NCAA Bowl Games Tickets

History

College bowl games have always been a staple for post-season college football. There is no greater achievement for a college than to receive a bowl bid and claim victory.

The first ever bowl game that took place in 1902 was the Tournament East-West football game. The game was between Michigan State University and Stanford University. Michigan won the game 49-0. The Tournament East-West football game eventually was named the Rose Bowl, as it is known today. It was given that name in 1923, the game was then moved over to the newly built (at the time), Rose Bowl stadium.

Traditions

To play in a bowl game, a team must have a positive record and have won six or more games in the season. The bowl games take place after the main season concludes and they enter into post-season. There are numerous bowl games for each division with their own set of qualifications. Many bowl game participants are determined by divisions and conferences. This 2022-2023 season, there will be 43 bowl games played.

College Football Playoffs

Beginning in 2014, college football adopted a playoff system in which the winner of predetermined bowl games, would advance to the CFP National Championship game. This year, the two semifinal bowl games are the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. The most prestigious of the bowl games are commonly referred to as the New Year's Six. These are the six bowl games that not only determine the semifinalists, but also carry the most prestige as they are announced during what's referred to as "Selection Sunday" in which the matchups are announced. Besides the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl, the remaining four are the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Cotton Bowl.

Here's a preview of some of the top bowl games to watch out for this year:

Peach Bowl - CFP Semifinal

This season the Georgia Bulldogs built themselves arguably one of the most impressive resumés in college football. They secured a dominant win over then-#11 Oregon in their season opener, as well as a win over then-#1 Tennessee in early November, and most recently a victory over LSU in the SEC Championship. Georgia gets to play in front of a home crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium when they take on the Buckeyes. This will be only the second time the two schools have faced each other. Georgia is a defensive juggernaut with a strong running game, while Ohio State's offense is anchored by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback CJ Stroud.

Fiesta Bowl - CFP Semifinal

TCU will be rebounding off a devastating loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship. Neither team has made it past the semifinals in the CFP; however, Michigan does have the playoff experience having made the semifinals last season. Both teams have potent offenses and will look to light up the scoreboard when they take the field at State Farm Stadium. Keep an eye on whether or not the Wolverines will be able to keep up with the fast-paced offense of TCU. The two schools have never faced each other so this has the makings for a great matchup.

Orange Bowl

By winning the ACC, Clemson was able to secure a spot in the Orange Bowl. Tennessee has had a remarkable season, defeating both the LSU and Alabama in back-to-back weeks. This will be the seventh trip to the Orange Bowl for the Clemson Tigers, and the fifth for the Volunteers. Tennessee led the nation in both yards and points per game this season, so look for Clemson's defense to be kept on its heels when the two face off in South Florida.

Rose Bowl

Fresh off an upset victory over USC in the Pac-12 Championship, the Utes head to the Rose Bowl to face the Nittany Lions. Utah is no stranger to playing in Pasadena and will be looking to rebound after last year's defeat in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. Penn State will look to continue to build upon its winning streak led by its offense. The last time Penn State played in the Rose Bowl was in 2016, when they faced off against Pac-12 powerhouse USC.

Cotton Bowl

After easily defeating UCF in the AAC championship game, Tulane travels to AT&T Stadium to take on USC. The Trojans struggled against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship and are also faced with possibly being without quarterback Caleb Williams. The Trojans are hoping the time off between the Pac-12 Championship and the Cotton Bowl will be enough for Williams to heal and for them to gameplan for Tulane. This will be the most important bowl game for Tulane since they appeared in the 1939 Sugar Bowl.

Sugar Bowl

It seems rare for the Crimson Tide to be in a non-playoff bowl game. Suffering losses to both Tennessee and LSU has them facing one of the hottest teams in the country, the Kansas State Wildcats. K-State defeated TCU to win the Big 12 Championship. With the likelihood of many Alabama draft prospects opting out of the game. look for Kansas State to capitalize and continue their win streak.