2018–19 NCAA football bowl games
The 2018–19 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games completing the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 15, 2018, and, aside from the all-star games that follow, ended with the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, which was played on January 7, 2019.
The total of 40 team-competitive bowls in FBS, including the national championship game, was unchanged from the previous year. To fill the 78 available bowl slots, a total of 10 teams with non-winning records were invited to bowl games. This was the second consecutive year, and only the third time in eight years, that no teams with losing seasons were invited to fill available bowl berths.
Only 39 of the 40 bowls were played, with the First Responder Bowl becoming the first ever postseason game at the FBS-level to be cancelled, as a severe lightning storm lingered for over two hours near the Cotton Bowl Stadium. The game was scored as a no-contest for the teams involved.
The three all-star games were the East–West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, played on January 19, and the Senior Bowl, played on January 26.
Schedule
The schedule for the 2018–19 bowl games is below. All times are EST.College Football Playoff and Championship Game
The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks. The top four teams in the final ranking play in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.The semifinal games for the 2018–19 season were the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl. Both were played on December 29 as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners advanced to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on January 7.
, site of the National Championship game
All games in this table were televised on ESPN.
| Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 29 | Peach Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00pm | No. 10 Florida Gators No. 7 Michigan Wolverines | SEC Big Ten | Florida 41 Michigan 15 |
| Dec. 29 | Cotton Bowl Classic | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas 4:00pm | No. 2 Clemson Tigers No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish | ACC Independent | Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3 |
| Dec. 29 | Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida 8:00pm | No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners | SEC Big 12 | Alabama 45 Oklahoma 34 |
| Jan. 1 | Fiesta Bowl | State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona 1:00pm | No. 11 LSU Tigers No. 8 UCF Knights | SEC American | LSU 40 UCF 32 |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 5:00pm | No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes No. 9 Washington Huskies | Big Ten Pac-12 | Ohio State 28 Washington 23 |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 8:45pm | No. 15 Texas Longhorns No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs | Big 12 SEC | Texas 28 Georgia 21 |
| Jan. 7 | College Football Playoff National Championship | Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California 8:00pm | No. 2 Clemson Tigers No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide | ACC SEC | Clemson 44 Alabama 16 |
Non-CFP bowl games
For the 2018–19 bowl season, the Gasparilla Bowl was re-located from Tropicana Field to Raymond James Stadium. Under new sponsorship deals in comparison to the prior season's bowl games, the Cactus Bowl was renamed the Cheez-It Bowl, the Heart of Dallas Bowl was renamed the First Responder Bowl, and the Foster Farms Bowl was renamed the Redbox Bowl. The Gator Bowl name was reinstated for the first time since the 2013 season, as it had been known as the TaxSlayer Bowl for the four prior editions.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 15 | Cure Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 1:30 pm | CBSSN | Tulane Green Wave Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | American Sun Belt | Tulane 41 Louisiana 24 |
| Dec. 15 | New Mexico Bowl | Dreamstyle Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico 2:00 pm | ESPN | Utah State Aggies North Texas Mean Green | MWC C-USA | Utah State 52 North Texas 13 |
| Dec. 15 | Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada 3:30 pm | ABC | No. 21Fresno State Bulldogs Arizona State Sun Devils | MWC Pac-12 | Fresno State 31 Arizona State 20 |
| Dec. 15 | Camellia Bowl | Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama 5:30 pm | ESPN | Georgia Southern Eagles Eastern Michigan Eagles | Sun Belt MAC | Georgia Southern 23 Eastern Michigan 21 |
| Dec. 15 | New Orleans Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 9:00 pm | ESPN | Appalachian State Mountaineers Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | Sun Belt C-USA | Appalachian State 45 Middle Tennessee 13 |
| Dec. 18 | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida 7:00 pm | ESPN | UAB Blazers Northern Illinois Huskies | C-USA MAC | UAB 37 Northern Illinois 13 |
| Dec. 19 | Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas 8:00 pm | ESPN | Ohio Bobcats San Diego State Aztecs | MAC MWC | Ohio 27 San Diego State 0 |
| Dec. 20 | Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 8:00 pm | ESPN | Marshall Thundering Herd South Florida Bulls | C-USA American | Marshall 38 South Florida 20 |
| Dec. 21 | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 12:30 pm | ESPN | FIU Panthers Toledo Rockets | C-USA MAC | FIU 35 Toledo 32 |
| Dec. 21 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho 4:00 pm | ESPN | BYU Cougars Western Michigan Broncos | Independent MAC | BYU 49 Western Michigan 18 |
| Dec. 22 | Birmingham Bowl | Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama 12:00 pm | ESPN | Wake Forest Demon Deacons Memphis Tigers | ACC American | Wake Forest 37 Memphis 34 |
| Dec. 22 | Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas 3:30 pm | ESPN | Army Black Knights Houston Cougars | Independent American | Army 70 Houston 14 |
| Dec. 22 | Dollar General Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama 7:00 pm | ESPN | Troy Trojans Buffalo Bulls | Sun Belt MAC | Troy 42 Buffalo 32 |
| Dec. 22 | Hawaii Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii 10:30 pm | ESPN | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | C-USA MWC | Louisiana Tech 31 Hawaii 14 |
| Dec. 26 | First Responder Bowl | Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, Texas 1:30 pm | ESPN | Boston College Eagles No. 25 Boise State Broncos | ACC MWC | No contest due to weather cancellation. |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan 5:15 pm | ESPN | Minnesota Golden Gophers Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Big Ten ACC | Minnesota 34 Georgia Tech 10 |
| Dec. 26 | Cheez-It Bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona 9:00 pm | ESPN | TCU Horned Frogs California Golden Bears | Big 12 Pac-12 | TCU 10 California 7 |
| Dec. 27 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana 1:30 pm | ESPN | Duke Blue Devils Temple Owls | ACC American | Duke 56 Temple 27 |
| Dec. 27 | Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York 5:15 pm | ESPN | Wisconsin Badgers Miami Hurricanes | Big Ten ACC | Wisconsin 35 Miami 3 |
| Dec. 27 | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas 9:00 pm | ESPN | Baylor Bears Vanderbilt Commodores | Big 12 SEC | Baylor 45 Vanderbilt 38 |
| Dec. 28 | Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee 1:30 pm | ESPN | Auburn Tigers Purdue Boilermakers | SEC Big Ten | Auburn 63 Purdue 14 |
| Dec. 28 | Camping World Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 5:15 pm | ESPN | No. 20 Syracuse Orange No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers | ACC Big 12 | Syracuse 34 West Virginia 18 |
| Dec. 28 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas 9:00 pm | ESPN | No. 24 Iowa State Cyclones | Pac-12 Big 12 | Washington State 28 Iowa State 26 |
| Dec. 29 | Belk Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina 12:00 pm | ABC | Virginia Cavaliers South Carolina Gamecocks | ACC SEC | Virginia 28 South Carolina 0 |
| Dec. 29 | Arizona Bowl | Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona 1:15 pm | CBSSN | Nevada Wolf Pack Arkansas State Red Wolves | MWC Sun Belt | Nevada 16 Arkansas State 13 |
| Dec. 31 | Military Bowl | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland 12:00 pm | ESPN | Cincinnati Bearcats Virginia Tech Hokies | American ACC | Cincinnati 35 Virginia Tech 31 |
| Dec. 31 | Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 2:00 pm | CBS | Stanford Cardinal Pittsburgh Panthers | Pac-12 ACC | Stanford 14 Pittsburgh 13 |
| Dec. 31 | Redbox Bowl | Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California 3:00 pm | Fox | Oregon Ducks Michigan State Spartans | Pac-12 Big Ten | Oregon 7 Michigan State 6 |
| Dec. 31 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee 3:45 pm | ESPN | Oklahoma State Cowboys No. 23 Missouri Tigers | Big 12 SEC | Oklahoma State 38 Missouri 33 |
| Dec. 31 | Holiday Bowl | SDCCU Stadium San Diego, California 7:00 pm | FS1 | No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats No. 17 Utah Utes | Big Ten Pac-12 | Northwestern 31 Utah 20 |
| Dec. 31 | Gator Bowl | TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida 7:30 pm | ESPN | No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies NC State Wolfpack | SEC ACC | Texas A&M 52 NC State 13 |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 12:00 pm | ESPN2 | Iowa Hawkeyes No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs | Big Ten SEC | Iowa 27 Mississippi State 22 |
| Jan. 1 | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 1:00 pm | ABC | No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions | SEC Big Ten | Kentucky 27 Penn State 24 |
All-star games
FCS bowl game
The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 24 and ended on January 5.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 15 | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00pm | ABC | North Carolina A&T Aggies Alcorn State Braves | MEAC SWAC | North Carolina A&T 24 Alcorn State 22 |
Team selections
Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible. The College Football Playoff semi-final games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.CFP top 25 standings and bowl games
On December 2, 2018, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the season.Three of the four semifinalists – Alabama, Clemson, and Oklahoma – had also been semifinalists the previous season.
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 13–0 | SEC champions | Orange Bowl |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 13–0 | ACC champions | Cotton Bowl |
| 3 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 12–0 | Independent | Cotton Bowl |
| 4 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12–1 | Big 12 champions | Orange Bowl |
| 5 | Georgia Bulldogs | 11–2 | SEC East Division champions | Sugar Bowl |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 12–1 | Big Ten champions | Rose Bowl |
| 7 | Michigan Wolverines | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division co-champions | Peach Bowl |
| 8 | UCF Knights | 12–0 | AAC champions | Fiesta Bowl |
| 9 | Washington Huskies | 10–3 | Pac-12 champions | Rose Bowl |
| 10 | Florida Gators | SEC East Division second place | Peach Bowl | |
| 11 | LSU Tigers | SEC West Division second place | Fiesta Bowl | |
| 12 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Big Ten East Division third place | Citrus Bowl | |
| 13 | Washington State Cougars | 10–2 | Pac-12 North Division co-champions | Alamo Bowl |
| 14 | Kentucky Wildcats | SEC East Division second place | Citrus Bowl | |
| 15 | Texas Longhorns | Big 12 second place | Sugar Bowl | |
| 16 | West Virginia Mountaineers | Big 12 third place | Camping World Bowl | |
| 17 | Utah Utes | Pac-12 South Division champions | Holiday Bowl | |
| 18 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | SEC West Division fourth place | Outback Bowl | |
| 19 | Texas A&M Aggies | SEC West Division second place | Gator Bowl | |
| 20 | Syracuse Orange | ACC Atlantic Division second place | Camping World Bowl | |
| 21 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 11–2 | Mountain West champions | Las Vegas Bowl |
| 22 | Northwestern Wildcats | Big Ten West Division champions | Holiday Bowl | |
| 23 | Missouri Tigers | SEC East Division fourth place | Liberty Bowl | |
| 24 | Iowa State Cyclones | Big 12 third place | Alamo Bowl | |
| 25 | Boise State Broncos | 10–3 | MWC West Division champions | First Responder Bowl |
Conference champions' bowl games
Three bowls will feature two conference champions playing against each other—the Boca Raton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Rose Bowl. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
| ACC | Clemson Tigers | 13–0 | Cotton Bowl | |
| American | UCF Knights | 12–0 | Fiesta Bowl | |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | 12–1 | Rose Bowl | ||
| Big 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12–1 | Orange Bowl | |
| C-USA | UAB Blazers | 10–3 | — | Boca Raton Bowl |
| MAC | Northern Illinois Huskies | — | Boca Raton Bowl | |
| Mountain West | Fresno State Bulldogs | 11–2 | 21 | Las Vegas Bowl |
| Pac-12 | Washington Huskies | 10–3 | Rose Bowl | |
| SEC | Alabama Crimson Tide | 13–0 | Orange Bowl | |
| Sun Belt | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 10–2 | — | New Orleans Bowl |
Bowl–eligible teams
- ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- American : Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, UCF
- Big Ten : Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
- Big 12 : Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, West Virginia
- C-USA : FIU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Southern Miss, UAB
- Independent : Army, BYU, Notre Dame
- MAC : Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West : Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
- Pac-12 : Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State
- SEC : Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, Troy
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 82
Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth
As there were more bowl-eligible teams than berths available, four teams that were bowl-eligible did not receive an invitation.- Louisiana–Monroe
- Miami
- Southern Miss
- Wyoming
Bowl–ineligible teams
- American : Connecticut, East Carolina, Navy, Tulsa, SMU
- ACC : Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina
- Big Ten : Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers
- Big 12 : Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech
- C-USA : Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
- Independent : Liberty
* , New Mexico State, UMass - MAC : Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State
- Mountain West : Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
- Pac-12 : Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, USC
- SEC : Arkansas, Ole Miss
** , Tennessee - Sun Belt : Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, South Alabama, Texas State
Television Ratings
Most watched non-CFP bowl games
- CFP Rankings.
College Football Playoff