Bowl games 1909-2019
The college football bowl tradition began with the first Rose Bowl game on January 1, 1902, but the modern “bowl series” truly took shape in the 1930s when multiple postseason bowls were established.
First Bowl Game (1902):
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was the very first postseason college football game, played between Michigan and Stanford. Michigan won 49–0, and the game was so lopsided that the bowl wasn’t repeated until 1916.
• Expansion Era (1930s):
Other bowls began to appear, creating a true series of postseason contests:
• Orange Bowl (1935) in Miami
• Sugar Bowl (1935) in New Orleans
• Cotton Bowl (1937) in Dallas
These additions marked the beginning of a regularized postseason tradition beyond just the Rose Bowl.
Growth in the 20th Century:
By the mid-20th century, bowl games became a staple of college football, tied to New Year’s celebrations and regional pride. They were originally exhibition games but grew into prestigious showcases for top teams.
• Modern Bowl System:
Today, there are dozens of bowl games across divisions, with the College Football Playoff (CFP) introduced in 2014 to determine the national champion. The CFP uses the “New Year’s Six” bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, Peach) as semifinal hosts.
The Longhorns have played a significant part in the history of the College Bowl Series.
- Texas: 41 bowls (23 Cotton Bowls, six Alamo Bowls, six Bluebonnet Bowls, four Sun Bowls, two Texas Bowls)
- California: nine bowls (five Holiday Bowls, two Rose Bowls, one Freedom Bowl, one BCS championship game)
- Louisiana: five bowls (five Sugar Bowls)
- Florida: three bowls (two Orange Bowls, one Gator Bowl)
- Arizona: two bowls (two Fiesta Bowls)
- Georgia: one bowl (one Peach Bowl)
In its history, Texas is 32-27-2 in bowl games (the Longhorns also beat Clemson last year in a first-round playoff game that was played on UT’s campus). One of the Longhorns’ bowl wins was recorded in the 2005 Rose Bowl against
A list of all the Longhorn bowl games is in the link below.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/texas/bowls.html
Texas Bowl record from 1943-2019 – 31 wins, 22 losses, and 1 tie.
2008 Fiesta Bowl Ohio State Buckeyes Won 24-21
2011 Holiday Bowl California Golden Bears Won 21-10
2012 Alamo Bowl Oregon State Beavers Won 31-27
2013 Alamo Bowl Oregon Ducks Lost 7-30
2014 Texas Bowl Arkansas Razorbacks Lost 7-31
2017 Texas Bowl Missouri Tigers Won 33-16
2018 Sugar Bowl Georgia Bulldogs Won 28-21
2019 Alamo Bowl Utah Utes Won 38-10
