<
>

Wisconsin-S.C. in Capital One Bowl

Wisconsin will play South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, in Orlando, Fla.

The No. 19 Badgers (9-3) are playing in a non-BCS bowl for the first time in three seasons following three consecutive appearances in the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin lost those games, though, and will be looking for its first bowl win under coach Gary Andersen.

South Carolina (10-2) won its final five games of the season, including a double-overtime victory against then-unbeaten Missouri.

The Gamecocks are making their second Capital One Bowl appearance in three seasons, having beaten Nebraska in 2012.

South Carolina is also the only team to beat Fiesta Bowl-bound UCF, rallying in the final three quarters to claim a three-point victory.

It is the first meeting between the schools.

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Missouri vs. Oklahoma State

SEC runner-up Missouri is headed to the Cotton Bowl, where the No. 8 Tigers will play No. 13 Oklahoma State on Jan. 3.

Missouri (11-2) is coming off a 59-42 loss to Auburn in the SEC championship game in only its second season in that league.

Oklahoma State (10-2) was on track for a Big 12 title and a spot in the Bowl Championship Series before a 33-24 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.

SEC teams have won the last five Cotton Bowls, and nine of the last 10, over Big 12 teams. The lone exception was the 2008 game when Missouri, then in the Big 12, beat Arkansas 38-7.

Oklahoma State is in its 11th bowl in 12 years, a span than includes Cotton Bowl losses to Mississippi in 2004 and '10.

Valero Alamo Bowl: Oregon vs. Texas

No. 10 Oregon will square off against Texas in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30.

Oregon (10-2) won its first eight games and was in the national title discussion before losing at Stanford on Nov. 7. The Ducks also got blown out at Arizona before rallying to beat rival Oregon State 36-35.

Texas (8-4) will play in San Antonio for the second straight year, having beaten Oregon State 31-27 a year ago.

The Longhorns had a chance to win the Big 12 title and play in a BCS bowl game, but lost to Baylor 30-10 on Saturday in the regular-season finale.

Texas opened league play with six straight wins before losing two of its last three.

Outback Bowl: LSU vs. Iowa

No. 16 LSU has been selected to face Iowa in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.

The Tigers (9-3) are making their first trip to Tampa for postseason action since 1989, when the game was called the Hall of Fame Bowl.

Iowa (8-4) will be making its fourth appearance in the Outback. The Hawkeyes last appeared following the 2008 season, when they beat South Carolina 31-10.

The Hawkeyes beat Florida 37-17 to conclude the 2003 season in Tampa. They lost to the Gators 31-24 in the game winding up the 2005 season.

LSU coach Les Miles says the annual matchup between representatives from the SEC and Big Ten a "premier" game. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says his players are excited to be facing a team the caliber of LSU.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Duke

Johnny Manziel might play his final college game in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta

No. 21 Texas A&M, led by Heisman Trophy winner Manziel, will face No. 24 Duke in the New Year's Eve bowl at the Georgia Dome.

Manziel is a third-year sophomore, making him eligible to enter the 2014 NFL draft. He hasn't revealed his plans for next season after guiding Texas A&M to an 8-4 record.

The Aggies lost their final two games to LSU and Missouri, losing out on a shot at playing in a Jan. 1 game.

Duke (10-3) was a surprising division winner in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils were routed by top-ranked Florida State 45-7 in the league championship game Saturday night.

National University Holiday Bowl: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech

Pac-12 South Division champion Arizona State and Texas Tech have accepted invitations to play in the National University Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

It will be the fourth appearance for Arizona State (10-3) and the second appearance for Texas Tech (7-5).

Arizona State lost to Stanford 38-14 in the Pac-12 championship game Saturday night.

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. UCLA

Virginia Tech and UCLA will meet for the first time in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, in El Paso, Texas.

Virginia Tech (8-4, 5-3 ACC) played its first postseason game in the 1947 Sun Bowl, losing to Cincinnati. This will be the Hokies' 21st consecutive bowl appearance under coach Frank Beamer.

No. 17 UCLA (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) will be making its fourth appearance in the Sun Bowl. The Bruins came from behind to beat Northwestern 50-38 in their last appearance in El Paso, in 2005.

The Hokies are led by Logan Thomas, who has completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,861 yards and 16 touchdowns.

UCLA's Myles Jack is the Pac-12's freshman of the year on both offense and defense after starring at linebacker and as a running back.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Georgia vs. Nebraska

Georgia and Nebraska will play in the postseason for the second straight year.

The Bulldogs and Cornhuskers were paired in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl on Sunday, a rematch of last year's Capital One Bowl. Georgia won that meeting 45-31, getting five touchdown passes from Aaron Murray.

No. 23 Georgia (8-4) won't have Murray in the rematch. The SEC's all-time passing leader tore a ligament in his left knee Nov. 23 against Kentucky. Hutson Mason will make his second start.

Nebraska (8-4) lost two of its final three games -- both at home -- and raised speculation about embattled coach Bo Pelini's future.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Kansas State vs. Michigan

Kansas State is headed back to the desert, this time to face Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

The Wildcats (7-5) lost to Oregon 35-17 in last year's Fiesta Bowl, but earned a return trip to Arizona after finishing strong this season.

Kansas State lost four of its first six games, including to FCS school North Dakota State at home, before reeling off four straight wins. The Wildcats finished with a flourish, rolling over rival Kansas 31-10 in their regular-season finale on Saturday.

Michigan (7-5) opened the season 5-0 before fading down the stretch. The Wolverines lost four of their final five games, though came within a failed 2-point conversion of knocking off then-No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 30 in their final game.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State vs. USC

No. 20 Fresno State will face No. 25 USC in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.

The Bulldogs (11-1) capped their spectacular season by earning their first outright conference championship since 1989 on Saturday, trouncing Utah State in the Mountain West title game.

Although Fresno State fell one loss shy of busting the BCS, the Bulldogs' reward is a high-profile matchup with the transitioning Trojans (9-4) at Sam Boyd Stadium on Dec. 21.

USC (9-4) will have its third head coach of a tumultuous season, with offensive coordinator Clay Helton directing the Trojans in their second straight bowl appearance following a two-year NCAA ban.

Interim coach Ed Orgeron went 6-2 after Lane Kiffin was fired, but he resigned last Monday after USC chose Steve Sarkisian for the permanent job.

Russell Athletic Bowl: Louisville vs. Miami

Louisville will play Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando, Fla.

The 18th-ranked Cardinals (11-1) entered the preseason as the American Athletic Conference favorites, but blew a 21-point lead in their lone loss of the season to BCS-bound UCF.

The loss also dealt a blow to the Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The ACC's Hurricanes (9-3) won their first seven games of the season and were ranked in the Top 10 before losing three in a row to Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke.

Miami recovered to win its final two games of the year and will be playing in its first bowl game since 2010. The Hurricanes had a self-imposed bowl ban in 2011 and '12 because of an NCAA investigation.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Rutgers

Notre Dame will make its first postseason appearance at Yankee Stadium against Rutgers.

The Irish (8-4) on Saturday officially accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28. They will be making their fourth straight bowl appearance and will play Rutgers (6-6), which qualified by beating South Florida on Saturday night.

It will be Notre Dame's second visit to the new Yankee Stadium. The Irish beat Army 27-3 at the site in 2010. But the Irish have played some famous games at the old Yankee Stadium, including in 1928 against Army when coach Knute Rockne gave his famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech. No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame played the Game of the Century there in 1946 in a game that featured four Heisman Trophy winners and ended in a 0-0 tie.

Rutgers, from the American Athletic Conference, went 6-6 this season and earned its eighth bowl bid in nine years with a 31-6 victory over South Florida on Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights move to the Big Ten next season.

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Arizona vs. Boston College

Two of the nation's top running backs will square off Dec. 31 when Arizona faces Boston College in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl.

Boston College's Andre Williams leads all Football Bowl Subdivision players this season with 2,102 yards rushing. Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey has rushed for 1,716 yards and ranks second nationally with 156 yards rushing per game.

The AdvoCare 100 Bowl -- formerly known as the Independence Bowl -- typically matches an ACC team against an SEC school, but the SEC didn't have enough bowl-eligible teams to send someone to Shreveport this season. The AdvoCare 100 Bowl instead invited Arizona (7-5) from the Pac-12.

Boston College has been one of the ACC's biggest surprises. The Eagles went from 2-10 in 2012 to 7-5 this season.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi vs. Georgia Tech

Ole Miss is headed to the Music City Bowl for the first time since 2000 and will play Georgia Tech on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn.

This will be the Rebels' second time in this bowl and second game in Nashville this year. Ole Miss opened the season beating Vanderbilt a couple miles from LP Field, home of the bowl game.

Ole Miss (7-5) finished on a two-game skid that dropped the Rebels out of the Top 25 rankings. The Rebels played in the BBVA Compass Bowl last season.

Georgia Tech (7-5) will be making its first appearance in the bowl sponsored by Franklin American Mortgage as the ACC's representative. This is the Yellow Jackets' 17th straight bowl berth and 42nd overall.

Texas Bowl: Minnesota vs. Syracuse

Minnesota will play in the Texas Bowl for the second year in a row when it faces Syracuse on Dec. 27 in Houston.

The Gophers (8-4) improved by two wins in 2013 but have wound up in Houston yet again. Minnesota blew a 10-point lead in the final 1:10 and lost to Texas Tech 34-31 in last year's Texas Bowl.

Syracuse (6-6) finished 4-4 in its first season in the ACC and rallied past Boston College in the regular-season finale to earn bowl eligibility.

Minnesota is 3-1 against Syracuse, including a 17-10 win in 2012.

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. North Carolina

Cincinnati will look to defend their Belk Bowl title Dec. 28 against North Carolina in Charlote, N.C.

The Bearcats will be making their second straight appearance in the game after defeating Duke 48-34 last year in Charlotte.

Cincinnati (9-3) finished second in the American Athletic Conference, winning six of its final seven games.

North Carolina (6-6) also finished the season strong, winning five of its last six games to become bowl eligible. It has lost its previous three appearances in the game by a combined six points.

Fight Hunger Bowl: Washington vs. BYU

Washington has been picked as the opponent for BYU in San Francisco's Fight Hunger Bowl.

The Cougars locked up a bid to the Dec. 27 game earlier this year, and bowl officials selected the Huskies as the Pac-12 participant Sunday night.

Washington went 8-4 this season before coach Steve Sarkisian left to take the job at Southern California. The Huskies hired Chris Petersen away from Boise State on Friday, but quarterbacks coach and former Washington standout Marques Tuiasosopo will be the interim head coach for the bowl game.

BYU also finished 8-4 and is headed to a bowl for the ninth straight season under coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Cougars are 6-2 in those games, including winning the last four.

This is expected to be the final Fight Hunger Bowl played at the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park. The bowl is moving to the San Francisco 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara next year.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Boise State vs. Oregon State

Boise State will play Oregon State in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

Boise State went 8-4 this season under coach Chris Petersen, who was hired last week as head coach of Washington. Assistant head coach Bob Gregory, who has been with the Broncos for five seasons, was named interim coach for the bowl game.

The Broncos are making their 12th straight bowl appearance, and second in the Hawaii Bowl. In 2007, the Broncos fell to 41-38 to East Carolina in Honolulu.

The Beavers went 6-6 but dropped their final five games. It will be the team's eighth bowl appearance under coach Mike Riley, who is 5-2 in the postseason.

It will be the eighth overall meeting between the two teams. Oregon State leads the series 4-3.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Washington State

Colorado State will play Washington State in the year's first bowl game on Dec. 21.

The Mountain West Conference's Rams (7-6) also played in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl, which was the team's last trip to the postseason. The Rams defeated Fresno State 40-35.

The Cougars (6-6) are playing in a bowl for the first time since 2003. Washington State finished the regular season with a 27-17 loss to rival Washington in the Apple Cup, but the team doubled its total wins from the year before -- showing steady progress under second-year coach Mike Leach.

While the Cougars were bowl eligible, it did not mean they were guaranteed a postseason berth. Nine teams from the Pac-12 were eligible with just seven conference bowl spots.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Rice

Mississippi State is the pick out of the SEC to play Rice in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31, in Memphis.

Bowl officials passed over Vanderbilt (8-4), who played in Memphis two years ago.

Picking Mississippi State gives bowl officials a team marking the 50th anniversary of its first game in this bowl. The Bulldogs beat North Carolina State 16-12 in 1963 when this bowl was played in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Bulldogs (6-6) needed overtime to beat Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl to become bowl eligible for a fourth straight season.

Rice (10-3) accepted its berth Saturday after beating Marshall 41-24 in the Conference USA championship game.

BBVA Compass Bowl: Houston vs. Vanderbilt

Houston will face Vanderbilt in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 4, in Birmingham, Ala.

Vanderbilt is playing in its third straight bowl game for the first time, all under coach James Franklin.

Houston, which plays in the American Athletic Conference, is 8-4 and is making its eighth postseason trip in the past 11 seasons. Vandy is also 8-4 and beat Georgia, Florida and Tennessee for the first time in the same season.

The Cougars are 9-11-1 in bowls, including a 30-14 win over No. 22 Penn State in the 2012 Ticket City Bowl to cap coach Tony Levine's first season.

Levine says "facing a formidable opponent from the SEC is a great challenge and one that our program is looking forward to."

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh

MAC champion Bowling Green will return to Detroit to face Pittsburgh in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26.

The Falcons (10-3) beat previously undefeated Northern Illinois 47-27 in the MAC title game at Ford Field on Friday, their fifth straight win.

It's the third bowl bid in five seasons for Bowling Green and the 11th in school history.

Pitt will be making its sixth straight trip to a bowl game. The Panthers, who went 3-5 in their first season in the ACC, are 2-1 against Bowling Green since 1999.

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman: Maryland vs. Marshall

Maryland won't have to cross the state line for its first bowl appearance since 2010.

The Terrapins (7-5) will face Marshall (9-4) in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27. The game will be held at the home stadium of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Maryland finished 7-5 this season to earn its first bowl bid under third-year coach Randy Edsall. The last time the Terrapins played in the postseason, they beat East Carolina when the Military Bowl was held in the nation's capital.

Marshall received its invitation on Saturday. The Thundering Herd went 9-4 and won the Conference USA East Division title before falling to Rice in the league championship game.

Marshall and Maryland have never played each other in football.

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia: Utah State vs. Northern Illinois

Star dual-threat quarterback Jordan Lynch and No. 23 Northern Illinois will face Mountain West Conference Mountain Division champion Utah State in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 26 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Northern Illinois (12-1) saw its hopes of playing in a BCS game dashed by a 47-27 loss to Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference title game.

Lynch ran for 1,881 yards, an NCAA record for quarterbacks, and passed for 2,676.

Utah State (8-5) lost 24-17 to Fresno State in the inaugural Mountain West title game Saturday night. It will play in its school-record third straight bowl game.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Buffalo vs. San Diego State

Buffalo and San Diego State have accepted invitations to play in Boise, Idaho on Dec. 21.

The postseason opportunity is just the second in school history for the Bulls (8-4) and the first since 2009.

San Diego State (7-5) will be making its fourth consecutive bowl appearance but its first in the Potato Bowl.

The Bulls are led by outstanding linebacker Khalil Mack, voted the winner of the 2013 Jack Lambert Award for the top linebacker in college football. This season, Mack has recorded 94 tackles and 10.5 sacks.

The Aztecs are led by quarterback Quinn Kaehler, who has thrown for 2,796 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: East Carolina vs. Ohio

Ohio University is headed to the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg to face East Carolina of Conference USA.

It's the second straight season that the Mid-American Conference will be represented in the pre-Christmas game held at Tropicana Field, home of baseball's Tampa Bay Rays. Ball State made the trip last December, receiving the bid when the Big East was unable to fulfill the league's bowl commitments.

This time, the American Athletic Conference was unable to supply a team, and Ohio (7-5) will face East Carolina (9-3) on Dec. 23.

It will be the fifth straight bowl trip for the Bobcats under coach Frank Solich.

East Carolina will be making its 19th bowl appearance. The Pirates last appeared in a Florida bowl in 1965, when they beat Maine in the Tangerine Bowl.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Middle Tennesse State vs. Navy

Middle Tennessee will make its first bowl appearance in three years when the Blue Raiders play Navy in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.

Navy (7-4) was a conditional pick for the bowl even before the season, and the Midshipmen guaranteed their spot in the Dec. 30 game when they got their sixth win last month. They still have one regular-season game to play, Saturday against Army in Philadelphia.

Middle Tennessee (8-4) won its last five games, and has its second consecutive eight-win season. The Blue Raiders, who are in Conference USA, last played in a bowl game in 2010, losing to Miami, Ohio, in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Navy is in its 10th bowl in 11 years. The game is played on the TCU campus.

GoDaddy Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Ball State

Ball State accepted an invitation to the Jan. 5 GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Arkansas State earlier agreed to play in the game for the third consecutive year.

Ball State (10-2) reached double-digit victories for only the third time with a 55-15 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 29.

ASU (7-5) beat Kent State in last season's game for the program's first victory over a ranked team and lost to Northern Illinois two years ago. The Red Wolves have won or shared the Sun Belt Conference championship three straight years.

Ball State, which lost 45-13 to Tulsa in the GoDaddy Bowl on Jan. 6, 2009, is led by quarterback Keith Wenning, the school's all-time leading passer.

Heart of Dallas Bowl Presented by PlainsCapital Bank: UNLV vs. North Texas

North Texas is going to its first bowl game since 2004, accepting an invitation Sunday to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against UNLV, which ended a long bowl drought.

The last postseason game for the Rebels (7-5) was the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.

UNLV, from the Mountain West Conference, is filling the slot slated for a Big Ten. That league sent two teams to the Bowl Championship Series and didn't have enough bowl-eligible teams to send one to the New Year's Day game at the Cotton Bowl stadium.

North Texas (8-4) has won six of its last seven games in its 100th anniversary season of football. The bowl comes in the third season under coach Dan McCarney, who took over a program that had gone 13-58 the six seasons before he arrived.

UNLV won two games in each of coach Bobby Hauck's first three seasons.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Tulane vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette both accepted invitations to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl last week.

The Green Wave will play in their first postseason game since the Hawaii Bowl in 2002, and they'll get to do it on their home field at the Superdome.

Tulane had 10 straight losing seasons before second-year coach Curtis Johnson led the Green Wave to a 7-5 record this season.

Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) has won the past two New Orleans Bowls.

Left out

Nine teams were bowl-eligible but did not receive an invitation to a bowl.

Western Kentucky had the best record to be left out at 8-4. Four other 6-6 Sun Belt teams were also left out: Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Troy, and Texas State.

Toledo was left out with a 7-5 record, and fellow MAC team Central Michigan (6-6) also missed out.

San Jose State and Florida Atlantic also did not receive bowl bids despite being bowl-eligible at 6-6.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.