LA Bowl
| LA Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk | |
 | |
| Stadium | SoFi Stadium |
| Location | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Operated | 2021–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Boise State vs. UCLA (UCLA 35–22) | |
| 2024 matchup | |
| California vs. UNLV (UNLV 24–13) | |
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences. The Pac-12 or its "legacy schools" (the 10 schools departing the conference in 2024 for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC) will continue to fulfill the Pac-12 tie-in obligation through the 2025 season.[1] The LA Bowl is one of three bowl games that have never released payout totals for the teams involved in the game (Myrtle Beach Bowl and the Fenway Bowl are the others).
History
[edit]The Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference announced tie-ins for the new bowl in July 2019, under a five-year agreement.[2] The game was officially unveiled in February 2020. It matches up the Mountain West champion (or the next-highest pick available if the conference champion is selected for the New Year's Six) against the fifth pick from the Pac-12. Previously, the Mountain West champion had received an automatic bid to the Las Vegas Bowl.[3] The game is owned and operated by the owners of SoFi Stadium,[4] StadCo LA, LLC.[5]
Three weeks before the scheduled bowl game debut on December 30, 2020, the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
On June 16, 2021, the game was renamed the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as part of a naming rights agreement with comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Announcing the renaming on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel remarked that it was the first bowl game to be named for a living person.[7] The investment bank Stifel was later added as a presenting sponsor.[4]
On October 21, 2023, the bowl announced that it had signed a new multi-year sponsorship deal with former NFL star Rob Gronkowski.[8] On December 1, 2023, it added a naming rights partnership with Starco Brands, renaming the bowl the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk.[9] In 2024, the sponsorship was moved to Starco's Art of Sport brand, renaming the game the Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk.[10]
Game results
[edit]All rankings are taken from the AP poll prior to the game being played.
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2021 | Utah State | 24 | Oregon State | 13 | 29,896 | notes |
| December 17, 2022 | Fresno State | 29 | Washington State | 6 | 32,405 | notes |
| December 16, 2023 | UCLA | 35 | Boise State | 22 | 32,780 | notes |
| December 18, 2024 | No. 24 UNLV | 24 | California | 13 | 24,420 | notes |
MVPs
[edit]| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2021 | Deven Thompkins | Utah State | WR | Nick Heninger | Utah State | DE | [11] |
| 2022 | Jordan Mims | Fresno State | RB | Devo Bridges | Fresno State | DE | [12] |
| 2023 | Ethan Garbers | UCLA | QB | Darius Muasau | UCLA | LB | [13] |
| 2024 | Jacob De Jesus | UNLV | WR | Jackson Woodard | UNLV | LB | [14][15] |
Appearances by team
[edit]Updated through the December 2024 edition (4 games, 8 total appearances).
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (4): Fresno State, UCLA, UNLV, Utah State
Lost (4): Boise State, California, Oregon State, Washington State
Appearances by conference
[edit]Updated through the December 2024 edition (4 games, 8 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Mountain West | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2021, 2022, 2024 | 2023 |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2023 | 2021, 2022 |
| ACC | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2024 | |
Game records
[edit]| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 35, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Fewest points allowed | 6, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Margin of victory | 23, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| First downs | 27, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 280, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Passing yards | 280, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 22, Boise State vs. UCLA | 2023 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 57, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 182, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 45, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 117, Boise State vs. UCLA | 2023 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| All-Purpose yards | 236, Jordan Mims (Fresno State) | 2022 |
| Points scored | 12, multiple (most recently): TJ Harden (UCLA) Ethan Garbers (UCLA) George Holani (Boise State) |
2023 |
| Passing touchdowns | 2, shared by: Jake Haener (Fresno State) Ethan Garbers (UCLA) Hajj-Malik Williams (UNLV) |
2022 2023 2024 |
| Rushing yards | 209, Jordan Mims (Fresno State) | 2022 |
| Passing yards | 280, Jake Haener (Fresno State) | 2022 |
| Receiving yards | 142, J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA) | 2023 |
| Receptions | 10, Robert Ferrel (Washington State) | 2022 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 2, shared by: Jordan Mims (Fresno State) George Holani (Boise State) TJ Harden (UCLA) |
2022 2023 2023 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 1, multiple (most recently): Jacob De Jesus (UNLV) Kayden McGee (UNLV) |
2024 |
| Tackles | 13, Marsel McDuffie (UNLV) | 2024 |
| Sacks | 3, Nick Heninger (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Hunter Reynolds (Utah State) Akili Arnold (Oregon State) Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) LJ Early (Fresno State) Alex Johnson (UCLA) |
2021 2021 2021 2022 2023 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 66 yds., George Holani (Boise State) | 2023 |
| Touchdown pass | 62 yds., Cooper Legas to Deven Thompkins (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Kickoff return | 79 yds., Kadarius Calloway (Cal) | 2024 |
| Punt return | 38 yds., Jacob De Jesus (UNLV) | 2024 |
| Interception return | 11 yds., Alex Johnson (UCLA) | 2023 |
| Fumble return | 0 yds., Jett Elad (UNLV) | 2024 |
| Punt | 57 yds., Marshall Nichols (UNLV) | 2024 |
| Field goal | 48 yds., Caden Chittenden (UNLV) | 2024 |
Media coverage
[edit]The bowl has been televised by ABC from its inception to 2021. It will air on ESPN in the 2024 edition.
References
[edit]- ^ McMurphy, Brett (July 9, 2024). "Departing Pac-12 Schools to Play in Pac-12 Affiliated Bowl Games, Brett Yormark Says". actionnetwork.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Crepea, James (July 25, 2019). "Pac-12 adds Los Angeles Bowl to postseason lineup starting in 2020". oregonlive. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "SoFi Stadium will be home to new college bowl game this season". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Stifel and Jimmy Kimmel team up as big names on college bowl game". St. Louis Business Journal. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "How much will Rams, Chargers season tickets cost in Inglewood's new stadium?". Orange County Register. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Inaugural LA Bowl Postponed Until 2021 Due To Coronavirus". Associated Press. December 7, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Tapp, Tom (June 17, 2021). "Jimmy Kimmel Gets College Football Bowl Game Named After Him: The 'Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl' At SoFi Stadium". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Reedy, Joe (October 21, 2023). "Move over Jimmy Kimmel, it's now the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Associated Press News. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ "LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK PARTNERS WITH STARCO BRANDS FOR NAMING RIGHTS TO BOWL GAME, NOW STARCO BRANDS LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK". Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "Art of Sport To Be Title Sponsor of 2024 LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Bowl Season. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ Henline, Mitch (December 18, 2021). "Aggies finish championship season with LA Bowl victory over Oregon State". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Stoeckle, Savannah (December 17, 2022). "'Dogs make history with 29-6 win in Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "Dominant Second Half Carries UCLA to 35-22 Victory Over Boise State in LA Bowl". mynewsla.com. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ @LABowlGame (December 18, 2024). "Our 2024 Offensive MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ @LABowlGame (December 18, 2024). "Our 2024 Defensive MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
External links
[edit]- Annual sporting events in the United States
- College football bowls
- American football in Inglewood, California
- LA Bowl
- Recurring sporting events established in 2021
- 2021 establishments in California
- Sports competitions in Inglewood, California
- American football competitions in Los Angeles County, California
- College football bowls in California