5, 2014 | Fredi Knighten | Arkansas State | QB | |
| January 4, 2015 | Toledo | RB | ||
| December 23, 2015 | Favian Upshaw | Georgia Southern | QB | |
| December 23, 2016 | Justin Lucas | Troy | LB | |
| December 23, 2017 | Jalin Moore | Appalachian State | RB | |
| December 22, 2018 | Sawyer Smith | Troy | QB | |
| January 6, 2020 | Louisiana | QB | ||
| December 26, 2020 | Cornelious Brown IV[37] | Georgia State | QB | |
| December 18, 2021 | Malik Willis[38] | Liberty | QB | |
| December 17, 2022 | Frank Gore Jr.[39] | Southern Miss | RB | |
| December 23, 2023 | Gio Lopez[40] | South Alabama | QB |
Updated through the December 2023 edition (25 games, 50 total appearances).
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2–2 | |
| 2 | 3 | 3–0 | |
| 3 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | 1–2 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | 1–1 | ||
| 2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2 | 0–2 |
Updated through the December 2023 edition (25 games, 50 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost |
| 21 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014* | 2006*, 2007*, 2008*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2021, 2023 | |||
| 14 | 2012*, 2013*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*, 2020, 2022, 2023 | 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2014* | |||
| 12 | 2000, 2006*, 2007*, 2008* | 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2020, 2022 | |||
| bgcolor=lightgrey | WAC | 2 | 1999 | 2000 | |
| 1 | 2021 |
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 64, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 | |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 61, East Carolina vs. Marshall | 2001 | |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 125, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 | |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, Appalachian State vs. Toledo | 2017 | |
| Largest margin of victory | 56, Tulsa vs. Bowling Green | 2008 | |
| Total yards | 649, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 | |
| Rushing yards | 482, Tulsa vs. Ball State | 2009 | |
| Passing yards | 576, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 | |
| First downs | 36, Marshall vs. East Carolina | 2001 | |
| Fewest yards allowed | 146, Appalachian State vs. Toledo | 2017 | |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | –16, TCU vs. East Carolina | 1999 | |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 73, South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan | 2023 | |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year | |
| All-purpose yards | |||
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo) | Jan. 2015 | |
| Rushing yards | 329, Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Miss) | 2022 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | 5, Kareem Hunt (Toledo) | Jan. 2015 | |
| Passing yards | 576, Byron Leftwich (Marshall) | 2001 | |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, most recent: Fredi Knighten (Arkansas State) | Jan. 2015 | |
| Receiving yards | 234, Denero Marriott (Marshall) | 2001 | |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, most recent: Booker Mays (Arkansas State) | Jan. 2015 | |
| Tackles | |||
| Sacks | |||
| Interceptions | |||
| Long plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year | |
| Touchdown run | 88 yds., Lionel Gates (Louisville) | 2003 | |
| Touchdown pass | 70 yds., Austin Boucher to Armand Robinson (Miami (OH)) 66, Fredi Knighten to Tres Houston, Arkansas State vs. Toledo[41] | 2011 Jan. 2015 | |
| Kickoff return | 95 yds., Antonio Brown (Central Michigan) | 2010 | |
| Punt return | 44 yds., DeMarco Paine (Miami (OH)) | 2011 | |
| Interception return | 94 yds., Money Hunter (Arkansas State) | Jan. 2015 | |
| Fumble return | 93 yds., Tyrone Hill[42] (Buffalo) | 2018 | |
| Punt | 65 yds., Britt Barefoot (Southern Miss) 73, Joseph Davidson, (Bowling Green)[43] | 2007 Dec. 2015 | |
| Field goal | 49 yds., Jesus Gomez (Eastern Michigan) | 2023 |
The bowl has been televised on ESPN or ESPN2 since its inception.