1987–88 NCAA football bowl games
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. The Miami Hurricanes were declared the national champions, after upsetting #1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
Seventeen of the bowl games ended with a winner, while there was a lone tie.
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 |
| Dec. 13 | California Bowl | Bulldog Stadium Fresno, California | Eastern Michigan Hurons San Jose State Spartans | MAC PCAA | Eastern Michigan 30 San Jose State 27 | |
| Dec. 19 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana | Mizlou | Washington Huskies Tulane Green Wave | Pac-10 Independent | Washington 24 Tulane 12 |
| Dec. 22 | All-American Bowl | Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama | Raycom | BYU Cougars Virginia Cavaliers | WAC ACC | Virginia 22 BYU 16 |
| Dec. 25 | Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI | ABC | #10 UCLA Bruins Florida Gators | Pac-10 SEC | UCLA 20 Florida 16 |
| Dec. 25 | John Hancock Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas | CBS | West Virginia Mountaineers #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys | Independent Big 8 | Oklahoma State 35 West Virginia 33 |
| Dec. 29 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee | Raycom | Arkansas Razorbacks #15 Georgia Bulldogs | SWC SEC | Georgia 20 Arkansas 17 |
| Dec. 30 | Freedom Bowl | Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, California | Mizlou | Air Force Falcons Arizona State Sun Devils | WAC Pac-10 | Arizona State 33 Air Force 28 |
| Dec. 30 | SeaWorld Holiday Bowl | Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego | ESPN | #18 Iowa Hawkeyes Wyoming Cowboys | Big Ten WAC | Iowa 20 Wyoming 19 |
| Dec. 31 | Mazda Gator Bowl | Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | CBS | #9 South Carolina Gamecocks #7 LSU Tigers | Independent SEC | LSU 30 South Carolina 13 |
| Dec. 31 | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | Astrodome Houston | Mizlou | #19 Pittsburgh Panthers Texas Longhorns | Independent SWC | Texas 32 Pittsburgh 27 |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | NBC | #16 USC Trojans #8 Michigan State Spartans | Pac-10 Big Ten | Michigan State 20 USC 17 |
| Jan. 1 | Orange Bowl National Championship | Orange Bowl Miami | NBC | #2 Miami Hurricanes #1 Oklahoma Sooners | Independent Big 8 | Miami 20 Oklahoma 14 |
| Jan. 1 | Florida Citrus Bowl | Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | ABC | #14 Clemson Tigers #20 Penn State Nittany Lions | ACC Independent | Clemson 35 Penn State 10 |
| Jan. 1 | Sunkist Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona | NBC | #3 Florida State Seminoles #5 Nebraska Cornhuskers | Independent Big 8 | Florida State 31 Nebraska 28 |
| Jan. 1 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas | CBS | #12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish #8 Texas A&M Aggies | Independent SWC | Texas A&M 35 Notre Dame 10 |
| Jan. 1 | USF&G Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans | ABC | #6 Auburn Tigers #4 Syracuse Orangemen | SEC Independent | Auburn 16 Syracuse 16 |
| Jan. 2 | Hall of Fame Bowl | Tampa Stadium Tampa, Florida | NBC | Michigan Wolverines Alabama Crimson Tide | Big Ten SEC | Michigan 28 Alabama 24 |
| Jan. 2 | Peach Bowl | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta | Mizlou | #17 Tennessee Volunteers Indiana Hoosiers | SEC Big Ten | Tennessee 27 Indiana 22 |