2005–06 NCAA football bowl games
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The 2005-06 NCAA college football bowl season is a series of 32 post-season games (including the Bowl Championship Series) that will be played in December 2005 and January 2006 for Division I-A football teams and their all-stars. The post-season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 20, 2005, and conclude on January 28, 2006, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.
Minor Bowls
With 64 teams having winning records, and 56 slots in bowl games, there were more teams than slots available for teams to get a bowl bid. Again, as in 2004, two conferences — the Pac 10 and the SEC — did not have enough teams to fill the required number of slots for their non-BCS bowls. A third conference — the Big Ten — has two teams in the BCS (Penn State as the conference champion, and Ohio State meeting Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl January 2nd.) The biggest beneficiary this year was the ACC, which replaced the SEC at the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Georgia Tech) and the Pac-10 (Virginia) at the Emerald (Nuts) Bowl; Conference USA also gained a slot, sending Memphis to the Motor City Bowl. Unlike last year, where a fighting incident during the game between Clemson and South Carolina led each team to impose a post-season ban, no school forfeited post-season play this year. The number of bowls has remained constant for three years, but it has been suggested that the NCAA might approve at least one additional game in 2006, that one most likely in Toronto, Ontario.
The eight teams with winning records that did not get bowl bids were Louisiana Tech (7-4) from the WAC, MAC teams Miami (OH) (7-4), Bowling Green (6-5), Western Michigan (7-4), Northern Illinois (7-5) and Central Michigan (6-5), Mountain West representative New Mexico (6-5) and the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Lafayette (6-5). Four teams made their Division I-A bowl debuts — Arkansas State (Sun Belt, New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette), South Florida (Big East, Meineke Car Care), Central Florida (C-USA, Sheraton Hawai'i) and Akron (MAC, Motor City). Notably, Akron was the only bowl-eligible team willing to accept an invitation to be left out of the 2004 bowl games.
Participants in the minor bowls are selected on the basis of conference tie-ins.
All bowl purses enumerated are given in US dollars.
The New Orleans Bowl is usually played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 game was played on December 20 in Lafayette, Louisiana at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. C-USA's Southern Mississippi returned and defended their title as they defeated Arkansas State, the Sun Belt Conference champions, 31-19. The Golden Eagles were led by quarterback Dustin Almond, who threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Cody Hull, who added 161 yards rushing and one touchdown on 37 carries. Special teams play helped the Indians to stay close, with kicker Eric Neihouse kicking a 44-yard field goal and two extra points, and with the team forcing a safety on an attempted Southern Miss punt.
The GMAC Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama took place on December 21, 2005. Toledo, representing the Mid-American Conference, defeated C-USA's UTEP by a score of 45-13. In his last game for "Team Rocket", quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw for five touchdowns and 298 yards. Seven of the Miners' 13 points came off the leg of kicker Reagan Schneider, with Johnnie Lee Higgins catching the only touchdown of the day for UTEP to account for the rest of the scoring.
The Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada was played on December 22, 2005. In the first matchup of the bowl season to pit a BCS team against a non-BCS team, California from the Pac-10 beat Mountain West representative BYU, 35-28. Golden Bears running back Marshawn Lynch, voted the game's most valuable player, ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on just 24 carries, as California took a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter before the Cougars recorded two late touchdowns off the arm of quarterback John Beck to make the final victory less decisive.
The first annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California was played on December 22, 2005. Navy (Independent) beat the Mountain West representatives, the Colorado State Rams, 51-30. Bringing the nation's number one-ranked rushing offense against the nation's 105th ranked rushing defense, the Midshipmen broke the game open in the second quarter, when running back Reggie Campbell scored two of his NCAA bowl record-tying five touchdowns; he finished with 116 yards rushing, 89 yards receiving, and 85 yards returning. Quarterback Justin Holland led the Rams in a losing effort, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns in completing 79% of his passes.
The Fort Worth Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas was contested December 23, 2005. Kansas from the Big 12, who qualified on the last Saturday in November for a bowl game, defeated Houston from C-USA, 42-13, thanks to Jason Swanson's four touchdown passes. Next year, a MWC team will challenge the C-USA team.
The Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i was played December 24, 2005. For the first time since the game was first contested in 2002, the Hawai'i Warriors did not play in this game, as they had a losing record in 2005. Nevada, the WAC co-champion and league representative, beat C-USA team Central Florida, 49-48, on a missed extra point by UCF kicker Matt Prater in overtime. The Golden Knights, who went winless in the 2004 season, were playing in the school's first ever bowl game.
The Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan was played on December 26, 2005. C-USA member Memphis, behind the running of DeAngelo Williams, who set an NCAA record with his 34th career 100-yard game, defeated MAC champion Akron, 38-31, preventing the Zips from winning in their first-ever Division I-A Bowl Game. Akron quarterback Luke Getsy starred in his team's loss to the Tigers, setting a bowl record with 455 yards passing and tying another with four touchdowns.
The Champs Sports Bowl at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida was played on December 27, 2005. ACC representative Clemson scored with under two minutes remaining to ensure a 19-10 win against the Big 12 representative Colorado, which was trying to a win after having lost its previous two games by a combined score of 100-6 and after having seen coach Gary Barnett fired just weeks before the bowl game. Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, playing with a sore shoulder, completed 22 of 30 passes for 210 yards and running back James Davis added 149 yards on 28 carries as the Tigers outgained the Buffaloes by 239 yards, surrendering only one touchdown, a Brian White pass to Quinn Sypniewski.
The Insight Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona was played on December 27, 2005. Pac-10 representative Arizona State, playing in what was a de facto home game, finally broke open a back-and-forth, sloppy affair (the teams combined for nineteen penalties) in the fourth quarter and then held off a comeback attempt, defeating Big East representative Rutgers, 45-40. In the final Insight Bowl to be played at the stadium formerly known as Bank One Ballpark, Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw for 467 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior wide receiver Matt Miller, who finished with five catches for 135 yards. The Scarlet Knights, playing in their first bowl since 1978, when they appeared in the Garden State Bowl against Arizona State, were paced by quarterback Ryan Hart's three touchdowns and 376 passing yards, and by kicker Jeremy Ito, who recorded four field goals, two from beyond 48 yards, and four extra points. The two teams combined for 1,211 yards of offense, a record for any bowl game. Beginning next season, the Big Ten and Big 12 will send teams to the contest, which will be played on the ASU campus at Sun Devil Stadium.
The MPC Computers Bowl at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho was played on December 28, 2005. Though playing at home on its blue "Smurf Turf", where it held a 31-game winning streak, WAC representative and co-champion Boise State was unable to get its usually potent offense untracked early, falling behind the ACC rep Boston College by 24 at halftime before losing, 27-21. Sophomore quarterback Matt Ryan led the way for the Eagles, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns, two to junior wide receiver Tony Gonzalez and one to senior Will Blackmon, who led all receivers with 144 yards on just five catches. The Broncos were held scoreless by the Boston College defense for the first 43:46 of the game and hindered their own efforts with three turnovers and eight penalties. Playing their final game under coach Dan Hawkins, who will coach Colorado next season, Boise State essayed a late comeback, with junior quarterback Jared Zabransky throwing for one touchdown (a 53-yarder to Drisan James) and running for another. Junior Quinton Jones brought Boise State to within six when he took a Johnny Ayers punt 92 yards for a touchdown with under four minutes to play in the game, but Boise State's last drive from midfield with under two minutes stalled and Zabransky threw an end-zone interception to seal the Eagles' win, thus extending their NCAA-best bowl winning streak to six games, and also extending the BCS conferences' record to 3-0 against non-BCS teams this bowl season.
The MasterCard Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas was played on December 28, 2005. In a battle of perennial powerhouses, Nebraska, returning to post-season play after a one-year absence, overcame an 11-point Michigan lead in the final 8:09 of the game to win, 32-28. The Big 12's Cornhuskers were buoyed by the play of senior running back Cory Ross, who carried 28 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Though he was intercepted twice, quarterback Zac Taylor managed an efficient game, completing only 14 passes but for 167 yards and three touchdowns. In defeat for the Big Ten's Wolverines, quarterback Chad Henne used his arm (230 yards passing, three touchdowns) and legs (fourth-quarter rushing touchdown) to give Michigan a 28-17 lead, taking advantage of excellent field position provided by kickoff returners Steve Breaston and Carl Tabb II, who averaged 35 yards per return. Nebraska rallied, though, scoring two touchdowns and adding a two-point conversion on two three-play drives each of under 40 yards. The game’s final play was a Henne pass to wide receiver Jason Avant, which the Wolverines followed by eight laterals, eventually reaching the Nebraska 17-yard-line; the play brought to mind the 1982 Stanford-California game in which, similarly, players from each team streamed onto the field during the last play, not to mention the Stanford band, all of whom were thinking the game was over. Though the two offenses combined to score 60 points, neither was superb; Michigan averaged only 4.1 yards per play, committed three turnovers, and allowed five sacks, while Nebraska was only marginally better, gaining an average of 4.6 yards per play, committing two turnovers, and also allowing five sacks. The loss meant that the Maize and Blue, who began the season ranked fourth in Associated Press writers' and USA Today coaches’ polls, would finish the year with a record of 7-5.
The Emerald Bowl at SBC Park in San Francisco, California was played on December 29, 2005. The MWC's Utah, which last year became the first school from a non-BCS conference to appear in a BCS bowl, jumped out to a 20-0 lead and played well throughout to defeat the ACC's Georgia Tech, 38-10. Utes junior transfer quarterback Brett Ratliff, filling in for Brian Johnson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury November 12, played superbly, completing 30 of 41 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns and a two-point conversion, compiling a pass efficiency rating of 112.9, bringing to mind the performance of Utah quarterback Alex Smith in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. All of Ratliff's scoring throws went to senior wide receiver Travis LaTendresse, who finished with 16 catches for 214 yards after averaging fewer than five catches per game during the regular season. Running back Quinton Ganther added 120 yards, many as the Utes ran out the clock in the fourth quarter, and a back-breaking 41-yard touchdown with 8:34 to play. Yellow Jackets running back P.J. Daniels exploited the Utah defense for 108 yards on 20 carries, but quarterback Reggie Ball played an uneven game, completing only 47 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions, one of which came at the Utah 21-yard-line and was returned 45 yards to end a Georgia Tech scoring chance, to just one touchdown. After the Utes recorded three touchdowns in the first 16:02 of the game, Ball brought the Yellow Jackets to within ten at the half, but was unable to make consistent progress the rest of the game, finding star wide receiver Calvin Johnson only twice for 19 yards. Georgia Tech took a slot normally reserved for the Pac-10, which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibility. Utah became the first non-BCS school to defeat a BCS-conference team this bowl season.
The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Presented by Bridgestone at The Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee was played on December 30, 2005. Virginia, representing the ACC in a slot forfeited by the SEC, which failed to qualify enough teams for bowl eligibilty, came back from a second-quarter 14-point deficit to drive for a game-winning field goal with 1:08 to play, ultimately defeating the Big Ten's Minnesota, 34-31. The Cavaliers were paced by quarterback Marques Hagans, who threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Wali Lundy, who ran for only 60 yards but added two touchdowns, including a game-tying score on a 72-yard drive with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Golden Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito shined in defeat, completing 65 percent of his passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns (including two to wide receiver Jared Ellerson), as Minnesota took a 21-7 lead with under seven minutes to go in the second quarter. Virginia kicker Connor Hughes added a field goal as the half ended to bring the Cavaliers within 11, and he came through again with a 39-yarder to give Virginia the lead for good; Hughes finished with ten points. Although Minnesota finished with a nearly seven-minute edge in time of possession, thanks in part to the running of Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell, who combined for 190 yards on 49 carries, and to forcing two Virginia turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Golden Gopher defense allowed Virginia to drive from their own 3-yard-line to record the final field goal and break the 31-all tie. Cuptio led a last-minute drive for Minnesota, crossing midfield with 37 seconds to go before throwing an end-zone interception that allowed Virginia to run out the clock.
The Vitalis Sun Bowl at the self-named stadium in El Paso, Texas was played on December 30, 2005, matching Big Ten (Northwestern) and Pac-10 (UCLA) teams for the only time this bowl season, with the Bruins upending the Wildcats, 50-38, to finish the season with a 10-2 record. While the game was the scoring showcase expected, especially in the first half, when the teams combined for a Sun Bowl-record 51 points, each team departed in several areas from its typical play, making for a game of surprises. UCLA quarterback Drew Olson, who had finished eighth in the voting for the 2005 Heisman Trophy, threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns in the first half, matching his total for the entire regular season, when he threw 31 touchdowns. Northwestern kicker Joel Howells, who had made 44 of 45 extra points in the regular season, missed two, as well a field goal, before giving way to backup Amado Villarreal. The Bruins had two rushers top 100 yards, and neither was Maurice Jones-Drew, who had had more than double the rushing yards of any teammate during the regular season; freshman Khalil Bell and sophomore Chris Markey, neither of whom had topped 100 yards in any regular season game, though, shined, running for 293 yards on 42 carries. Finally, Wildcats freshman running back Tyrell Sutton, the 2005 The Sporting News NCAA freshman of the year, was held to 82 yards rushing by a UCLA defense that ranked 110th in the country. The first half was one of streaks, as Northwestern saw a 22-0 lead, two touchdowns of which were returns of Olson interceptions, equaled and then eclipsed as Bell rushed for two scores and Olson threw a touchdown with just 29 seconds in the half to give UCLA a seven-point lead midway through the game. UCLA continued its offensive progress in the third quarter, as Olson threw a third touchdown just six minutes in, putting UCLA up by fourteen; the Bruins had again taken advantage of good field position off a Wildcats punt, with Northwestern’s Ryan Pederson averaging but 30.8 yards per punt on the day. Northwestern slowly cut into the Bruins lead as quarterback Brett Basanez lead his team on two scoring drives, finishing the game with 437 yards passing and one touchdown on 71 passing attempts; Basanez, though, did throw two interceptions. After a Mark Philmore touchdown reception cut the UCLA lead to four with 2:29 remaining in the game, UCLA kick returner Brandon Breazell returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards for a touchdown. Basanez led a final drive deep into UCLA territory, connecting twice with Ross Lane, who finished the game as the Wildcats’ top receiver, with 135 yards on seven catches, and finally throwing a touchdown to Shaun Herbert with 23 seconds remaining; Breazell delivered a knockout blow, however, again returning an onside kick for a touchdown, and the Bruins held on for the 12-point win. The 2006 Sun Bowl will include a Big 12 team.
The Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana was played on December 30, 2005. South Carolina, representing the SEC, took an early 21-point lead but was unable to hold off a late charge from Missouri, representing the Big 12, which notched a 38-31 win, denying South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier a bowl win in his first season back in college football. The Gamecocks scored on their first possession and recovered a Missouri fumble on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, setting up a five-yard touchdown scamper by running back Mike Davis. A second touchdown pass by quarterback Blake Mitchell gave South Carolina a 21-0 lead just six minutes into the game, and after a series of punts, the Gamecocks took the ball on a short field and reached the Missouri 16-yard-line when a Mitchell pass was intercepted by senior Marcus King, who returned his pick 98 yards for Missouri’s first score of the game. Davis, who finished the day with 124 yards on 19 carries, added his second touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Missouri option quarterback Brad Smith, who was his team’s leading passer (21 completions for 283 yards) and rusher (16 carries for 138 yards), drove the Tigers 74 yards in 1:33 before hitting freshman tight end Chase Coffman, his leading receiver, who finished with eight catches for 99 yards, on a five-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers’ halftime deficit to 14. Smith took the Tigers down the field once more to open the third quarter, and, even after Missouri wasted a 76-yard drive when kicker Adam Crossett missed a 22-yard field goal, the Missouri defense forced a punt and Smith engineered an 85-yard drive capped by his 31-yard rushing touchdown. A Derrick Ming interception of a Mitchell pass in Gamecocks territory led to another Smith rushing score, and Crossett atoned for his earlier miss by hitting a 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Mitchell responded with a long drive of his own, hitting freshman wide receiver Sidney Rice, his top target in the game (catching 13 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown), three times en route to a 30-yard Josh Brown field goal. Working against a fatigued Gamecocks defense, which faced a total of 76 Missouri plays on the day, Smith shined on the ground once more, recording a 59-yard run and capping his day with a third rushing touchdown, this from one yard out. Although freshman kick returner Carlos Thomas once more gave the Gamecocks good field position, returning the Missouri kick 43 yards to bring his return average on the day to 31 yards, Mitchell threw his third interception of the day, allowing Missouri to run out the clock.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina is scheduled for December 31, 2005. South Florida will be making their first appearence in a Division I-A post-season game in their inaugural Big East campaign, and will face NC State from the ACC.
The AutoZone Liberty Bowl at the the Memorial Stadium which bears its' name in Memphis, Tennessee is scheduled for December 31, 2005. The WAC's Fresno State will take on Tulsa, who won the first C-USA title game.
The EV1.Net Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas is scheduled for December 31, 2005. The SEC, not having enough teams with the minimum six wins to qualify for bowl games, has forfeited this spot, and TCU, champions of the Mountain West Conference, will play against Iowa State from the Big 12 in what will be the final BCS/non-BCS matchup of the bowl season.
Non-BCS New Year's Day Bowls
Because of the date of New Year's Day in 2006, the NFL will play all but two of its final regular season games that day, and all college football bowl games traditionally held that day have been moved to January 2, 2006.
The non-BCS New Year's Day bowls are determined by automatic bids. These bowls are generally considered to be the more important of the non-BCS bowls, with half — the AT&T Cotton Bowl, the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Capital One Bowl — broadcast on over-the-air television rather than cable (namely ESPN), and with the bowls having larger-than-average purses; in 2005, for example, the Toyota Gator Bowl will pay the lowest purse of the sextet, which, at $1,600,000 still more than doubles the $750,000 purse standard for most non-New Year's Day bowls, while the Capital One Bowl will pay the largest non-BCS purse, roughly $5,312,000.
The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California is considered to be part of this group in spite of the fact that the game is not played on New Year's Day, given the bowl's purse of $2,000,000.
The 2005 edition was played on December 29, 2005, with the Big 12's Oklahoma defeating the Pac-10's Oregon, 17-14, in a matchup of teams each with something to prove. The Ducks were playing to show that they deserved a BCS bowl bid, having gone 10-1 during the regular season (the only loss coming to the nation's top-ranked team, USC), while the Sooners, who had lost in the BCS championship game each of the past two years, were trying to show that they really were the team that came into the season ranked fifth in the USA Today coaches' poll and seventh in the AP writers' poll than the team that lost to Texas by 33. Although Oregon got off to an early 7-3 lead and held that lead for nearly half the game, 22:38, the offense was unable to muster much against an Oklahoma defense that recorded four sacks (two by junior defensive end C.J. Ah You), held the Ducks to 2.6 yards per carry, and allowed only six third-down conversions in 18 attempts. Rotating between Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf (whose brother, Ryan, was once the quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and played in the stadium) at quarterback, as they had done since losing starter Kellen Clemens earlier in the year, the Ducks gained 244 passing yards on 44 attempts, but much of that came in the fourth quarter as the Sooners defense tired during two extended drives. Oregon managed little success on the ground, with their top rusher, senior Terrence Whitehead, going for only 42 yards. Oklahoma's offense played largely efficiently, gaining 365 yards, with redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar completing 59 percent of his passes for 229 yards and one touchdown (freshman Malcolm Kelly was the team's top receiver, hauling in seven Bomar throws for 78 yards). Sophomore Adrian Peterson led the way on the ground, accumulating 79 yards on 23 carries. In spite of their general success, Bomar and Peterson each provided Oregon hope, with Bomar's throwing an interception and Peterson's fumbling within a yard of the goal line. The Ducks, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, were unable to convert a first-down in the shadow of their own goal posts against the aggressive Sooners defense and thus failed to capitalize on the Peterson turnover. Their defense, though, stymied every Oklahoma drive in the fourth quarter, getting two more possessions for the offense, and Oregon drove 81 yards in 14 plays, with Brady Leaf's hitting Tim Day for a three-yard touchdown. Once more the Sooners offense failed to convert a third-down on their ensuing possession as the Ducks defense tightened, and, behind a resurgent Leaf, Oregon drove to the Oklahoma 19-yard-line before Sooners senior linebacker Clint Ingram intercepted a Leaf pass to seal the victory for the Sooners.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, like the Holiday Bowl, is not played on New Year's Day but is considered part of this group, given the frequency with which both participants are highly-ranked. This year's game was played December 30, 2005 and matched the ACC's Miami (Florida) and the SEC’s LSU. The game was expected to be competitive and low-scoring, given that each team was ranked in top ten in the AP writers’ and USA Today coaches’ polls and that each ranked amongst the top six in Division I-A in total defense. The outcome, though, was anything but close as the Hurricanes struck first with a field goal six-plus minutes into the game and then watched as the Tigers, led by sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn, who replaced the injured JaMarcus Russell after having thrown only fifteen passes all year, scored 40 points on eight straight possessions like General Sherman marching thorugh Georgia to take the win, 40-3. Flynn played efficiently for LSU, which was coming of an upset by Georgia in the SEC championship game, played four weeks earlier in that same stadium, completing 13 of 22 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard strike to wide receiver Craig Davis, who was the leading Tigers receiver with five catches for 100 yards. The ground game, however, was LSU’s best weapon, as the Tigers possessed the ball for 39:08 and accumulated 282 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry against a Hurricanes defense that came into the game having allowed more than 17 points only once during the regular season. Running back Joseph Addai led the way with 24 carries for 128 yards and one touchdown; fullback Jacob Hester spelled Addao and added 66 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. The Tigers kicking game also added in the scoring, as Colt David made four extra points and Chris Jackson connected on four field goals, including a 50-yarder to end LSU scoring, and participated in a fake field goal the Tigers used to convert a first down already up 31. The Hurricanes turned the ball over only once, as freshman quarterback Kirby Freeman entered the game with Miami down 37 and promptly threw an interception, but they allowed LSU to sack quarterback Kyle Wright four times; pressure and tight coverage led to Wright’s making only 10 of 21 passes for just 99 yards. Neither was the running game able to get any traction for Miami, as the Hurricanes averaged just 2.0 yards per carry, with leading rusher sophomore Charlie Jones recording only 49 yards on eight carries, 42 of that on one run. The loss was the worst in post-season history for the Hurricanes. The contest, the last to be termed the "Peach Bowl" (in 2006, the game will be known as the "Chick-fil-A Bowl") was marred by a postgame scuffle in which an ersatz fight between Tigers and Hurricanes players was ostensibly misunderstood by several Hurricanes, who initiated actual physical contact, necessitating the intervention of Georgia State Patrol officers and medical treatment for Miami offensive lineman Andrew Bain, who was briefly unconscious.
The Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida is scheduled for January 2, 2006. For the second time in three years, Iowa will meet Florida in this Big Ten/SEC matchup.
The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (the new title sponsor as a result of the merger of the former SBC Communications with AT&T) is scheduled to be played at the self-named stadium in Dallas, Texas on January 2, 2006. Alabama returns to the New Year's Day bowl picture as the SEC representative, and Texas Tech will be the Big 12 opposition.
The Toyota Gator Bowl at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida is scheduled for January 2, 2006. In their inaugural voyage in the Big East, Louisville will play in their first New Year's Day game since the 1991 Fiesta Bowl and face Virginia Tech from the ACC.
The Capital One Bowl at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida is scheduled for January 2, 2006. Barry Alvarez will coach his final game as coach of Wisconsin against Auburn in the other Big Ten/SEC showdown.
Bowl Championship Series games
The purse for each BCS game will be $14,998,000.
The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona is scheduled for January 2, 2006, and will be the first game in the BCS, assuming the spot usually taken by the Rose Bowl Game. Notre Dame will be playing against Ohio State in the swan song for the game at Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State University campus. Next year, the game — along with the new stand alone BCS Title Game — will be played at the new Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The independent Irish are led by first-year coach Charlie Weis and the Big Ten co-champion Buckeyes by Jim Tressel. Notre Dame's last Fiesta Bowl appearence was after the 2000 season, a 41-9 loss to Oregon State, while Ohio State won the 2002 National Championship defeating Miami (FL) in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Since the Big Ten has two teams in the BCS, Ohio State will get an additional $4.3 million.
Due to damage to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Nokia Sugar Bowl, scheduled for January 2, 2006 will be held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, the third football game in four days at that facility, the others being the aforementioned Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 30th and the Atlanta Falcons-Carolina Panthers NFL contest on New Years' Day. SEC Champion Georgia will stay at home (as it were) and "hunker down" against Big East titleholder West Virginia.
The FedEx Orange Bowl at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida is scheduled for January 3, 2006. Big Ten co-champion Penn State will play in this game against ACC champion Florida State and a matchup of Division I-A's two winningest (and oldest) coaches, 79 years young Joe Paterno of Penn State with 353 wins, and 76 years old Bobby Bowden of FSU, who has 359 victories.
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi will play host to the BCS National Championship between the last two unbeaten teams, Big 12 champions Texas and defending national champions and Pac-10 titleholder Southern Cal at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California on January 4, 2006.
Selection of the teams to participate in the BCS Bowl games are based on BCS rules and on Conference tie-ins.
All-Star Games
The inaugural Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic was played in Jackson, Mississippi on December 24, 2005. The White team, composed of Division I-A seniors from teams either having already played in a bowl game or not having been selected for or qualified for a bowl game, defeated the Red team, an all-star team of Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III schools, 17-9, led by Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Steven Jyles, who passed for 80 yards and a touchdown and recorded another 31 yards rushing.
The East-West Shrine Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas is scheduled for January 21, 2006. This is the first game in San Antonio after over seventy-five years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i is scheduled for January 21, 2006.
The Senior Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama is scheduled for January 28, 2006.
NOTE: The Gridiron Classic was cancelled after failing to secure sponsorship for the 2006 game.
Conference Standings
In the list of teams that played in the minor bowl games as well as the BCS, winners are marked in bold and losers are marked in italics. The list is sorted by winning percentage, then by number of competing teams, and finally alphabetically by conference name.
Standings are as 0430 UTC December 31, 2005.
| Conf | # | W | L | Pct | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indepndent | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Navy |
| Big 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado |
| Pac-10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | .750 | Arizona State, California, UCLA, Oregon |
| ACC | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | Boston College, Clemson, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL) |
| MAC | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Toledo, Akron |
| SEC | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | LSU, South Carolina |
| WAC | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Nevada, Boise State |
| C-USA | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Central Florida, Houston, UTEP |
| Mt West | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Utah, BYU, Colorado State |
| Big East | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Rutgers |
| Big Ten | 1 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Arkansas State |
Related Links
List of conference tie-ins to specific bowl games and placement order