ReliaQuest Bowl | |
---|---|
Stadium | Raymond James Stadium |
Location | Tampa, Florida |
Previous stadiums | Tampa Stadium (1986–1998) |
Operated | 1986–present |
Conference tie-ins | Big Ten, SEC |
Payout | US$20 million (2022–2024, aggregate) [1] |
Sponsors | |
Former names | |
Hall of Fame Bowl (1986–1995) Outback Bowl (1996–2022) | |
2023 matchup | |
LSU vs. Wisconsin (LSU 35–31) | |
2024 matchup | |
Michigan vs. Alabama (December 31, 2024) |
The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it moved to then-new Raymond James Stadium. The bowl has been played on New Year's Day for most of its history, often the first game to kick off on a day that is traditionally filled with post-season college football.
The Cigar Bowl was played at old Phillips Field near downtown Tampa from 1947 to 1954. Because the Cigar Bowl featured teams from smaller colleges, however, the 1986 Hall of Fame Bowl was the first major college bowl game to be played in the area. [2]
The Hall of Fame Classic was a mid-level bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1985. In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame decided to discontinue their association with the bowl and realign with a new game to be played in Tampa Stadium which would inherit the Hall of Fame Bowl name. [3] Tampa's Hall of Fame Bowl did not initially have any conference tie-ins, so organizers often sought to arrange a match-up between a team from a southern school (usually the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference) and one from another region of the country to maximize both game attendance and potential visitors to the area. [2]
Tampa-based restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse became the game's title sponsor in April 1995, allowing the bowl to increase its payout to participants and sign agreements with the SEC and the Big Ten conferences, creating an annual cross-regional match-up that has continued ever since. [2] [4] In 1999, the bowl moved from Tampa Stadium to newly constructed Raymond James Stadium next door. [5]
Though it had signed a six-year extension in 2019, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse decided to discontinue its association with the game in March 2022 in a cost-cutting measure, ending the longest continuous title sponsorship in college bowl history and resulting in a temporary renaming of the game to Tampa Bay Bowl. [6] [7] In June 2022, Tampa-based cybersecurity company ReliaQuest was announced as the new title sponsor. [8] The ReliaQuest Bowl following the 2024 season was scheduled for December 31, 2024, making it the first edition of the bowl since its inaugural edition (played as the Hall of Fame Bowl) to be scheduled in December, and the first edition scheduled for New Year's Eve, a change spurred by the expanded College Football Playoff. [9]
The bowl is played on New Year's Day unless January 1 falls on a Sunday, in which case it is moved to the following Monday. It is usually the first game to start on a day which is traditionally full of college bowl games, and has kicked off as early as 11 a.m. ET. ESPN has had television rights to the game since 1993. Under an extension of those rights signed in 2010, ESPN broadcasts the game on either ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2, in conjunction with the Citrus Bowl and the New Year's Six bowl games. [10] Before 1993, the Hall of Fame Bowl aired on NBC.
Upon signing agreements with the SEC and Big Ten in 1995, the bowl had the third pick of teams from each conference after the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) teams were placed. Since 2014, both the SEC and Big Ten have worked with a group of several bowl games, including this one, to place their bowl-eligible teams after the College Football Playoff (CFP) and associated bowls have made their selections. [11] [12]
As of 2023, the bowl's payout was $6.4 million for each participating team. [13]
Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.
Date | Bowl name | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 23, 1986 | Hall of Fame Bowl | Boston College | 27 | Georgia | 24 | 41,000 |
January 2, 1988 | Hall of Fame Bowl | Michigan | 28 | Alabama | 24 | 61,075 |
January 2, 1989 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #17 Syracuse | 23 | #16 LSU | 10 | 51,112 |
January 1, 1990 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #9 Auburn | 31 | #21 Ohio State | 14 | 68,085 |
January 1, 1991 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #14 Clemson | 30 | #16 Illinois | 0 | 63,154 |
January 1, 1992 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #16 Syracuse | 24 | #25 Ohio State | 17 | 57,789 |
January 1, 1993 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #17 Tennessee | 38 | #16 Boston College | 23 | 52,056 |
January 1, 1994 | Hall of Fame Bowl | #23 Michigan | 42 | NC State | 7 | 52,649 |
January 2, 1995 | Hall of Fame Bowl | Wisconsin | 34 | #25 Duke | 20 | 61,384 |
January 1, 1996 | Outback Bowl | #15 Penn State | 43 | #16 Auburn | 14 | 65,313 |
January 1, 1997 | Outback Bowl | #16 Alabama | 17 | #15 Michigan | 14 | 53,161 |
January 1, 1998 | Outback Bowl | #12 Georgia | 33 | Wisconsin | 6 | 56,186 |
January 1, 1999 | Outback Bowl | #22 Penn State | 26 | Kentucky | 14 | 66,005 |
January 1, 2000 | Outback Bowl | #21 Georgia | 28 | #19 Purdue | 25 (OT) | 54,059 |
January 1, 2001 | Outback Bowl | South Carolina | 24 | #19 Ohio State | 7 | 65,229 |
January 1, 2002 | Outback Bowl | #14 South Carolina | 31 | #22 Ohio State | 28 | 66,249 |
January 1, 2003 | Outback Bowl | #12 Michigan | 38 | #22 Florida | 30 | 65,101 |
January 1, 2004 | Outback Bowl | #13 Iowa | 37 | #17 Florida | 17 | 65,657 |
January 1, 2005 | Outback Bowl | #8 Georgia | 24 | #16 Wisconsin | 21 | 62,414 |
January 2, 2006 | Outback Bowl | #16 Florida | 31 | #25 Iowa | 24 | 65,881 |
January 1, 2007 | Outback Bowl | Penn State | 20 | #17 Tennessee | 10 | 65,601 |
January 1, 2008 | Outback Bowl | #16 Tennessee | 21 | #18 Wisconsin | 17 | 60,121 |
January 1, 2009 | Outback Bowl | Iowa | 31 | South Carolina | 10 | 55,117 |
January 1, 2010 | Outback Bowl | Auburn | 38 | Northwestern | 35 (OT) | 49,383 |
January 1, 2011 | Outback Bowl | Florida | 37 | Penn State | 24 | 60,574 |
January 2, 2012 | Outback Bowl | #12 Michigan State | 33 | #18 Georgia | 30 (3OT) | 49,429 |
January 1, 2013 | Outback Bowl | #11 South Carolina | 33 | #19 Michigan | 28 | 54,527 |
January 1, 2014 | Outback Bowl | #14 LSU † | 21 | Iowa | 14 | 51,296 |
January 1, 2015 | Outback Bowl | #17 Wisconsin | 34 | #19 Auburn | 31 (OT) | 44,023 |
January 1, 2016 | Outback Bowl | Tennessee | 45 | #12 Northwestern | 6 | 53,202 |
January 2, 2017 | Outback Bowl | #20 Florida | 30 | #21 Iowa | 3 | 51,119 |
January 1, 2018 | Outback Bowl | South Carolina | 26 | Michigan | 19 | 45,687 |
January 1, 2019 | Outback Bowl | Iowa | 27 | #18 Mississippi State | 22 | 40,518 |
January 1, 2020 | Outback Bowl | #16 Minnesota | 31 | #9 Auburn | 24 | 45,652 |
January 2, 2021 | Outback Bowl | Ole Miss | 26 | #7 Indiana | 20 | 11,025 |
January 1, 2022 | Outback Bowl | #22 Arkansas | 24 | Penn State | 10 | 46,577 |
January 2, 2023 | ReliaQuest Bowl | #24 Mississippi State | 19 | Illinois | 10 | 35,797 |
January 1, 2024 | ReliaQuest Bowl | #13 LSU | 35 | Wisconsin | 31 | 31,424 |
December 31, 2024 | ReliaQuest Bowl | Michigan vs. #11 Alabama |
Source: [14]
† LSU's win in the 2014 edition was vacated in 2023 by the NCAA for a booster-related violation. [15]
The bowl has named an MVP since inception; in the inaugural game, there were co-MVPs. [16]
|
|
Updated for the December 2024 edition (39 games, 78 total appearances).
Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Michigan † | 7 | 3–3 |
2 | Iowa | 6 | 3–3 |
Wisconsin | 6 | 2–4 | |
4 | South Carolina | 5 | 4–1 |
Penn State | 5 | 3–2 | |
Florida | 5 | 3–2 | |
Georgia | 5 | 3–2 | |
Auburn | 5 | 2–3 | |
9 | Tennessee | 4 | 3–1 |
Ohio State | 4 | 0–4 | |
11 | LSU | 3 | 1–1 ‡ |
Alabama † | 3 | 1–1 | |
13 | Syracuse | 2 | 2–0 |
Boston College | 2 | 1–1 | |
Mississippi State | 2 | 1–1 | |
Illinois | 2 | 0–2 | |
Northwestern | 2 | 0–2 |
† December 2024 participant
‡ LSU's win in the 2014 edition was vacated by the NCAA in 2023.
Won (5): Arkansas, Clemson, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss
Lost (5): Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, NC State, Purdue
Updated for the December 2024 edition (39 games, 78 total appearances).
Conference | Record | Appearances by season | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | Vacated | |
Big Ten † | 36 | 13 | 22 | .371 | 1987*, 1993*, 1994*, 1995*, 1998*, 2002*, 2003*, 2006*, 2008*, 2011*, 2014*, 2018*, 2019* | 1989*, 1990*, 1991*, 1996*, 1997*, 1999*, 2000*, 2001*, 2004*, 2005*, 2007*, 2009*, 2010*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2020*, 2021*, 2022*, 2023* | |
SEC † | 35 | 20 | 13 | .606 ‡ | 1989*, 1992*, 1996*, 1997*, 1999*, 2000*, 2001*, 2004*, 2005*, 2007*, 2009*, 2010*, 2012*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2020*, 2021*, 2022*, 2023* | 1986, 1987*, 1988*, 1995*, 1998*, 2002*, 2003*, 2006*, 2008*, 2011*, 2014*, 2018*, 2019* | 2013* |
ACC | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1990* | 1993*, 1994* | |
Independents | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1986, 1988* | ||
Big East | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1991* | 1992* |
† December 2024 participant
‡ LSU's vacated win following the 2013 season (played in January 2014) is excluded from win–loss totals and winning percentage.
Team | Performance vs. opponent | Year |
---|---|---|
Most points scored (one team) | 45, Tennessee vs. Northwestern | 2016 |
Most points scored (losing team) | 35, Northwestern vs. Auburn | 2010 |
Most points scored (both teams) | 73, Auburn vs. Northwestern | 2010 |
Fewest points allowed | 0, Clemson vs. Illinois | 1991 |
Largest margin of victory | 39, Tennessee vs. Northwestern | 2016 |
Total yards | 621, Northwestern vs. Auburn | 2010 |
Rushing yards | 400, Wisconsin vs. Auburn | 2015 |
Passing yards | 532, Northwestern vs. Auburn | 2010 |
First downs | 34, Northwestern vs. Auburn | 2010 |
Fewest yards allowed | 199, Mississippi State vs. Iowa | 2019 |
Fewest rushing yards allowed | –15, Mississippi State vs. Iowa | 2019 |
Fewest passing yards allowed | 55, Florida vs. Iowa | 2017 |
Individual | Performance, Player, Team | Year |
Total offense | 566, Mike Kafka Northwestern vs. Auburn (532 Pass, 34 Rush) | 2010 |
Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4, Chris Perry (Michigan) | 2003 |
Rushing yards | 251, Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) | 2015 |
Rushing touchdowns | 4, Chris Perry (Michigan) | 2003 |
Passing yards | 532, Mike Kafka (Northwestern) | 2010 |
Passing touchdowns | 4, most recent: Mike Kafka (Northwestern) | 2010 |
Receiving yards | 205, Tavarres King (Georgia) | 2012 |
Receiving touchdowns | 2, most recent: Tyler Johnson (Minnesota) | 2020 |
Tackles | 16, Traveon Henry (Northwestern) | 2016 |
Sacks | 3, most recent: David Pollack (Georgia) | 2005 |
Interceptions | 2, most recent: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (Florida) | 2017 |
Long Plays | Performance, Team/Player vs. opponent | Year |
Touchdown run | 77 yds., Jamie Morris (Michigan) | 1988 |
Touchdown pass | 85 yds., Austin Appleby to Mark Thompson (Florida) | 2017 |
Kickoff return | 96 yds., shared by: Jordan Cotton (Iowa) Noah Igbinoghene [18] (Auburn) | 2014 2020 |
Punt return | 92 yds., Brandon Boykin (Georgia) | 2012 |
Interception return | 100 yds., shared by: Walter McFadden (Auburn) Evan Berry (Tennessee) | 2010 2016 |
Fumble return | 88 yds.,Tony Davis (Penn State) | 2007 |
Punt | 70 yds., Tyeler Dean (South Carolina) | 2002 |
Field goal | 53 yds., Charles Campbell (Indiana) | 2021 |
Source: [19]
The inaugural edition of the bowl was carried by Mizlou in December 1986, with NBC carrying the next five editions (1988–1992). [20] Since 1993, the game has been carried by ESPN or ESPN2, except for four broadcasts on ABC (2011, 2012, 2017, and 2021). [20]
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only by the Rose Bowl Game.
The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Florida Classic.
The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985.
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televised nationally. The game was originally played at Gator Bowl Stadium through the December 1993 game. The December 1994 game was played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville after the namesake stadium was demolished to make way for a replacement venue, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. That venue, now known as EverBank Stadium, has been home to the Gator Bowl since the January 1996 game.
The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced the defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005, and before that the Bluebonnet Bowl, the first bowl game in Houston, played from 1959 through 1987.
The Birmingham Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game played annually in Birmingham, Alabama. First held in 2006, the game is owned and operated by ESPN Events. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) also provides marketing, management and game-day operations support. The game was previously known as the PapaJohns.com Bowl (2006–2010) and the BBVA Compass Bowl (2011–2014). From its inception through 2020, the game was played at Legion Field; since the December 2021 game, it has been held at Protective Stadium.
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played at stadiums on or near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Sam Pittman is the head coach and has served since 2020.
The Cigar Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game held in Tampa, Florida that featured teams from smaller college programs. There were nine editions of the bowl, which was usually played on or around New Year's Day each season from 1946 through 1954. It was played at Phillips Field, which was located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa at the current site of Tampa Preparatory School and Julian Lane Riverfront Park. Its name was inspired by the local cigar industry, which had been the main driver of Tampa's growth from an isolated village to a prosperous city around the turn of the 20th century.
The Gasparilla Bowl is an annual NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game played in the Tampa Bay area. It was first played in 2008 as the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game was renamed the Gasparilla Bowl in 2017 as a nod to the legend of José Gaspar, a mythical pirate who supposedly operated in the Tampa Bay area and who is the inspiration for Tampa's Gasparilla Pirate Festival. In May 2018, the owners announced the bowl would be relocated to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The 2013 Outback Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2013, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as part of the 2012–13 NCAA bowl season. It was the 27th edition of the Outback Bowl, named after sponsor Outback Steakhouse, and was telecast at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. It featured the South Carolina Gamecocks from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) versus the Michigan Wolverines from the Big Ten Conference. South Carolina won with a final score of 33–28.
The 2014 Outback Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2014, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 28th edition of the Outback Bowl, it featured the LSU Tigers from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Conference. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The game started at 1:00 p.m. EST and was telecast on ESPN. LSU defeated Iowa by a score of 21–14.
The 2015 Outback Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on 1 January 2015 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was the 29th edition of the Outback Bowl and featured the #17 Wisconsin Badgers from the Big Ten and the #19 Auburn Tigers from the SEC. It was one of the 2014-15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season. It kicked off at Noon EST and was nationally televised by ESPN2. It was sponsored by the Outback Steakhouse restaurant franchise.
The 2019 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2019. It was the 33rd edition of the Outback Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by Outback Steakhouse and played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The 2020 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 34th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. The game was named after its title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse.
The 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 153rd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 27 and ended on December 10. The postseason began on December 16, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, ended on January 9, 2023, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The 2022–23 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football games played to complete the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Team-competitive games began in mid-December and concluded with the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 9, 2023, which was won by the Georgia Bulldogs. The all-star portion of the schedule began on January 14 and concluded on February 25, 2023.
The 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2023, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 37th annual ReliaQuest Bowl, the game featured the Mississippi State Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference and the Illinois Fighting Illini from the Big Ten Conference. The game began at 12:03 p.m. EST and was aired on ESPN2. It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Cybersecurity company ReliaQuest was the game's title sponsor.
The 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 38th annual ReliaQuest Bowl featured Wisconsin from the Big Ten Conference and LSU from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game began at approximately 12:00 p.m. EST and was aired on ESPN2. It was one of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season. Tampa-based cybersecurity company ReliaQuest was the title sponsor.
The 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl is a college football bowl game that is scheduled to be played on December 31, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 39th annual ReliaQuest Bowl will feature the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, and the Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference; a rematch of the previous season’s Rose Bowl. The game is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon EST and will air on ESPN. It is one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 FBS football season.
Noah Igbinoghene's 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, which tied an Outback Bowl record.