Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is a college football postseason game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., each year. First contested in 1946, the Gator Bowl now matches up bowl-eligible teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences. Florida won the 2012 Gator Bowl, defeating Ohio State, 24-17.
The inaugural Gator Bowl was played on Jan. 1, 1946, when Wake Forest defeated South Carolina, 26-14, at Fairfield Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The stadium was renamed the Gator Bowl two years later, when its seating capacity was increased, and by the 1949 game capacity had reached over 35,000 seats.
In the game's early years, a team from the Southern Conference played against an at-large opponent. In 1953, the Gator Bowl began featuring Southeastern Conference schools, with Auburn appearing three straight years and winning over Baylor in 1954, when the game was moved to December.
In-state schools fared successfully throughout the 1960s at the Gator Bowl, as the University of Florida won the game three times while Florida State claimed two victories in the postseason affair in Jacksonville during the decade.
While the Gator Bowl's association with SEC teams began to fade in the mid-1970s, the annual game in Jacksonville continued to feature teams from the southern part of the country against schools from outside the region. One of the bowl's most memorable moments during that decade came late in the 1978 matchup between Ohio State and Clemson. Legendary Buckeye head coach Woody Hayes threw a punch at Clemson player Charlie Bauman after the defender had run out of bounds after intercepting an Ohio State pass. The interception had helped seal Clemson's 17-15 win, while the incident would seal the fate of Hayes, who was fired the next day.
Clemson went on to play in five Gator Bowls between 1977 and 1996 (winning three times), as teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference appeared in 12 of the matchups in that 20-year period.
A new venue, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, built on the same site as the Gator Bowl stadium, was completed by 1995's college football season and hosted the game for the first time that season, when it was moved back to being a New Year's Day game.
Other changes came that same year, with the Gator Bowl inviting the second-place teams from the ACC and Big East conferences as part of an agreement that would last for 10 years. North Carolina won back-to-back years during that stretch (1997 and 1998), while West Virigina and Virginia tech made three appearances each at the Gator Bowl during that time.
Conference affiliations were modified again prior the 2007 contest, as a new arrangement would see the Gator Bowl host a representative from the ACC against a bowl-eligible team from either the Big East, Big 12 or Notre Dame. That setup would only last for four years, as another restructuring among various bowls prior to 2010 college season included the Gator Bowl, which agreed to host bowl-eligible teams from the Big Ten and SEC conferences for the upcoming seasons.
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was renamed EverBank Field in 2010, and the venue hosted Mississippi State's win in the 2011 game for the first time with the new name.
Gator Bowl Year-by-Year Results
| Year | Winner | Loser | Score | MVPs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Wake Forest | South Carolina | 26-14 | Nick Sacrinty, WF | ||||||
| 1947 | Oklahoma | NC State | 34-13 | Joe Golding, OKLA | ||||||
| 1948** | Georgia | Maryland | 20-20 | Lu Gambino, UMD | ||||||
| 1949 | Clemson | Missouri | 24-23 | Bobby Gage, CLEM | ||||||
| 1950 | Maryland | Missouri | 20-7 | Bob Ward, UMD | ||||||
| 1951 | Wyoming | Washington & Lee | 20-7 | Eddie Talboom, WYO | ||||||
| 1952 | Miami (Florida) | Clemson | 14-0 | Jim Dooley, MIA | ||||||
| 1953 | Florida | Tulsa | 14-13 | John Hall, FLA Marv Matuszak, TLSA |
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| 1954 | Texas Tech | Auburn | 35-13 | Bobby Cavazos, TTU Vince Dooley, AUB |
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| 1954* | Auburn | Baylor | 33-13 | Joe Childress, AUB Billy Hooper, BAY |
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| 1955* | Vanderbilt | Auburn | 25-13 | Don Orr, VANDY Joe Childress, AUB |
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| 1956* | Georgia Tech | Pittsburgh | 21-14 | Wade Mitchell, GT Corny Salvaterra, PITT |
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| 1957* | Tennessee | Texas A&M | 3-0 | Bobby Gordon, TENN John David Crow, A+M |
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| 1958* | Mississippi | Florida | 7-3 | Bobby Franklin, MISS Dave Hudson, FLA |
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| 1960 | Arkansas | Georgia Tech | 14-7 | Jim Mooty, ARK Maxie Baughan, GT |
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| 1960* | Florida | Baylor | 13-12 | Larry Libertore, FLA Bobby Ply, BAY |
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| 1961* | Penn State | Georgia Tech | 30-15 | Galen Hall, PSU Joe Auer, GT |
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| 1962* | Florida | Penn State | 17-7 | Tom Shannon, FLA Dave Robinson, PSU |
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| 1963* | North Carolina | Air Force | 35-0 | Ken Willard, UNC David Sicks, AFA |
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| 1965 | Florida State | Oklahoma | 36-19 | Fred Biletnikoff, FSU Steve Tensi, FSU Carl McAdams, OKLA |
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| 1965* | Georgia Tech | Texas Tech | 31-21 | Lenny Snow, GT Donny Anderson, TTU |
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| 1966* | Tennessee | Syracuse | 18-12 | Dewey Warren, TENN Floyd Little, SYR |
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| 1967** | Florida State | Penn State | 17-17 | Kim Hammond, FSU Tom Sherman, PSU |
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| 1968* | Missouri | Alabama | 35-10 | Terry McMillan, MIZZ Mike Hall, ALA |
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| 1969* | Florida | Tennessee | 14-13 | Mike Kelley, FLA Curt Watson, TENN |
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| 1971 | Auburn | Mississippi | 35-28 | Pat Sullivan, AUB Archie Manning, MISS |
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| 1971* | Georgia | North Carolina | 7-3 | Jimmy Poulos, UGA James Webster, UNC |
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| 1972* | Auburn | Colorado | 24-3 | Wade Whatley, AUB Mark Cooney, COLO |
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| 1973* | Texas Tech | Tennessee | 28-19 | Joe Barnes, TTU Haskel Stanback, TENN |
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| 1974* | Auburn | Texas | 27-3 | Phil Gargis, AUB Earl Campbell, TEX |
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| 1975* | Maryland | Florida | 13-0 | Steve Atkins, UMD Sammy Green, FLA |
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| 1976* | Notre Dame | Penn State | 20-9 | Al Hunter, ND Jimmy Cefalo, PSU |
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| 1977* | Pittsburgh | Clemson | 34-3 | Matt Cavanaugh, PITT Jerry Butler, CLEM |
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| 1978* | Clemson | Ohio State | 17-15 | Steve Fuller, CLEM Art Schlichter, OSU |
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| 1979* | North Carolina | Michigan | 17-15 | Matt Kupec, UNC Amos Lawrence, UNC John Wangler, MICH Anthony Carter, MICH |
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| 1980* | Pittsburgh | South Carolina | 37-9 | Rick Trocano, PITT George Rogers, SCAR |
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| 1981* | North Carolina | Arkansas | 31-27 | Kelvin Bryant, UNC Ethan Horton, UNC Gary Anderson, ARK |
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| 1982* | Florida State | West Virginia | 31-12 | Greg Allen, FSU Paul Woodside, WVU |
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| 1983* | Florida | Iowa | 14-6 | Tony Lilly, FLA Owen Gill, IOWA |
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| 1984* | Oklahoma State | South Carolina | 21-14 | Thurman Thomas, OKST Mike Hold, SCAR |
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| 1985* | Florida State | Oklahoma State | 34-23 | Chip Ferguson, FSU Thurman Thomas, OKST |
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| 1986* | Clemson | Stanford | 27-21 | Rodney Williams, CLEM Brad Muster, STAN |
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| 1987* | LSU | South Carolina | 30-13 | Wendell Davis, LSU Harold Green, SCAR |
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| 1989 | Georgia | Michigan State | 34-27 | Wayne Johnson, UGA Andre Rison, MSU |
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| 1989* | Clemson | West Virginia | 27-7 | Levon Kirkland, CLEM Mike Fox, WVU |
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| 1991 | Michigan | Mississippi | 35-3 | Offensive Line, MICH Tyrone Ashley, MISS |
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| 1991* | Oklahoma | Virginia | 48-14 | Cale Gundy, OKLA Tyrone Davis, UVA |
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| 1992* | Florida | NC State | 27-10 | Errict Rhett, FLA Reggie Lawrence, NCST |
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| 1993* | Alabama | North Carolina | 24-10 | Brian Burgdorf, ALA Corey Holliday, UNC |
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| 1994* | Tennessee | Virginia Tech | 45-23 | James Stewart, TENN Maurice DeShazo, VT |
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| 1996 | Syracuse | Clemson | 41-0 | Donovan McNabb, SYR Peter Ford, CLEM |
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| 1997 | North Carolina | West Virginia | 20-13 | Oscar Davenport, UNC David Saunders, WVU |
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| 1998 | North Carolina | Virginia Tech | 42-3 | Chris Keldorf, UNC Nick Sorensen, VT |
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| 1999 | Georgia Tech | Notre Dame | 35-28 | Dez White, GT Joe Hamilton, GT Autry Denson, ND |
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| 2000 | Miami (Florida) | Georgia Tech | 28-13 | Nate Webster, MIA Joe Hamilton, GT |
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| 2001 | Virginia Tech | Clemson | 41-20 | Michael Vick, VT Rod Gardner, CLEM |
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| 2002 | Florida State | Virginia Tech | 30-17 | Javon Walker, FSU Andre Davis, VT |
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| 2003 | NC State | Notre Dame | 28-6 | Philip Rivers, NCST Cedric Hillard, ND |
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| 2004 | Maryland | West Virginia | 41-7 | Scott McBrien, UMD Brian King, WVU |
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| 2005 | Florida State | West Virginia | 30-18 | Leon Washington, FSU Kay-Jay Harris, WVU |
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| 2006 | Virginia Tech | Louisville | 35-24 | Cedric Humes, VT Hunter Cantwell, LOU |
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| 2007 | West Virginia | Georgia Tech | 38-35 | Pat White, WVA Calvin Johnson, GT |
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| 2008 | Texas Tech | Virginia | 31-28 | Graham Harrell, TTU Mikell Simpson, UVA |
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| 2009 | Nebraska | Clemson | 26-21 | Joe Ganz, NEB Cullen Harper, CLEM |
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| 2010 | Florida State | West Virginia | 33-21 | E.J. Manuel, FSU Noel Devine, WVU |
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| 2011 | Mississippi State | Michigan | 37-24 | Chris Relf, MSST |
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| 2012 | Florida | Ohio State | 24-17 | Andre Debose, FLA | ||||||
| *Game played in December **Game ended in tie | ||||||||||
VIDEO RESULTS FOR GATOR BOWL
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Special Teams Key In Florida's Gator Bowl Win
January 02, 2012
NEWS RESULTS FOR GATOR BOWL
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Starting QB may not be named until fall
Michael DiRocco, Gator NationGAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida probably won't be any closer to having a starting quarterback on Sunday than the Gators were the day after the 2011 seaso...
Story | April 02, 2012 -
Things We Found on eBay: Jay Cutler Plaques, Brett Favre Statues, and Your Childhood Card Collection
David Cho, The TriangleChicago Bears/Jay Cutler Sports Plaque -- $19.95 The idea of having this picture of Jay Cutler displayed above the quote, "For the last time, I canno...
Story | January 05, 2012 -
Florida Gators get some positive momentum
Michael DiRocco, GatorNationWith a satisfying Gator Bowl win, Florida finally has some positive momentum heading into another offseason of rebuilding.
Story | Conversation | January 03, 2012 -
Top SEC bowl performers
Edward Aschoff, SECThe SEC still has three bowl teams left, but we're going to take a look at some players who have already seen their seasons come to an end. It was ...
Story | January 03, 2012 -
A special tribute to Urban Meyer
Michael DiRocco, Gator NationJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida football team gave one final tribute to former coach Urban Meyer on Monday. The Gators made a couple big plays on sp...
Story | January 02, 2012
AUDIO RESULTS FOR GATOR BOWL
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Stan and Guy: 12/30
August 03, 2009 -
Mountaineer view
December 10, 2002 -
Gator grip
December 09, 2002
PHOTO RESULTS FOR GATOR BOWL
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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Gator Bowl MVP Andre Debose #4 of the Florida Gators celebrates with his team after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes ...
January 02, 2012 Getty Images -
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Florida Gator fans watch the action during the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at EverBank Fi...
January 02, 2012 Getty Images -
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Andre Debose #4, De'Ante Sanders #26 and Deonte Thompson #6 of the Florida Gators celebrate with their team after defe...
January 02, 2012 Getty Images -
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Trey Burton #8 of the Florida Gators runs upfield past several Ohio State Buckeye defenders during the TaxSlayer.com G...
January 02, 2012 Getty Images
OHIO STATE AT A GLANCE
Conference: Big Ten
2011 W-L: 6-7
All-time Bowl W-L: 20-23
Last Bowl Game: Lost 2012 Gator Bowl
FLORIDA AT A GLANCE
Conference: SEC
2011 W-L: 7-6
All-time Bowl W-L: 20-19
Last Bowl Game: Won 2012 Gator Bowl
TOP STORY
QUICK FACTS
Florida 24, Ohio State 17
Stadium: EverBank Field
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
First played: 1946
Conferences: Big Ten, SEC
Payout: $2,700,000
2011 winner Mississippi State
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EVERBANK FIELD

EverBank Field was built in 1995 to replace the old Gator Bowl, and has hosted the bowl game by that name ever since. ESPN Travel »
2011-12 BOWL GAMES
| Bowl | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Gildan New Mexico Temple 37, Wyoming 14 |
Dec. 17 2 ET |
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| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Ohio 24, Utah St. 23 |
Dec. 17 5:30 ET |
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| R+L Carriers New Orleans UL-Lafayette 32, SDSU 30 |
Dec. 17 9 ET |
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| Beef 'O' Brady's St. Pete. Marshall 20, FIU 10 |
Dec. 20 8 ET |
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| SDCCU Poinsettia TCU 34, La. Tech 27 |
Dec. 21 8 ET |
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| MAACO Las Vegas Boise St. 56, Arizona St. 24 |
Dec. 22 8 ET |
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| Sheraton Hawaii Southern Miss 24, Nevada 17 |
Dec. 24 8 ET |
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| Independence Missouri 41, North Carolina 24 |
Dec. 26 5 ET |
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| Little Caesars Purdue 37, Western Mich. 32 |
Dec. 27 4:30 ET |
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| Belk Bowl NC State 31, Louisville 24 |
Dec. 27 8 ET |
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| Military Bowl Toledo 42, Air Force 41 |
Dec. 28 4:30 ET |
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| Bridgepoint Education Holiday Texas 21, Cal 10 |
Dec. 28 8 ET |
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| Champs Sports Florida St. 18, Notre Dame 14 |
Dec. 29 5:30 ET |
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| Valero Alamo Baylor 67, Washington 56 |
Dec. 29 9 ET |
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| Bell Helicopter Armed Forces BYU 24, Tulsa 21 |
Dec. 30 Noon |
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| New Era Pinstripe Rutgers 27, Iowa State 13 |
Dec. 30 3:20 ET |
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| Music City Mississippi St. 23, Wake Forest 17 |
Dec. 30 6:40 ET |
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| Insight Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14 |
Dec. 30 10 ET |
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| Meineke Car Care Texas A&M 33, Northwestern 22 |
Dec. 31 Noon |
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| Hyundai Sun Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27 |
Dec. 31 2 ET |
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| AutoZone Liberty Cincinnati 31, Vanderbilt 24 |
Dec. 31 3:30 ET |
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| Kraft Fight Hunger Illnois 20, UCLA 14 |
Dec. 31 3:30 ET |
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| Chick-fil-A Auburn 43, Virginia 24 |
Dec. 31 7:30 ET |
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| TicketCity Houston 30, Penn State 14 |
Jan. 2 Noon |
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| Outback Michigan St. 33, Georgia 30 |
Jan. 2 1 ET |
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| Capital One South Carolina 30, Nebraska 13 |
Jan. 2 1 ET |
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| Taxslayer.com Gator Florida 24, Ohio State 17 |
Jan. 2 1 ET |
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| Rose Bowl Game Oregon 45, Wisconsin 38 |
Jan. 2 5 ET |
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| Tostitos Fiesta Oklahoma St. 41, Stanford 38 |
Jan. 2 8:30 ET |
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| Allstate Sugar Michigan 23, Virginia Tech 20 |
Jan. 3 8:30 ET |
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| Discover Orange West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 |
Jan. 4 8:30 ET |
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| AT&T Cotton Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16 |
Jan. 6 8 ET |
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| BBVA Compass SMU 28, Pittsburgh 6 |
Jan. 7 1 ET |
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| GoDaddy.com N. Illinois 38, Arkansas St. 20 |
Jan. 8 9 ET |
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| Allstate BCS Championship Alabama 21, LSU 0 |
Jan. 9 8:30 ET |



