1980–81 NCAA football bowl games

Season| 1980
Number of bowls| 15
Bowl games| December 13, 1980 –
January 2, 1981
National Championship| 1981 Sugar Bowl
Location of Championship| Louisiana Superdome,
New Orleans, Louisiana
Champions| Georgia
| Bowl record by conference

Conference|  Bowls|  Record|  Final AP poll

* <-1979-80
* Bowl game
* 1981-82->

The 1980–81 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games played in December 1980 and January 1981 to end the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. A total of 15 team-competitive games,[1] and two all-star games, were played. The post-season began with the Independence Bowl on December 13, 1980, and concluded on January 17, 1981, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.

## Schedule

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[2]

Date  | Game  | Site  | Television  | Teams  | Affiliations  | Results

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Dec. 13 | Independence Bowl | State Fair Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana | Mizlou | Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8–3)
McNeese State Cowboys (10–1)  | Independent
Southland | Southern Miss 16
McNeese State 14
Dec. 14 | Garden State Bowl | Giants Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey | Mizlou  | Houston Cougars (6–5)
Navy Midshipmen (8–3)  | Southwest
Independent | Houston 35
Navy 0
Dec. 19 | Holiday Bowl | Jack Murphy Stadium
San Diego, California | Mizlou  | No. 14 BYU Cougars (11–1)
No. 19 SMU Mustangs (8–3)  | WAC
Southwest | BYU 46
SMU 45
Dec. 20 | Tangerine Bowl | Orlando Stadium
Orlando, Florida | Mizlou  | Florida Gators (7–4)
Maryland Terrapins (8–3)  | SEC
ACC | Florida 35
Maryland 20
Dec. 26 | Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, Arizona | NBC | No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (9–2)
No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (9–2)  | Independent
Big Ten | Penn State 31
Ohio State 19
Dec. 27 | Hall of Fame Classic | Legion Field
Birmingham, Alabama | Mizlou  | Arkansas Razorbacks (6–5)
Tulane Green Wave (7–4)  | Southwest
Independent | Arkansas 34
Tulane 15
Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas | CBS | No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–2)
No. 17 Mississippi State Bulldogs (9–2)  | Big 8
SEC | Nebraska 31
Mississippi State 17
Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee | ABC | No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers (8–3)
Missouri Tigers (8–3)  | Big Ten
Big 8 | Purdue 28
Missouri 25
Dec. 29 | Gator Bowl | Gator Bowl Stadium
Jacksonville, Florida | ABC  | No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers (10–1)
No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3)  | Independent
Independent | Pittsburgh 37
South Carolina 9
Dec. 31 | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | Astrodome
Houston, Texas | Mizlou  | No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (10–1)
Texas Longhorns (7–4)  | ACC
Southwest | North Carolina 16
Texas 7
Jan. 1 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas | CBS  | No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (9–2)
No. 6 Baylor Bears (10–1)  | SEC
Southwest | Alabama 30
Baylor 2
Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana | ABC  | No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (11–0)
No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–1–1)  | SEC
Independent | Georgia 17
Notre Dame 10
Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California | NBC  | No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (9–2)
No. 16 Washington Huskies (9–2)  | Big Ten
Pac 10 | Michigan 23
Washington 6
Orange Bowl | Miami Orange Bowl
Miami, Florida | NBC  | No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (9–2)
No. 2 Florida State Seminoles (10–1)  | Big 8
Independent | Oklahoma 18
Florida State 17
Jan. 2 | Peach Bowl | Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia | CBS  | No. 20 Miami Hurricanes (8–3)
Virginia Tech Gobblers (8–3)  | Independent
Independent | Miami 20
Virginia Tech 10

Rankings from AP Poll

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1980 College Football Bowl Games". Sports Reference. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
2. ^ "All-Time Bowl-Game Results And Attendance" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

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* t
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1980–81 NCAA football bowl game season

* Independence (Dec. 13)
* Garden State (Dec. 14)
* Holiday (Dec. 19)
* Tangerine (Dec. 20)
* Fiesta (Dec. 26)
* Hall of Fame Classic (Dec. 27)
* Sun (Dec. 27)
* Liberty (Dec. 27)
* Gator (Dec. 29)
* Astro-Bluebonnet (Dec. 31)
* Cotton (Jan. 1)
* Sugar (Jan. 1)
* Rose (Jan. 1)
* Orange (Jan. 1)
* Peach (Jan. 2)

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NCAA football bowl seasons

* 1901–02
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