1990–91 NCAA football bowl games


The 1990–91 NCAA football bowl games featured 19 games, starting early in December 1990 and ending on New Year's Day 1991. They followed the 1990 regular season and ended in controversy. Going into the postseason, Colorado had a 10–1–1 record and was ranked #1 in both Coaches' and AP polls. After a relatively unimpressive 10–9 victory over #5 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and an impressive victory by the undefeated #2 Georgia Tech in the Citrus Bowl, the Buffaloes lost their #1 ranking to the Yellow Jackets in the Coaches' Poll, creating a split championship. This controversial ending, along with the dual undefeated champions of the following year, led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition.

Bowl games

DateTimeGameSiteResultRef.
Dec 8California BowlBulldog Stadium
Fresno, CA		Central Michigan 24, San Jose State 48
Dec 15Independence BowlIndependence Stadium
Shreveport, LA		Maryland 34, Louisiana Tech 34
Dec 25Aloha BowlAloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI		Syracuse 28, Arizona 0
Dec 27Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN		Air Force 23, Ohio State 11
Dec 28Blockbuster BowlJoe Robbie Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL		Penn State 17, Florida State 24
Dec 28All-American BowlLegion Field
Birmingham, AL		 Southern Miss 27, NC State 31
Dec 29Peach BowlAtlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta, GA		Indiana 23, Auburn 27
Dec 29Freedom BowlAnaheim Stadium
Anaheim, CA		Colorado State 32, Oregon 31
Dec 29Holiday BowlJack Murphy Stadium
San Diego, CA		 BYU 14, Texas A&M 65
Dec 31Copper BowlArizona Stadium
Tucson, AZ		California 17, Wyoming 15
Dec 31John Hancock BowlSun Bowl
El Paso, TX		 Michigan State 17, No. 6 USC 16
Jan 1Hall of Fame BowlTampa Stadium
Tampa, FL		 Clemson 30, Illinois 0
Jan 1Orange BowlOrange Bowl
Miami, FL		 Notre Dame 9, Colorado 10
Jan 1Florida Citrus BowlFlorida Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL		 Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21
Jan 1Fiesta BowlSun Devil Stadium
Tempe, AZ		 Louisville 34, Alabama 7
Jan 1Gator BowlGator Bowl Stadium
Jacksonville, FL		 Michigan 35, Ole Miss 3
Jan 1Cotton Bowl ClassicCotton Bowl
Dallas, TX		 Miami 46, Texas 3
Jan 1Rose BowlRose Bowl
Pasadena, CA		 Iowa 34, Washington 46
Jan 1Sugar BowlLouisiana Superdome
New Orleans, LA		Virginia 22, Tennessee 23

Final rankings

[AP Poll]

1. Colorado

2. Georgia Tech

3. Miami

4. Florida State

5. Washington

6. Notre Dame

7. Michigan

8. Tennessee

9. Clemson

10. Houston

11. Penn State

12. Texas

13. Florida

14. Louisville

15. Texas A&M

16. Michigan State

17. Oklahoma

18. Iowa

19. Auburn

20. USC

21. Ole Miss

22. BYU

23. Virginia

24. Nebraska

25. Illinois

[Coaches' Poll]

1. Georgia Tech

2. Colorado

3. Miami

4. Florida State

5. Washington

6. Notre Dame

7. Tennessee

8. Michigan

9. Clemson

10. Penn State

11. Texas

12. Louisville

13. Texas A&M

14. Michigan State

15. Virginia

16. Iowa

17. BYU

17. Nebraska

19. Auburn

20. San Jose State

21. Syracuse

22. USC

23. Ole Miss

24. Illinois

25. Virginia Tech