2015–16 NCAA football bowl games

College football postseason game series August 2023 2015 September 3, 2015 – December 12, 2015 42infobox 41 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game. 4 December 19, 2015 January 11, 2016 2016 College Football PlayoffNational Championship University of Phoenix StadiumGlendale, AZ Alabama Crimson Tide SEC SEC 11 9 2 5 Pac-12 10 6 4 3 Big Ten 10 5 5 6 ACC 10 4 6 3 Mountain West 8 4 4 0 American 8 2 6 2 Big 12 7 3 4 4 MAC 7 3 4 0 Conference USA 5 3 2 1 Sun Belt 4 2 2 0 Independents 2 0 2 1 thumb | right | University of South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers during the Miami Beach Bowl against WKU on December 21, 2015 at Marlins Park. The 2015–16 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games. They completed the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 19, 2015, and, aside from the all-star games, ended with the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 11, 2016. A new record total of 41 team-competitive bowl games were played in FBS, including the national championship game and the inaugural Cure Bowl and Arizona Bowl. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, this was the tenth consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons were bowl-eligible and participated in bowl games. To fill the 80 available team-competitive bowl slots, a new record 15 teams (19% of all participants) with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—12 had a .500 (6–6) season and, for another new record, three had a sub-.500 season. Those three teams each had 5–7 seasons, sharing a new record for the most regular season losses by a bowl team, which had previously been six.http://www.thesportsseer.com/worst-college-football-programs-to-be-invited-to-a-bowl-game/ College Football Teams Which Played in Bowl Games Despite Losing Records thesportsseer.com December 30, 2013 November 26, 2018 This situation led directly to the NCAA Division I Council imposing a three-year moratorium on new bowl games in April 2016.https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/15181015/ncaa-approves-three-year-moratorium-new-bowl-games NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games Brett McMurphy ESPN.com April 11, 2016 April 11, 2016 Schedule The schedule for the 2015–16 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5). The rankings used were the CFP rankings."2015–16 College Football Bowl Schedule – 2016 Playoff" https://web.archive.org/web/20150318155441/http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/college-football-bowl-schedule.php March 18, 2015 , FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015. College Football Playoff and Championship Game The 2015–16 postseason was the second to feature a College Football Playoff (CFP) to determine a national champion of Division I FBS college football. Four teams were selected by a 12-member committee to participate in a single-elimination tournament, whose semifinals were held at the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl as part of a yearly rotation of six bowls. Their winners advanced to the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 11, 2016.A daunting task: Can the CFP, ESPN change old New Year's Eve habits? https://www.si.com/college-football/2015/07/02/college-football-playoff-semifinals-new-years-eve Sports Illustrated Time Inc. 6 July 2015 July 2, 2015"College Football Playoff 101", ESPN, May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015. Both semifinal bowls were held on December 31, 2015. Under the TV contracts with ESPN that predate the CFP, both the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl (the first two bowls in the three cycling pairs that host semi-final games) are guaranteed exclusive TV time slots on January 1, regardless of whether they will be hosting a semifinal game.https://www.si.com/college-football/2015/01/12/college-football-playoff-tradition-new-years-eve-2015 College Football Playoff drops ball with 2015 New Year's Eve semis SI.com January 12, 2015 January 17, 2015 Analysts expressed concerns that the semifinal games could face reduced television viewership due to the New Year's Eve scheduling, believing that fans would not be accustomed to the scheduling, and that they would face competition from New Year's Eve events and television specials like New Year's Rockin' Eve, which is aired by ABC—a corporate sibling to CFP broadcaster ESPN. ESPN then proposed moving the semifinal games to January 2, 2016, a Saturday, arguing that the games would enjoy a higher level of prominence if held on a day of the week that is traditionally associated with college football. However, its proposal was rejected. CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock suggested this scheduling issue would instead "change the paradigm of what New Year's Eve is all about," opining that "if you're hosting a New Year's Eve party, you better have a bunch of televisions around."Before BCS ends, the whens, wheres, whys of College Football Playoff Tony Barnhart CBSSports.com January 6, 2014 January 17, 2015 http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/tony-barnhart/24400200/before-bcs-ends-the-whens-wheres-and-whys-of-college-football-playoff Ratings for the two semifinal games were down from the prior season's equivalents, with the Orange Bowl reaching a 9.7 rating (in comparison to 15.5 for the 2015 Rose Bowl) and the Cotton Bowl reaching a 9.9 rating (in comparison to a 15.3 rating for the 2015 Sugar Bowl). On the online WatchESPN streaming service, the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl drew the second and third-largest streaming audiences in the service's history (excluding 2014 FIFA World Cup games), behind the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship.College Football Playoff TV ratings drop with New Year's Eve time slots https://www.si.com/college-football/2016/01/01/college-football-playoff-bowl-game-tv-ratings Sports Illustrated 1 January 2016 As a result of the reduced viewership, it was reported that ESPN was negotiating $20 million worth of credits to advertisers to compensate for the lower than expected ratings.ESPN is reportedly giving $20M back to advertisers because the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve was such a disaster https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/1/8/10737258/after-bowl-ratings-fell-flat-espn-is-giving-back-20m-to-advertisers SBNation Vox Media 8 January 2016 DateGameSiteTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResultsDec. 31Peach BowlGeorgia DomeAtlanta, GA12:00 pm ESPN No. 18 Houston Cougars (12–1) No. 9 Florida State Seminoles (10–2) AmericanACCHouston 38Florida State 24Orange Bowl(Playoff Semifinal Game)Sun Life StadiumMiami Gardens, FL4:00 pm No. 1 Clemson Tigers (13–0)No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (11–1) ACCBig 12Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17Cotton Bowl Classic(Playoff Semifinal Game)AT&T StadiumArlington, TX8:00 pm No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)No. 3 Michigan State Spartans (12–1) SECBig TenAlabama 38 Michigan State 0Jan. 1Fiesta BowlBattleFrog Announced as Title Sponsor of 45th Annual Fiesta Bowl https://fiestabowl.org/news-room/battlefrog-announced-as-title-sponsor-of-45th-annual-fiesta-bowl/ Fiesta Bowl December 4, 2015 December 6, 2015 December 8, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151208071937/https://fiestabowl.org/news-room/battlefrog-announced-as-title-sponsor-of-45th-annual-fiesta-bowl/ deadUniversity of Phoenix StadiumGlendale, AZ1:00 pm No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–1) No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–2) Big TenIndependentOhio State 44 Notre Dame 28Rose Bowl GameRose BowlPasadena, CA5:00 pm No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (11–2)No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (12–1)Pac-12Big TenStanford 45Iowa 16Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA8:30 pm No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels (9–3)No. 16 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10–2)SECBig 12Ole Miss 48Oklahoma State 20Jan. 11College Football Playoff National Championship(Orange Bowl Winner vs. Cotton Bowl Winner)University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ8:30 pm No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–1)No. 1 Clemson Tigers (14–0) SECACC Alabama 45Clemson 40 Non-CFP bowl games For the 2015–16 season, two new bowl games were added, the Cure Bowl and the Arizona Bowl, bringing the total number of bowl games to 41.Kelley, Kevin (May 6, 2015). "Three New Bowls Approved, Pushes Total to 42 in 2015", FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/creative/2015/05/austins-bowl-game-hopes-delayed-to-201.html Austin's Bowl Game Hopes Delayed to 2016 Austin Business Journal May 26, 2015 May 27, 2015 Swiatecki, ChadLisaius, Som (October 1, 2015). "Organizers, Officials Celebrate Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl", Tucson News Now. Retrieved October 2, 2015. Due to not having enough teams with a 6–6 or better record to fill available bowl slots, the increase in number of bowls had the adverse effect of allowing a record three teams with losing records (5–7) to participate in bowls. The teams were selected by being the ones with the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) among all 5–7 teams.https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2015-12-06/nebraska-minnesota-san-jose-st-taking-5-7-records-bowl Nebraska, Minnesota, San Jose St. taking 5-7 records to bowl NCAA.com 18 December 2015 The participating teams with a losing record were Nebraska, Minnesota, and San Jose State. DateGameSiteTelevisionTeamsAffiliationsResults Dec. 19New Mexico BowlUniversity StadiumAlbuquerque, NM2:00 pm ESPNArizona Wildcats (6–6) New Mexico Lobos (7–5)Pac-12Mountain West Arizona 45New Mexico 37Las Vegas BowlSam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV3:30 pm ABCNo. 22 Utah Utes (9–3) BYU Cougars (9–3)Pac-12Independent Utah 35 BYU 28 Camellia BowlCramton BowlMontgomery, AL5:30 pm ESPNAppalachian State Mountaineers (10–2)Ohio Bobcats (8–4) Sun BeltMACAppalachian State 31 Ohio 29Cure BowlOrlando Citrus Bowl StadiumOrlando, FL7:00 pm CBSSNSan Jose State Spartans (5–7)Georgia State Panthers (6–6)Mountain WestSun BeltSan Jose State 27 Georgia State 16New Orleans BowlMercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA9:00 pm ESPNLouisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–4)Arkansas State Red Wolves (9–3)C-USASun BeltLouisiana Tech 47 Arkansas State 28Dec. 21Miami Beach BowlMarlins ParkMiami, FL2:30 pm ESPNWestern Kentucky Hilltoppers (11–2)South Florida Bulls (8–4)C-USAAmericanWestern Kentucky 45 South Florida 35 Dec. 22Famous Idaho Potato BowlAlbertsons StadiumBoise, ID3:30 pm ESPNAkron Zips (7–5)Utah State Aggies (6–6)MACMountain West Akron 23 Utah State 21Boca Raton BowlFAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL7:00 pm ESPNToledo Rockets (9–2) No. 24 Temple Owls (10–3)MACAmerican Toledo 32Temple 17 Dec. 23Poinsettia BowlQualcomm StadiumSan Diego, CA4:30 pm ESPNBoise State Broncos (8–4) Northern Illinois Huskies (8–5)Mountain WestMAC Boise State 55Northern Illinois 7GoDaddy BowlLadd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL8:00 pm ESPNGeorgia Southern Eagles (8–4)Bowling Green Falcons (10–3)Sun BeltMACGeorgia Southern 58Bowling Green 27 Dec. 24 Bahamas BowlThomas Robinson StadiumNassau, Bahamas12:00 pm ESPNWestern Michigan Broncos (7–5)Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7–5)MACC-USAWestern Michigan 45Middle Tennessee 31Hawaii BowlAloha StadiumHonolulu, HI8:00 pm ESPNSan Diego State Aztecs (10–3) Cincinnati Bearcats (7–5)Mountain WestAmericanSan Diego State 42Cincinnati 7 Dec. 26St. Petersburg BowlTropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL11:00 am ESPNMarshall Thundering Herd (9–3) Connecticut Huskies (6–6) C-USAAmericanMarshall 16Connecticut 10Sun BowlSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TX2:00 pm CBSWashington State Cougars (8–4) Miami Hurricanes (8–4) Pac-12ACCWashington State 20Miami 14Heart of Dallas BowlCotton BowlDallas, TX2:20 pm ESPNWashington Huskies (6–6) Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9–4)Pac-12C-USAWashington 44Southern Miss 31Pinstripe BowlYankee StadiumBronx, NY3:30 pm ABCDuke Blue Devils (7–5)Indiana Hoosiers (6–6)ACCBig TenDuke 44Indiana 41 (OT)Independence BowlIndependence StadiumShreveport, LA5:45 pm ESPNVirginia Tech Hokies (6–6) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6–6) ACCAmericanVirginia Tech 55Tulsa 52Foster Farms BowlLevi's StadiumSanta Clara, CA9:15 pm ESPNNebraska Cornhuskers (5–7) UCLA Bruins (8–4) Big TenPac-12Nebraska 37UCLA 29 Dec. 28Military BowlNavy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD2:30 pm ESPNNo. 21 Navy Midshipmen (10–2)Pittsburgh Panthers (8–4)AmericanACCNavy 44 Pittsburgh 28Quick Lane BowlFord FieldDetroit, MI5:00 pm ESPN2Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–7) Central Michigan Chippewas (7–5) Big TenMACMinnesota 21 Central Michigan 14 Dec. 29Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX2:00 pm ESPNCalifornia Golden Bears (7–5) Air Force Falcons (8–5) Pac-12Mountain WestCalifornia 55 Air Force 36Russell Athletic BowlOrlando Citrus Bowl StadiumOrlando, FL5:30 pm ESPNNo. 17 Baylor Bears (9–3)No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels (11–2)Big 12ACCBaylor 49 North Carolina 38Arizona BowlArizona StadiumTucson, AZ7:30 pm ASN Nevada Wolf Pack (6–6)Colorado State Rams (7–5)Mountain WestMountain West Nevada 28 Colorado State 23Texas BowlNRG StadiumHouston, TX9:00 pm ESPNNo. 20 LSU Tigers (8–3)Texas Tech Red Raiders (7–5) SECBig 12LSU 56 Texas Tech 27Dec. 30Birmingham BowlLegion FieldBirmingham, AL12:00 pm ESPNAuburn Tigers (6–6)Memphis Tigers (9–3)SECAmericanAuburn 31 Memphis 10Belk BowlBank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC3:30 pm ESPNMississippi State Bulldogs (8–4)NC State Wolfpack (7–5)SECACCMississippi State 51 NC State 28Music City BowlNissan StadiumNashville, TN7:00 pm ESPNLouisville Cardinals (7–5)Texas A&M Aggies (8–4) ACCSEC Louisville 27 Texas A&M 21Holiday BowlQualcomm StadiumSan Diego, CA10:30 pm ESPNWisconsin Badgers (9–3) No. 25 USC Trojans (8–5)Big TenPac-12Wisconsin 23 USC 21 Jan. 1Outback BowlRaymond James StadiumTampa, FL12:00 pm ESPN2No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers (8–4)No. 13 Northwestern Wildcats (10–2)SECBig TenTennessee 45 Northwestern 6Citrus BowlOrlando Citrus Bowl StadiumOrlando, FL1:00 pm ABCNo. 14 Michigan Wolverines (9–3)No. 19 Florida Gators (10–3)Big TenSECMichigan 41 Florida 7 Jan. 2TaxSlayer BowlEverBank FieldJacksonville, FL12:00 pm ESPNGeorgia Bulldogs (9–3)Penn State Nittany Lions (7–5)SECBig TenGeorgia 24Penn State 17Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN3:20 pm ESPNArkansas Razorbacks (7–5)Kansas State Wildcats (6–6) SECBig 12Arkansas 45Kansas State 23Alamo BowlAlamodomeSan Antonio, TX6:45 pm ESPNNo. 11 TCU Horned Frogs (10–2) No. 15 Oregon Ducks (9–3)Big 12Pac-12TCU 47Oregon 41 (3OT)Cactus BowlChase FieldPhoenix, AZ10:15 pm ESPNWest Virginia Mountaineers (7–5) Arizona State Sun Devils (6–6)Big 12Pac-12West Virginia 43Arizona State 42 + Notre Dame is eligible for any one of the bowl bids reserved for ACC teams, if Notre Dame: (a) is bowl-eligible; and (b) is not selected for one of the CFP Bowls. Notre Dame may not be selected for one of the bowl games having ACC tie-ins unless Notre Dame has no less than one less overall loss than the winningest-remaining ACC team which has not yet been selected for a bowl game. BYU has an agreement with the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Cougars will appear, in place of a Mountain West team, in the Las Vegas Bowl this season. All-star games Date GameSiteTelevisionParticipantsResultsJan. 17Tropic BowlNorth Miami StadiumNorth Miami Beach, FloridaAmerican TeamNational TeamAmerican 38National 14Jan. 23East–West Shrine GameTropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL4:00 pmNFL NetworkEast TeamWest TeamWest 29 East 9NFLPA Collegiate BowlStubHub CenterCarson, CA6:00 pmESPN2National TeamAmerican TeamNational 18 American 17Jan. 30Senior BowlLadd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL2:30 pmNFL NetworkNorth TeamSouth TeamSouth 27 North 16 FCS bowl game The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 28 and ended on January 9. DateGameSiteTelevisionParticipantsAffiliationsResultsDec. 19Celebration BowlGeorgia DomeAtlanta, Georgia12:00pmABCNorth Carolina A&T Aggies (9–2)Alcorn State Braves (9–3)MEACSWAC North Carolina A&T 41Alcorn State 34 Results The Southeastern Conference was the Bowl Challenge Cup winner for the 2015-16 bowl season, which is awarded to the FBS football conference with the highest winning percentage. In addition, the nine total bowl wins by the SEC were the most ever accomplished by a single conference during a single bowl season. Southeastern Conference member Alabama won the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship game to finish the year as consensus national champions for the 2015 football season. Selection of the teams CFP top 25 teams On December 6, 2015, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year:"2015 College Football Rankings – Week 15 – College Football Playoff Rankings", ESPN, December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015. Rank Team W–L Conference and standing Bowl game 1 Clemson Tigers 13–0 ACC champions Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 12–1 SEC champions Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP semifinal) 3 Michigan State Spartans 12–1 Big Ten champions Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP semifinal) 4 Oklahoma Sooners 11–1 Big 12 champions Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) 5 Iowa Hawkeyes 12–1 Big Ten West Division champions Rose Bowl (NY6) 6 Stanford Cardinal 11–2 Pac-12 champions Rose Bowl (NY6) 7 Ohio State Buckeyes 11–1 Big Ten East Division co-champions Fiesta Bowl (NY6) 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10–2 Independent Fiesta Bowl (NY6) 9 Florida State Seminoles 10–2 ACC Atlantic Division second place Peach Bowl (NY6) 10 North Carolina Tar Heels 11–2 ACC Coastal Division champions Russell Athletic Bowl 11 TCU Horned Frogs 10–2 Big 12 second place (tie) Alamo Bowl 12 Ole Miss Rebels 9–3 SEC West Division second place Sugar Bowl (NY6) 13 Northwestern Wildcats 10–2 Big Ten West Division second place (tie) Outback Bowl 14 Michigan Wolverines 9–3 Big Ten East Division third place Citrus Bowl 15 Oregon Ducks 9–3 Pac-12 North Division second place Alamo Bowl 16 Oklahoma State Cowboys 10–2 Big 12 second place (tie) Sugar Bowl (NY6) 17 Baylor Bears 9–3 Big Twelve fourth place Russell Athletic Bowl 18 Houston Cougars 12–1 American champions Peach Bowl (NY6) 19 Florida Gators 10–3 SEC East Division champions Citrus Bowl 20 LSU Tigers 8–3 SEC West Division third place (tie) Texas Bowl 21 Navy Midshipmen 10–2 American West Division co-champions Military Bowl 22 Utah Utes 9–3 Pac-12 South Division co-champions Las Vegas Bowl 23 Tennessee Volunteers 8–4 SEC East Division second place (tie) Outback Bowl 24 Temple Owls 10–2 American East Division champions Boca Raton Bowl 25 USC Trojans 8–5 Pac-12 South Division co-champions Holiday Bowl Conference champions' bowl games The Cotton Bowl Classic and Orange Bowl featured two conference champions playing against each other. Rankings are per the above CFP standings. Conference Champion W–L Rank Bowl game ACC Clemson Tigers 13–0 01 1 Orange Bowl American Houston Cougars 12–1 18 Peach Bowl Big 10 Big Ten Michigan State Spartans 12–1 03 3 Cotton Bowl Classic Big 12 Oklahoma Sooners 11–1 04 4 Orange Bowl C-USA Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 11–2 — Miami Beach Bowl MAC Bowling Green Falcons 10–3 — GoDaddy Bowl Mountain West San Diego State Aztecs 10–3 — Hawaii Bowl Pac-12 Stanford Cardinal 11–2 06 6 Rose Bowl SEC Alabama Crimson Tide 12–1 02 2 Cotton Bowl Classic Sun Belt Arkansas State Red Wolves 09–3 9–3 — New Orleans Bowl Bowl-eligible teams ACC (9): Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech The American (8): Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa Big Ten (8): Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin Big 12 (7): Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia Conference USA (5): Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss, Western Kentucky Independents (2): BYU, Notre Dame MAC (7): Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan Mountain West (7): Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah State Pac-12 (10): Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State SEC (10): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M Sun Belt (4): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State Number of bowl berths available: 80 Number of bowl-eligible teams: 77 Conditionally bowl-ineligible teams The American (4): East Carolina*, SMU, Tulane, UCF ACC (5): Boston College, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest Big Ten (6): Illinois*, Maryland, Minnesota*, Nebraska*, Purdue, Rutgers Big 12 (3): Iowa State, Kansas, Texas* Conference USA (8): Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, FIU*, North Texas, Old Dominion*, Rice*, UTSA, UTEP* Independent (1): Army MAC (6): Ball State, Buffalo*, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), UMass Mountain West (5): Fresno State, Hawaii, San Jose State*, UNLV, Wyoming Pac-12 (2): Colorado, Oregon State SEC (4): Kentucky*, Missouri*, South Carolina, Vanderbilt Sun Belt (7): Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama*, Texas State, Troy Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 51 Note: Being bowl-ineligible does not, in itself, exclude a team from the chance to play in a bowl game. Tiebreaker procedures based on a school's Academic Progress Rate (APR) allowed for the possibility of 5–7 teams to play in bowl games since not enough teams qualified to fill all 80 spots with at least a 6–6 record. Note: Teams with Asterisk (*) have a 5–7 record (14 total). Since a maximum of 77 bowl slots were filled, 3 of these teams qualified for a bowl game. These teams were Nebraska, Minnesota, and San Jose State.Johnson Greg NCAA Football: Council approves process to allow 5–7 teams into bowl games https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2015-11-30/ncaa-football-council-approves-process-allow-5-7-teams-bowl-games ncaa.com NCAA 6 December 2015 Missouri would have qualified over Minnesota or San Jose State, but announced they would decline a bowl bid.Paul Richard Missouri not interested in bowl after 5–7 season http://oceansidepost.com/2015/12/05/missouri-not-interested-in-bowl-after-5-7-season.html The Oceanside Post 6 December 2015 December 8, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151208232040/http://oceansidepost.com/2015/12/05/missouri-not-interested-in-bowl-after-5-7-season.html dead Note: There are 128 teams in FBS. See also Celebration Bowl, a game between two FCS teams that played its inaugural game in 2015 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the championship game for Division III football that ended the 2015 NCAA Division III football season Notes References 30em Further reading http://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls14/story/_/id/14568506/clemson-tigers-deshaun-watson-stanford-cardinal-christian-mccaffrey-highlight-2015-all-bowl-team ESPN's 2015 All-Bowl Team Chris Low ESPN January 15, 2016 January 10, 2019