Birmingham Bowl
76 Birmingham Bowl
StadiumProtective Stadium
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
Previous stadiumsLegion Field (2006–2020)
Operated2006–present
Conference tie-insThe American, SEC
Alternates: C-USA, MAC
PayoutUS$1,374,545 (2019 season)[1]
Sponsors
Former names
  • Birmingham Bowl (2006, working title)
  • PapaJohns.com Bowl (2006–2010)
  • BBVA Compass Bowl (2011–2014)
  • Birmingham Bowl (2015–2017)
  • Jared Birmingham Bowl (2018)
  • TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl (2019–2022)
2022 matchup
East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina
(East Carolina 53–29)
2023 matchup
Troy vs. Duke (Duke 17–10)

The Birmingham Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game played annually in Birmingham, Alabama. First held in 2006, the game is owned and operated by ESPN Events.[2] The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) also provides marketing, management and game-day operations support. The game was previously known as the PapaJohns.com Bowl (2006–2010) and the BBVA Compass Bowl (2011–2014). TicketSmarter signed on as the title sponsor of the 2019 game, making it the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.[3] From its inception through 2020, the game was played at Legion Field; since the December 2021 game, it has been held at Protective Stadium.

The January 2021 edition of the bowl was cancelled due to an insufficient number of teams being available to fill all 2020–21 bowl games, following a season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

History

Protective Stadium, current venue of the Birmingham Bowl

The bowl marked the return of post-season football to the city of Birmingham, which previously hosted the Dixie Bowl from 1947 to 1948, the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985 (which relocated to Tampa and became the Outback Bowl), and the All-American Bowl from 1986 to 1990 (which was canceled when the SEC Championship Game was awarded to the city).

In the inaugural edition of the bowl, played on December 23, 2006, the South Florida Bulls defeated the East Carolina Pirates, 24–7, in front of a crowd of 32,023.[5] Running back Benjamin Williams of South Florida scored the bowl's first points on a 16-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the game; he added a second touchdown during the first quarter and was named the game's MVP.

After being held in December for its first three years, the fourth edition of the bowl was played in January 2010. As a result, there was no game during the 2009 calendar year. The bowl was subsequently played in January through its ninth edition, held in January 2015. The tenth edition of the bowl saw a return to December, resulting in two editions of the bowl being played during calendar year 2015. The bowl remained in December through its 13th edition, held in December 2018. The 14th edition of the bowl was held in January 2020, thus there was no game during calendar year 2019.

The bowl was originally played at Legion Field, located west of central Birmingham. With construction of a new football stadium on the grounds of the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex closer to central Birmingham, the bowl was expected to move there.[6] Since the December 2021 edition, the bowl has been played at Protective Stadium.[7]

Conference tie-ins

The bowl originally had a four-year agreement with Conference USA (C-USA) to match a representative of that conference against an opponent from the Big East Conference, but the bowl's officials later appealed to the NCAA for a recertification which was granted in late April 2008. In 2008 and 2009, the bowl featured the ninth bowl-eligible team of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and a team from the Big East Conference.[8]

The game currently features teams from the SEC and the American Athletic Conference (The American). Should either of these conferences not fulfill their bowl commitments, a team from C-USA or the Mid-American Conference (MAC) will take their place, provided it is bowl eligible.[9] Otherwise, the game will choose an at-large team. This happened in 2008, when the SEC was unable to send a team; the bowl selected North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to face Rutgers from the Big East, even though the bowl had an arrangement with the Sun Belt Conference at the time, and that conference had at least one bowl-eligible team it could send. This occurred again in 2022 when the bid was brought down to the Sun Belt Conference.

Sponsorship

From 2006 through 2010, the game was the PapaJohns.com Bowl, named after Papa John's Pizza, who became the title sponsor signing a multi-year agreement in November 2006.[10] On August 6, 2010, Papa John's announced it would not renew its sponsorship, after having secured a sponsorship deal with the National Football League.[11] Following the announcement, the game was temporarily renamed the Birmingham Bowl until BBVA Compass was announced as its title sponsor on November 4, 2010, officially changing its name to the BBVA Compass Bowl.[11][12] The bowl was sponsored by BBVA through the January 2014 game, following which BBVA Compass declined to renew its sponsorship,[13] and the game was subsequently renamed the Birmingham Bowl. The 2018 edition of the Birmingham Bowl was sponsored by the Jared brand of Sterling Jewelers,[14] and the 2019-2022 edition was sponsored by TicketSmarter.[3]

On November 30, 2023, the 76 chain of gas stations was announced as the new title sponsor of the game.[15]

Game results

Rankings are from the AP Poll from before the game was played.

Date Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attendance
December 23, 2006PapaJohns.com BowlSouth Florida24East Carolina732,023
December 22, 2007PapaJohns.com Bowl20 Cincinnati31Southern Miss2135,258
December 29, 2008PapaJohns.com BowlRutgers29NC State2338,582
January 2, 2010PapaJohns.com BowlConnecticut20South Carolina745,254
January 8, 2011BBVA Compass BowlPittsburgh27Kentucky1041,207
January 7, 2012BBVA Compass BowlSMU28Pittsburgh629,726
January 5, 2013BBVA Compass BowlOle Miss38Pittsburgh1759,135
January 4, 2014BBVA Compass BowlVanderbilt41Houston2442,717
January 3, 2015Birmingham BowlFlorida28East Carolina2030,083
December 30, 2015Birmingham BowlAuburn31Memphis1059,430
December 29, 2016Birmingham Bowl25 South Florida46South Carolina39 (OT)31,229
December 23, 2017Birmingham Bowl23 South Florida38Texas Tech3428,623
December 22, 2018Birmingham BowlWake Forest37Memphis3425,717
January 2, 2020Birmingham Bowl23 Cincinnati38Boston College627,193
January 1, 2021Canceled[4]
December 28, 2021Birmingham Bowl21 Houston17Auburn1347,100
December 27, 2022Birmingham BowlEast Carolina53Coastal Carolina2915,901
December 23, 2023Birmingham BowlDuke17Troy1020,023

Source:[16]

MVPs

Two-time MVP winner Quinton Flowers
Date Name School Position
December 23, 2006Benjamin WilliamsSouth FloridaRB
December 22, 2007Ben MaukCincinnatiQB
December 29, 2008Mike TeelRutgersQB
January 2, 2010Andre DixonConnecticutRB
January 8, 2011Dion LewisPittsburghRB
January 7, 2012Darius JohnsonSMUWR
January 5, 2013Bo WallaceOle MissQB
January 4, 2014Jordan MatthewsVanderbiltWR
January 3, 2015Adam LaneFloridaRB
December 30, 2015Jovon RobinsonAuburnRB
December 29, 2016Quinton FlowersSouth FloridaQB
December 23, 2017Quinton FlowersSouth FloridaQB
December 22, 2018Jamie NewmanWake ForestQB
January 2, 2020Desmond RidderCincinnatiQB
December 28, 2021Clayton TuneHoustonQB
December 27, 2022Holton AhlersEast CarolinaQB
December 23, 2023Chandler RiversDukeCB

Source:[16][17]

Most appearances

A 2017 Birmingham Bowl ticket

Updated through the December 2023 edition (17 games, 34 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1South Florida33–0
Pittsburgh31–2
East Carolina31–2
4Cincinnati22–0
Auburn21–1
Houston21–1
Memphis20–2
South Carolina20–2
Teams with a single appearance

Won (8): Duke, Florida, Ole Miss, Rutgers, SMU, UConn, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest
Lost (7): Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, NC State, Southern Miss, Texas Tech, Troy

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2023 edition (17 games, 34 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
The American16106.6252006, 2007, 2008, 2009*, 2010*, 2016, 2017, 2019*, 2021, 20222011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015, 2018
SEC844.5002012*, 2013*, 2014*, 20152009*, 2010*, 2016, 2021
ACC422.5002018, 20232008, 2019*
C-USA312.3332011*2006, 2007
Sun Belt202.000 2022, 2023
Big 12101.000 2017
  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • Record for The American includes appearances of the Big East Conference, as The American retains the charter of the original Big East, following its 2013 realignment. Teams representing the Big East appeared in seven games, compiling a 5–2 record.

Game records

Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 53, East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina 2022
Most points scored (losing team) 39, South Carolina vs. South Florida 2016
Most points scored (both teams) 85, South Florida (46) vs. South Carolina (39) 2016
Fewest points allowed 6, shared by:
SMU vs. Pittsburgh
Boston College vs. Cincinnati
2012
2020
Largest margin of victory 32, Cincinnati vs. Boston College 2020
Total yards 561, South Florida vs. Texas Tech 2017
Rushing yards 343, Cincinnati vs. Boston College 2020
Passing yards 427, East Carolina vs. Florida Jan. 2015
First downs 33, Cincinnati vs. Boston College 2020
Fewest yards allowed 164, Cincinnati vs. Boston College 2020
Fewest rushing yards allowed 10, SMU vs. Pittsburgh 2012
Fewest passing yards allowed 87, Cincinnati vs. Boston College 2020
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards318, Tony Pollard (Memphis)
(109 rushing, 209 kick returns)
2018
Touchdowns (all-purpose)5, shared by:
Quinton Flowers South Florida
Quinton Flowers South Florida
2017
2016
Rushing yards155, Damion Fletcher (Southern Miss)2007
Rushing touchdowns3, shared by:
Quinton Flowers (South Florida)
Jamie Newman (Wake Forest)
Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)

2016
2018
2020
Passing yards427, Shane Carden (East Carolina)Jan. 2015
Passing touchdowns5, Holton Ahlers (East Carolina)2022
Receptions14, Deebo Samuel (South Carolina)2016
Receiving yards190, Deebo Samuel (South Carolina)2016
Receiving touchdowns2, shared by:
Dominick Goodman (Cincinnati)
Tyre McCants (South Florida)
Isaiah Winstead (East Carolina)

2007
2017
2022
Tackles17, shared by:
Jason Hendricks (Pittsburgh)
Shareef White (Memphis)

2013
Dec. 2015
Sacks3.0, shared by:
Margus Hunt (SMU)
Dante Fowler (Florida)

2012
Jan. 2015
Interceptions2, Reggis Ball (Memphis)Dec. 2015
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run62 yds., shared by:
I’Tavius Mathers (Ole Miss)
Daniel Spencer (Houston)
2013
2014
Touchdown pass86 yds., Treon Harris to Ahmad Fulwood (Florida)Jan. 2015
Kickoff return97 yds., Tony Pollard (Memphis)2018
Punt return56 yds., Marcus Davis (Auburn)Dec. 2015
Interception return53 yds., Reggis Ball (Memphis)Dec. 2015
Fumble return
Punt60 yds., Ryan Dougherty (East Carolina)2006
Field goal53 yds., Jake Elliott (Memphis)Dec. 2015

Source:[18]

Media coverage

Except for the first two editions of the bowl, which were televised on ESPN2, the bowl has been televised on ESPN.[19]

References

  1. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. "ESPN Regional Television to Own and Operate New PapaJohns.com Bowl Game". May 9, 2006. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  3. 1 2 "TicketSmarter Named Title Sponsor of Birmingham Bowl" (PDF). Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "2021 Birmingham Bowl canceled". wsfa.com. WBRC. December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. Solomon, Jon (December 24, 2006). "Cheers for Papajohns.com Bowl". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  6. "Protective wins naming rights for Birmingham stadium". psam.uk.com. April 19, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  7. "Stadium". ticketsmarterbirminghambowl.com.
  8. "PapaJohns.com Bowl receives two-year tie-in with SEC". CNNSI.com. Associated Press. May 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008.
  9. "SEC won't be in Birmingham's BBVA Compass Bowl, could be replaced by C-USA". November 29, 2011.
  10. "PapaJohns.com Signs on as Title Sponsor of Inaugural PapaJohns.com Bowl Game". November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on March 27, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  11. 1 2 Solomon, Jon (August 7, 2010). "Papa John's: New NFL strategy, higher ESPN financial demand mean cutting bowl ties". The Birmingham News. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  12. Russell, Hubbard (November 4, 2010). "BBVA Compass to take over sponsorship of Birmingham bowl game". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  13. "BBVA Compass to end sponsorship of bowl game in Birmingham" The Biz Journals. 2013-04-03
  14. "The University of Memphis and Wake Forest University Selected to Play in the 2018 Jared Birmingham Bowl" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  15. "76 Named Title Sponsor of Birmingham Bowl". Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  16. 1 2 "History". ticketsmarterbirminghambowl.com. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  17. @BuzzSportsRadio (December 23, 2023). "Duke CB Chandler Rivers is game MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2023 via Twitter.
  18. "Game Records". ticketsmarterbirminghambowl.com. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  19. Kelly, Doug (ed.). "2019–20 Football Bowl Association Media Guide" (PDF). footballbowlassociation.com. p. 166. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
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