2017–18 NCAA football bowl games

The 2017–18 NCAA football bowl games was a series of college football bowl games which completed the Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 16, 2017, and aside from the all-star games ended with the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, which was played on January 8, 2018.
The total of 40 team-competitive bowls in FBS, including the national championship game, was one less than the previous year, with the folding of the Poinsettia Bowl. To fill the 78 available bowl slots, a total of 15 teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games. This marks only the second time in seven years that no teams with losing seasons had to be invited to fill available bowl berths.

Schedule

The schedule for the 2017–18 bowl games is 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 2017 season. The top four teams in the final ranking played a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.
The semifinal games were the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Both were played on New Year's Day, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the CFP New Year's Six bowl games. Their winners advanced to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 8, 2018.
Each of the games in the following table was televised by ESPN.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 29	8:30 p.m.	Cotton Bowl Classic	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas	No. 5 [2017 2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes] No. 8 [2017 2017 USC Trojans football team\|USC Trojans football team\|USC Trojans]	[2017 2017 Big Ten Conference football season\|Big Ten Conference football season\|Big Ten] [2017 2017 Pac-12 Conference football season\|Pac-12 Conference football season\|Pac-12]	Ohio State 24 USC 7
Dec. 30	4:00 p.m.	Fiesta Bowl	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona	No. 9 [2017 2017 Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions] No. 11 [2017 2017 Washington Huskies football team\|Washington Huskies football team\|Washington Huskies]	Big Ten Pac-12	Penn State 35 Washington 28
Dec. 30	8:00 p.m.	Orange Bowl	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida	No. 6 [2017 2017 Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers] No. 10 Miami (FL) Hurricanes	Big Ten ACC	Wisconsin 34 Miami 24
Jan. 1	12:30 p.m.	Peach Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	No. 12 [2017 2017 UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights] No. 7 [2017 2017 Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers]	American SEC	UCF 34 Auburn 27
Jan. 1	5:00 p.m.	Rose Bowl	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California	No. 3 [2017 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football team\|Georgia Bulldogs football team\|Georgia Bulldogs] No. 2 [2017 2017 Oklahoma Sooners football team\|Oklahoma Sooners football team\|Oklahoma Sooners]	SEC [2017 2017 Big 12 Conference football season\|Big 12 Conference football season\|Big 12]	Georgia 54 Oklahoma 48
Jan. 1	8:45 p.m.	Sugar Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana	No. 4 [2017 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide] No. 1 [2017 2017 Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers]	SEC ACC	Alabama 24 Clemson 6
Jan. 8	8:00 p.m.	College Football Playoff National Championship	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs	SEC	Alabama 26 Georgia 23

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 seasons 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 Arizona Bowl due to the lack of eligible teams to meet its other tie-ins. For the 2017–18 bowl season, [|62% of the 130 teams] playing in Division I FBS were deemed eligible to participate in a bowl game, with 60% actually receiving invites to fill the 78 available slots.
For the 2017–18 bowl season, changes from the prior season's bowl games include the relocation of the Miami Beach Bowl to Frisco, Texas as the Frisco Bowl, and the discontinuation of the Poinsettia Bowl. The Russel Athletic Bowl was renamed the Camping World Bowl under a new sponsorship, and after going without a sponsor for two years, the St. Petersburg Bowl was renamed the Gasparilla Bowl.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 16	1:00 p.m.	New Orleans Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana	ESPN	[2017 2017 Troy Trojans football team\|Troy Trojans football team\|Troy Trojans] [2017 2017 North Texas Mean Green football team\|North Texas Mean Green football team\|North 2017 Texas Longhorns football team\|Texas Mean Green]	Sun Belt C–USA	Troy 50 North Texas 30
Dec. 16	2:30 p.m.	Cure Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	CBSSN	[2017 2017 Georgia State Panthers football team\|Georgia State Panthers football team\|Georgia State Panthers] [2017 2017 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western 2017 Kentucky Wildcats football team\|Kentucky Hilltoppers]	Sun Belt C-USA	Georgia State 27 Western Kentucky 17
Dec. 16	3:30 p.m.	Las Vegas Bowl	Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada	ABC	No. 25 [2017 2017 Boise State Broncos football team\|Boise State Broncos football team\|Boise State Broncos] [2017 2017 Oregon Ducks football team\|Oregon Ducks football team\|Oregon Ducks]	MWC Pac–12	Boise State 38 Oregon 28
Dec. 16	4:30 p.m.	[2017 2017 New Mexico Lobos football team\|New Mexico Bowl\|New Mexico Bowl]	Dreamstyle Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico	ESPN	[2017 2017 Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd] [2017 2017 Colorado State Rams football team\|Colorado State Rams football team\|Colorado State Rams]	C–USA MWC	Marshall 31 Colorado State 28
Dec. 16	8:00 p.m.	Camellia Bowl	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama	ESPN	[2017 2017 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team\|Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team\|Middle 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team\|Tennessee Blue Raiders] [2017 2017 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team\|Arkansas State Red Wolves football team\|Arkansas State Red Wolves]	C–USA Sun Belt	Middle Tennessee 35 Arkansas State 30
Dec. 19	7:00 p.m.	Boca Raton Bowl	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida	ESPN	[2017 2017 Florida Atlantic Owls football team\|Florida Atlantic Owls football team\|Florida Atlantic Owls] [2017 2017 Akron Zips football team\|Akron Zips football team\|Akron Zips]	C–USA MAC	Florida Atlantic 50 Akron 3
Dec. 20	8:00 p.m.	Frisco Bowl	Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas	ESPN	[2017 2017 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team\|Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team\|Louisiana Tech Bulldogs] [2017 2017 SMU Mustangs football team\|SMU Mustangs football team\|SMU Mustangs]	C–USA American	Louisiana Tech 51 SMU 10
Dec. 21	8:00 p.m.	Gasparilla Bowl	Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida	ESPN	[2017 2017 Temple Owls football team\|Temple Owls football team\|Temple Owls] [2017 2017 FIU Panthers football team\|FIU Panthers football team\|FIU Panthers]	American C–USA	Temple 28 FIU 3
Dec. 22	12:30 p.m.	Bahamas Bowl	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	Ohio Bobcats [2017 2017 UAB Blazers football team\|UAB Blazers football team\|UAB Blazers]	MAC C–USA	Ohio 41 UAB 6
Dec. 22	4:00 p.m.	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho	ESPN	[2017 2017 Wyoming Cowboys football team\|Wyoming Cowboys football team\|Wyoming Cowboys] [2017 2017 Central Michigan Chippewas football team\|Central Michigan Chippewas football team\|Central 2017 Michigan Wolverines football team\|Michigan Chippewas]	MWC MAC	Wyoming 37 Central Michigan 14
Dec. 23	12:00 p.m.	Birmingham Bowl	Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama	ESPN	[2017 2017 South Florida Bulls football team\|South Florida Bulls football team\|South Florida Bulls] [2017 2017 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team\|Texas Tech Red Raiders football team\|Texas Tech Red Raiders]	American Big 12	South Florida 38 Texas Tech 34
Dec. 23	3:30 p.m.	Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas	ESPN	[2017 2017 Army Black Knights football team\|Army Black Knights football team\|Army Black Knights] [2017 2017 San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs]	Independent MWC	Army 42 San Diego State 35
Dec. 23	7:00 p.m.	Dollar General Bowl	Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama	ESPN	[2017 2017 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team\|Appalachian State Mountaineers football team\|Appalachian State Mountaineers] [2017 2017 Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets]	Sun Belt MAC	Appalachian State 34 Toledo 0
Dec. 24	8:30 p.m.	Hawaii Bowl	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii	ESPN	[2017 2017 Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs] [2017 2017 Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars]	MWC American	Fresno State 33 Houston 27
Dec. 26	1:00 p.m.	Heart of Dallas Bowl	Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, Texas	ESPN	[2017 2017 Utah Utes football team\|Utah Utes football team\|Utah Utes] [2017 2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West 2017 Virginia Cavaliers football team\|Virginia Mountaineers]	Pac-12 Big 12	Utah 30 West Virginia 14
Dec. 26	5:15 p.m.	Quick Lane Bowl	Ford Field Detroit, Michigan	ESPN	[2017 2017 Duke Blue Devils football team\|Duke Blue Devils football team\|Duke Blue Devils] [2017 2017 Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern 2017 Illinois Fighting Illini football team\|Illinois Huskies]	ACC MAC	Duke 36 Northern Illinois 14
Dec. 26	9:00 p.m.	Cactus Bowl	Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona	ESPN	[2017 2017 Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats] [2017 2017 UCLA Bruins football team\|UCLA Bruins football team\|UCLA Bruins]	Big 12 Pac-12	Kansas State 35 UCLA 17
Dec. 27	1:30 p.m.	Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana	ESPN	[2017 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team\|Florida State Seminoles football team\|Florida State Seminoles] [2017 2017 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team\|Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team\|Southern Miss Golden Eagles]	ACC C–USA	Florida State 42 Southern Miss 13
Dec. 27	5:15 p.m.	Pinstripe Bowl	Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York	ESPN	[2017 2017 Iowa Hawkeyes football team\|Iowa Hawkeyes football team\|Iowa Hawkeyes] [2017 2017 Boston College Eagles football team\|Boston College Eagles football team\|Boston College Eagles]	Big Ten ACC	Iowa 27 Boston College 20
Dec. 27	8:30 p.m.	Foster Farms Bowl	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California	Fox	[2017 2017 Purdue Boilermakers football team\|Purdue Boilermakers football team\|Purdue Boilermakers] Arizona Wildcats	Big Ten Pac-12	Purdue 38 Arizona 35
Dec. 27	9:00 p.m.	Texas Bowl	NRG Stadium Houston, Texas	ESPN	Texas Longhorns [2017 2017 Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers]	Big 12 SEC	Texas 33 Missouri 16
Dec. 28	1:30 p.m.	Military Bowl	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland	ESPN	[2017 2017 Navy Midshipmen football team\|Navy Midshipmen football team\|Navy Midshipmen] Virginia Cavaliers	American ACC	Navy 49 Virginia 7
Dec. 28	5:15 p.m.	Camping World Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	ESPN	No. 19 [2017 2017 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys] No. 22 [2017 2017 Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies]	Big 12 ACC	Oklahoma State 30 Virginia Tech 21
Dec. 28	9:00 p.m.	Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, Texas	ESPN	No. 15 [2017 2017 TCU Horned Frogs football team\|TCU Horned Frogs football team\|TCU Horned Frogs] No. 13 [2017 2017 Stanford Cardinal football team\|Stanford Cardinal football team\|Stanford Cardinal]	Big 12 Pac-12	TCU 39 Stanford 37
Dec. 28	9:00 p.m.	Holiday Bowl	SDCCU Stadium San Diego, California	FS1	No. 16 [2017 2017 Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans] No. 18 [2017 2017 Washington State Cougars football team\|Washington State Cougars football team\|Washington State Cougars]	Big Ten Pac-12	Michigan State 42 Washington State 17
Dec. 29	1:00 p.m.	Belk Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina	ESPN	[2017 2017 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team\|Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team\|Wake Forest Demon Deacons] Texas A&M Aggies	ACC SEC	Wake Forest 55 Texas A&M 52
Dec. 29	3:00 p.m.	Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas	CBS	No. 24 [2017 2017 NC State Wolfpack football team\|NC State Wolfpack football team\|NC State Wolfpack] [2017 2017 Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils]	ACC Pac-12	NC State 52 Arizona State 31
Dec. 29	4:30 p.m.	Music City Bowl	Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee	ESPN	No. 21 [2017 2017 Northwestern Wildcats football team\|Northwestern Wildcats football team\|Northwestern Wildcats] Kentucky Wildcats	Big Ten SEC	Northwestern 24 Kentucky 23
Dec. 29	5:30 p.m.	Arizona Bowl	Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona	CBSSN	[2017 2017 New Mexico State Aggies football team\|New Mexico State Aggies football team\|New Mexico State Aggies] [2017 2017 Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies]	Sun Belt MWC	New Mexico State 26 Utah State 20
Dec. 30	12:00 p.m.	TaxSlayer Bowl	EverBank Field Jacksonville, Florida	ESPN	No. 23 [2017 2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs] [2017 2017 Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals]	SEC ACC	Mississippi State 31 Louisville 27
Dec. 30	12:30 p.m.	Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tennessee	ABC	[2017 2017 Iowa State Cyclones football team\|Iowa State Cyclones football team\|Iowa State Cyclones] No. 20 [2017 2017 Memphis Tigers football team\|Memphis Tigers football team\|Memphis Tigers]	Big 12 American	Iowa State 21 Memphis 20
Jan. 1	12:00 p.m.	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida	ESPN2	[2017 2017 South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks] Michigan Wolverines	SEC Big Ten	South Carolina 26 Michigan 19
Jan. 1	1:00 p.m.	Citrus Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	ABC	No. 14 [2017 2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish] No. 17 [2017 2017 LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers]	Independent SEC	Notre Dame 21 LSU 17

FCS bowl game

The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 25 and ended on January 6.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 16	12:00 p.m.	Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	ABC	North Carolina A&T Aggies Grambling State Tigers	MEAC SWAC	North Carolina A&T 21 Grambling State 14

Selection of the teams

CFP top 25 teams

On December 3, 2017, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year.
In the fourth year of the College Football Playoff era, this was the first time that two of the four semifinalists were from the same conference.

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Clemson Tigers	12–1	ACC champions	Sugar Bowl
2	Oklahoma Sooners	12–1	Big 12 champions	Rose Bowl
3	Georgia Bulldogs	12–1	SEC champions	Rose Bowl
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	11–1	SEC West Division co-champions	Sugar Bowl
5	Ohio State Buckeyes	11–2	Big Ten champions	Cotton Bowl Classic
6	Wisconsin Badgers	12–1	Big Ten West Division champions	Orange Bowl
7	Auburn Tigers	10–3	SEC West Division co-champions	Peach Bowl
8	USC Trojans	11–2	Pac-12 champions	Cotton Bowl Classic
9	Penn State Nittany Lions	10–2	Big Ten East Division second place	Fiesta Bowl
10	Miami (FL) Hurricanes	10–2	ACC Coastal Division champions	Orange Bowl
11	Washington Huskies	10–2	Pac-12 North Division co-champions	Fiesta Bowl
12	UCF Knights	12–0	AAC champions	Peach Bowl
13	Stanford Cardinal	9–4	Pac-12 North Division co-champions	Alamo Bowl
14	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	9–3	Independent	Citrus Bowl
15	TCU Horned Frogs	10–3	Big 12 second place	Alamo Bowl
16	Michigan State Spartans	9–3	Big Ten East Division second place	Holiday Bowl
17	LSU Tigers	9–3	SEC West Division third place	Citrus Bowl
18	Washington State Cougars	9–3	Pac-12 North Division third place	Holiday Bowl
19	Oklahoma State Cowboys	9–3	Big 12 third place	Camping World Bowl
20	Memphis Tigers	10–2	AAC West Division champions	Liberty Bowl
21	Northwestern Wildcats	9–3	Big Ten West Division second place	Music City Bowl
22	Virginia Tech Hokies	9–3	ACC Coastal Division second place	Camping World Bowl
23	Mississippi State Bulldogs	8–4	SEC West Division fourth place	TaxSlayer Bowl
24	NC State Wolfpack	8–4	ACC Atlantic Division second place	Sun Bowl
25	Boise State Broncos	10–3	MWC champions	Las Vegas Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

Three bowls featured two conference champions playing against each other—the Dollar General Bowl, Cotton Bowl Classic, and Rose Bowl. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.

Conference	Champion	W–L	Rank	Bowl game
ACC	Clemson Tigers	12–1		Sugar Bowl
American	UCF Knights	12–0	12	Peach Bowl
	Ohio State Buckeyes	11–2		Cotton Bowl Classic
Big 12	Oklahoma Sooners	12–1		Rose Bowl
C-USA	Florida Atlantic Owls	10–3	—	Boca Raton Bowl
MAC	Toledo Rockets	11–2	—	Dollar General Bowl
Mountain West	Boise State Broncos	10–3	25	Las Vegas Bowl
Pac-12	USC Trojans	11–2		Cotton Bowl Classic
SEC	Georgia Bulldogs	12–1		Rose Bowl
Sun Belt	Appalachian State Mountaineers		—	Dollar General Bowl
Sun Belt	Troy Trojans	10–2	—	New Orleans Bowl

denotes a conference that named co-champions

Bowl-eligible teams

ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
American : Houston, Memphis, Navy, SMU, South Florida, Temple, UCF
Big Ten : Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big 12 : Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia
C-USA : FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Southern Miss, UAB, UTSA, Western Kentucky
MAC : Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West : Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
Pac-12 : Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
SEC : Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M
Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Troy
Independent : Army, Notre Dame

Number of bowl berths available: 78
'''Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81'''

Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth

As there are more bowl-eligible teams than bowl berths, three bowl-eligible teams did not receive a bowl berth:

Bowl-ineligible teams

ACC : Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
American : Cincinnati, East Carolina, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn
Big Ten : Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers
Big 12 : Baylor, Kansas
C-USA : Charlotte, Old Dominion, Rice, UTEP
MAC : Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH)
Mountain West : Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
Pac-12 : California, Colorado, Oregon State
SEC : Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Sun Belt : Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Idaho, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State
Independent : BYU, UMass

'''Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 49'''

Television viewers and ratings

Non-CFP bowl games

CFP Rankings.