2016–17 NCAA football bowl games
The 2016–17 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games which completed the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 17, 2016, and aside from the all-star games ended with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 9, 2017.
The total of 41 team-competitive postseason games in FBS, including the national championship game, 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 eleventh consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games. To fill the 80 available team-competitive bowl slots, a new record of 20 teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—17 had a.500 season, and three losing teams with sub-.500 records. This was the fifth time in six years that teams with actual losing records were invited to bowl games. None of the six teams that played in bowls on December 26 had a winning record.
Schedule
The schedule for the 2016–17 bowl games are below. All times are EST.College Football Playoff and Championship Game
The College Football Playoff system was used to determine a national champion 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 of the 2016 season. The top four teams in the final ranking then played a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.The semi-final games were held at the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls. Their winners advanced to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 9, 2017. As with the 2015 season, the two semi-final bowls were held on New Year's Eve, as the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are guaranteed exclusive TV time slots on January 2 if New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, regardless of whether they will be hosting a semifinal game.
To reduce the impact of the semi-final games' New Year's Eve scheduling—a factor that led to lower viewership of the 2015 semi-finals in comparison to 2014, it was announced on March 8, 2016, that the kickoff times of the two bowls would be pushed forward to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm ET. CFP commissioner Bill Hancock suggested that starting the games earlier would allow viewers to partake in both the CFP games and New Year's festivities. As the earlier start intrudes on the early afternoon window for New Year's Six games, the 2016 Orange Bowl was instead held as a primetime game on December 30, 2016. As a result, the "New Year's Six" bowls were stretched across a period of four days, rather than two consecutive days of three games each. In July 2016, Hancock announced that future semi-finals, when not hosted by the Rose and Sugar Bowl games, will generally be held on the final Saturday of the year.
Of the Power Five conferences, The Big Ten was represented with four teams in the New Year's Six, whereas the ACC, SEC and Pac-12 had two teams each. The Big 12 was again left out of the semifinals, and had just one team in the New Year's Six. The Group of 5 was represented by the MAC.
, site of the National Championship game
| Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 30 | Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 8:00 pm EST | #11 Florida State Seminoles | ACCBig Ten | Florida State 33 Michigan 32 |
| Dec. 31 | Peach Bowl | Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA 3:00 pm EST | #1 Alabama Crimson Tide | SECPac-12 | Alabama 24 Washington 7 |
| Dec. 31 | Fiesta Bowl | University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 7:00 pm EST | #2 Clemson Tigers | ACCBig Ten | Clemson 31 Ohio State 0 |
| Jan. 2 | Cotton Bowl Classic | AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 1:00 pm EST | #8 Wisconsin Badgers | Big TenMAC | Wisconsin 24 Western Michigan 16 |
| Jan. 2 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA 5:00 pm EST | #9 USC Trojans | Pac-12Big Ten | USC 52 Penn State 49 |
| Jan. 2 | Sugar Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 8:30 pm EST | #7 Oklahoma Sooners | Big 12SEC | Oklahoma 35 Auburn 19 |
| Jan. 9 | College Football Playoff National Championship | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 8:30 pm EST | #2 Clemson Tigers
| ACC SEC | Clemson 35 Alabama 31 |
Non-CFP bowl games
On April 11, 2016, the NCAA announced a freeze on new bowl games until after the 2019 season. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, the NCAA had to lower its postseason eligibility criteria repeatedly, eventually allowing teams with losing records to participate in bowls due to there being not enough bowl-eligible teams, while also having to allow teams from the same conference to meet in the 2015 Arizona Bowl due to the lack of eligible teams to meet its other tie-ins. For the 2016–17 bowl season, [|63% of the 128 teams] playing in Division I FBS were deemed eligible and received invites to fill the 80 available slots.Prior to the moratorium, multiple new bowl games were proposed for or approved to begin play in 2016, including one in Myrtle Beach, the Medal of Honor Bowl, the Sun Belt/American Austin Bowl, and a Mountain West/Pac-12 bowl in Melbourne, Australia. The Sun Belt subsequently announced that it would become a new primary tie-in for the Arizona Bowl.
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 17 | New Mexico Bowl | University Stadium Albuquerque, NM 2:00 pm | ESPN | New Mexico Lobos UTSA Roadrunners | Mountain West C-USA | New Mexico 23 UTSA 20 |
| Dec. 17 | Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV 3:30 pm | ABC | San Diego State Aztecs Houston Cougars | Mountain West American | San Diego State 34 Houston 10 |
| Dec. 17 | Camellia Bowl | Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL 5:30 pm | ESPN | Appalachian State Mountaineers Toledo Rockets | Sun Belt MAC | Appalachian State 31 Toledo 28 |
| Dec. 17 | Cure Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30 pm | CBSSN | Arkansas State Red Wolves UCF Knights | Sun Belt American | Arkansas State 31 UCF 13 |
| Dec. 17 | New Orleans Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 9:00 pm | ESPN | Southern Miss Golden Eagles Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns | C-USA Sun Belt | Southern Miss 28 Louisiana–Lafayette 21 |
| Dec. 19 | Miami Beach Bowl | Marlins Park Miami, FL 2:30 pm | ESPN | Tulsa Golden Hurricane Central Michigan Chippewas | American MAC | Tulsa 55 Central Michigan 10 |
| Dec. 20 | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL 7:00 pm | ESPN | WKU Hilltoppers Memphis Tigers | C-USA American | WKU 51 Memphis 31 |
| Dec. 21 | Poinsettia Bowl | SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA 9:00 pm | ESPN | BYU Cougars Wyoming Cowboys | Independent Mountain West | BYU 24 Wyoming 21 |
| Dec. 22 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID 7:00 pm | ESPN | Idaho Vandals Colorado State Rams | Sun Belt Mountain West | Idaho 61 Colorado State 50 |
| Dec. 23 | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 1:00 pm | ESPN | Old Dominion Monarchs Eastern Michigan Eagles | C-USA MAC | Old Dominion 24 Eastern Michigan 20 |
| Dec. 23 | Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX 4:30 pm | ESPN | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | C-USAAmerican | Louisiana Tech 48 Navy 45 |
| Dec. 23 | Dollar General Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL 8:00 pm | ESPN | Troy Trojans Ohio Bobcats | Sun Belt MAC | Troy 28 Ohio 23 |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaii Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 8:00 pm | ESPN | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | Mountain West C-USA | Hawaii 52 Middle Tennessee 35 |
| Dec. 26 | St. Petersburg Bowl | Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 11:00 am | ESPN | Mississippi State Bulldogs Miami RedHawks | SEC MAC | Mississippi State 17 Miami 16 |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, MI 2:30 pm | ESPN | Boston College Eagles Maryland Terrapins | ACC Big Ten | Boston College 36 Maryland 30 |
| Dec. 26 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA 5:00 pm | ESPN2 | NC State Wolfpack Vanderbilt Commodores | ACC SEC | NC State 41 Vanderbilt 17 |
| Dec. 27 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX noon | ESPN | Army Black Knights North Texas Mean Green | Independent C-USA | Army 38 North Texas 31 |
| Dec. 27 | Military Bowl | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD 3:30 pm | ESPN | Wake Forest Demon Deacons
| ACCAmerican | Wake Forest 34 Temple 26 |
| Dec. 27 | Holiday Bowl | SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA 7:00 pm | ESPN | Minnesota Golden Gophers Washington State Cougars | Big Ten Pac-12 | Minnesota 17 Washington State 12 |
| Dec. 27 | Cactus Bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, AZ 10:15 pm | ESPN | Baylor Bears Boise State Broncos | Big 12 Mountain West | Baylor 31 Boise State 12 |
| Dec. 28 | Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY 2:00 pm | ESPN | Northwestern Wildcats | Big TenACC | Northwestern 31 Pittsburgh 24 |
| Dec. 28 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30 pm | ESPN | Miami Hurricanes | ACCBig 12 | Miami 31 West Virginia 14 |
| Dec. 28 | Foster Farms Bowl | Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA 8:30 pm | Fox | #19 Utah Utes Indiana Hoosiers | Pac-12 Big Ten | Utah 26 Indiana 24 |
| Dec. 28 | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, TX 9:00 pm | ESPN | Kansas State Wildcats Texas A&M Aggies | Big 12 SEC | Kansas State 33 Texas A&M 28 |
| Dec. 29 | Birmingham Bowl | Legion Field Birmingham, AL 2:00 pm | ESPN | South Florida Bulls South Carolina Gamecocks | American SEC | South Florida 46 South Carolina 39 |
| Dec. 29 | Belk Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 5:30 pm | ESPN | #22 Virginia Tech Hokies Arkansas Razorbacks | ACC SEC | Virginia Tech 35 Arkansas 24 |
| Dec. 29 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, TX 9:00 pm | ESPN | #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys | Big 12Pac-12 | Oklahoma State 38 Colorado 8 |
| Dec. 30 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN noon | ESPN | Georgia Bulldogs TCU Horned Frogs | SEC Big 12 | Georgia 31 TCU 23 |
| Dec. 30 | Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX 2:00 pm | CBS | #18 Stanford Cardinal North Carolina Tar Heels | Pac-12 ACC | Stanford 25 North Carolina 23 |
| Dec. 30 | Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN 3:30 pm | ESPN | #21 Tennessee Volunteers Nebraska Cornhuskers | SEC Big Ten | Tennessee 38 Nebraska 24 |
| Dec. 30 | Arizona Bowl | Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ 5:30 pm | ASN | Air Force Falcons South Alabama Jaguars | Mountain West Sun Belt | Air Force 45 South Alabama 21 |
| Dec. 31 | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 11:00 am | ABC | #20 LSU Tigers | SECACC | LSU 29 Louisville 9 |
| Dec. 31 | TaxSlayer Bowl | EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL 11:00 am | ESPN | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Kentucky Wildcats | ACC SEC | Georgia Tech 33 Kentucky 18 |
| Jan. 2 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 1:00 pm | ABC | #17 Florida Gators Iowa Hawkeyes | SEC Big Ten | Florida 30 Iowa 3 |
All-star games
FCS bowl game
The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 26 and ended on January 7.| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 17 | Celebration Bowl | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia 12:00pm | ABC | North Carolina Central Eagles Grambling State Tigers | MEAC SWAC | Grambling State 10 North Carolina Central 9 |
Selection of the teams
CFP top 25 teams
On December 4, 2016, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year:In the third year of the College Football Playoff era, this was the first time that one of the four semifinalists was not a conference champion.
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | SEC champions | Peach Bowl | ||
| Clemson Tigers | ACC champions | Fiesta Bowl | ||
| Ohio State Buckeyes | Big Ten East Division co-champions | Fiesta Bowl | ||
| Washington Huskies | Pac-12 champions | Peach Bowl | ||
| Penn State Nittany Lions | Big Ten champions | Rose Bowl | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | Big Ten East Division third place | Orange Bowl | ||
| Oklahoma Sooners | Big 12 champions | Sugar Bowl | ||
| Wisconsin Badgers | Big Ten West Division champions | Cotton Bowl Classic | ||
| USC Trojans | Pac-12 South Division second place | Rose Bowl | ||
| Colorado Buffaloes | Pac-12 South Division champions | Alamo Bowl | ||
| Florida State Seminoles | ACC Atlantic Division third place | Orange Bowl | ||
| Oklahoma State Cowboys | Big 12 second place | Alamo Bowl | ||
| Louisville Cardinals | ACC Atlantic Division co-champions | Citrus Bowl | ||
| Auburn Tigers | SEC West Division second place | Sugar Bowl | ||
| Western Michigan Broncos | MAC Champions | Cotton Bowl Classic | ||
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Big 12 second place | Russell Athletic Bowl | ||
| Florida Gators | SEC East Division champions | Outback Bowl | ||
| Stanford Cardinal | Pac-12 North Division third place | Sun Bowl | ||
| Utah Utes | Pac-12 South Division third place | Foster Farms Bowl | ||
| LSU Tigers | SEC West Division second place | Citrus Bowl | ||
| Tennessee Volunteers | SEC East Division second place | Music City Bowl | ||
| Virginia Tech Hokies | ACC Coastal Division champions | Belk Bowl | ||
| Pittsburgh Panthers | ACC Coastal Division second place | Pinstripe Bowl | ||
| Temple Owls | American champions | Military Bowl | ||
| Navy Midshipmen | American West Division champions | Armed Forces Bowl |
Conference champions' bowl games
Only the Peach Bowl featured two conference champions playing against each other. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
| ACC | Clemson Tigers | 12–1 | Fiesta Bowl | |
| American | Temple Owls | 10–3 | 24 | Military Bowl |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | 11–2 | Rose Bowl | ||
| Big 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 10–2 | Sugar Bowl | |
| C-USA | WKU Hilltoppers | 10–3 | — | Boca Raton Bowl |
| MAC | Western Michigan Broncos | 13–0 | 15 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Mountain West | San Diego State Aztecs | 10–3 | — | Las Vegas Bowl |
| Pac-12 | Washington Huskies | 12–1 | Peach Bowl | |
| SEC | Alabama Crimson Tide | 13–0 | Peach Bowl | |
| Sun Belt | Appalachian State Mountaineers | — | Camellia Bowl | |
| Sun Belt | Arkansas State Red Wolves | — | Cure Bowl |
denotes a conference that named co-champions
Bowl-eligible teams
- American : Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa
- ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- Big Ten : Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
- Big 12 : Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, West Virginia
- Conference USA : Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Southern Mississippi, UTSA, Western Kentucky
- Independent : Army, BYU
- MAC : Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West : Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming, Hawaii
- Pac-12 : Colorado, Stanford, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
- SEC : Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, South Alabama, Troy
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 76
Number of conditional bowl-eligible teams: 2
Number of teams qualified by APR: 2
Bowl-ineligible teams
- The American : SMU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Tulane
- ACC : Duke, Syracuse, Virginia
- Big Ten : Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers
- Big 12 : Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas
- Conference USA : Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Rice, UTEP
- Independent : Notre Dame, Massachusetts
- MAC : Akron, Northern Illinois, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State
- Mountain West : Nevada, Fresno State, San José State, Utah State, UNLV
- Pac-12 : Arizona State, California, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA
- SEC : Missouri, Ole Miss
- Sun Belt : Georgia Southern, Louisiana–Monroe, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Texas State
Note: Being bowl-ineligible does not, in itself, exclude a team from the chance to play in a bowl game. Tiebreaker procedures based on a school's Academic Progress Rate allowed for the possibility of 5–7 teams to play in bowl games since not enough teams qualified to fill all 80 spots with at least a 6–6 record.