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ReliaQuest Bowl

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ReliaQuest Bowl
StadiumRaymond James Stadium
LocationTampa, Florida
Previous stadiumsTampa Stadium (1986–1998)
Operated1986–present
Conference tie-insBig Ten, SEC
PayoutUS$6.4 million (2019 season)[1]
Sponsors
Outback Steakhouse (1996–2022)
ReliaQuest (2022–present)
Former names
Hall of Fame Bowl (1986–1995)
Outback Bowl (1996–2022)
2023 matchup
LSU vs. Wisconsin (LSU 35–31)
2024 matchup
(December 31, 2024)

The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it moved to then-new Raymond James Stadium. The bowl has been played on New Year's Day for most of its history, often the first game to kick off on a day that is traditionally filled with post-season college football.

History

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Previous Tampa bowl game

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The Cigar Bowl was played at old Phillips Field near downtown Tampa from 1947 to 1954. Because the Cigar Bowl featured teams from smaller colleges, however, the 1986 Hall of Fame Bowl was the first major college bowl game to be played in the area.[2]

Hall of Fame Bowl

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Tampa Stadium, original home of the Hall of Fame / Outback Bowl

The Hall of Fame Classic was a mid-level bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1985. In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame decided to discontinue their association with the bowl and realign with a new game to be played in Tampa Stadium which would inherit the Hall of Fame Bowl name.[3] Tampa's Hall of Fame Bowl did not initially have any conference tie-ins, so organizers often sought to arrange a match-up between a team from a southern school (usually the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference) and one from another region of the country to maximize both game attendance and potential visitors to the area.[2]

Outback Bowl

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Raymond James Stadium, home of the bowl since the 1999 edition

Tampa-based restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse became the game's title sponsor in April 1995, allowing the bowl to increase its payout to participants and sign agreements with the SEC and the Big Ten conferences, creating an annual cross-regional match-up that has continued ever since.[2][4] In 1999, the bowl moved from Tampa Stadium to newly constructed Raymond James Stadium next door.[5]

ReliaQuest Bowl

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Though it had signed a six-year extension in 2019, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse decided to discontinue its association with the game in March 2022 in a cost-cutting measure, ending the longest continuous title sponsorship in college bowl history and resulting in a temporary renaming of the game to Tampa Bay Bowl.[6][7] In June 2022, Tampa-based cybersecurity company ReliaQuest was announced as the new title sponsor.[8] The ReliaQuest Bowl following the 2024 season was scheduled for December 31, 2024, making it the first edition of the bowl since its inaugural edition (played as the Hall of Fame Bowl) to be scheduled in December, and the first edition scheduled for New Year's Eve, a change spurred by the expanded College Football Playoff.[9]

The game

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Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall during the 2015 edition

The bowl is played on New Year's Day unless January 1 falls on a Sunday, in which case it is moved to the following Monday. It is usually the first game to start on a day which is traditionally full of college bowl games, and has kicked off as early as 11 a.m. ET. ESPN has had television rights to the game since 1993. Under an extension of those rights signed in 2010, ESPN broadcasts the game on either ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2, in conjunction with the Citrus Bowl and the New Year's Six bowl games.[10] Before 1993, the Hall of Fame Bowl aired on NBC.

Upon signing agreements with the SEC and Big Ten in 1995, the bowl had the third pick of teams from each conference after the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) teams were placed. Since 2014, both the SEC and Big Ten have worked with a group of several bowl games, including this one, to place their bowl-eligible teams after the College Football Playoff (CFP) and associated bowls have made their selections.[11][12]

As of 2023, the bowl's payout was $6.4 million for each participating team.[13]

Game results

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Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attendance
December 23, 1986 Hall of Fame Bowl Boston College 27 Georgia 24 41,000
January 2, 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl Michigan 28 Alabama 24 61,075
January 2, 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl #17 Syracuse 23 #16 LSU 10 51,112
January 1, 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl #9 Auburn 31 #21 Ohio State 14 68,085
January 1, 1991 Hall of Fame Bowl #14 Clemson 30 #16 Illinois 0 63,154
January 1, 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl #16 Syracuse 24 #25 Ohio State 17 57,789
January 1, 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl #17 Tennessee 38 #16 Boston College 23 52,056
January 1, 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl #23 Michigan 42 NC State 7 52,649
January 2, 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl Wisconsin 34 #25 Duke 20 61,384
January 1, 1996 Outback Bowl #15 Penn State 43 #16 Auburn 14 65,313
January 1, 1997 Outback Bowl #16 Alabama 17 #15 Michigan 14 53,161
January 1, 1998 Outback Bowl #12 Georgia 33 Wisconsin 6 56,186
January 1, 1999 Outback Bowl #22 Penn State 26 Kentucky 14 66,005
January 1, 2000 Outback Bowl #21 Georgia 28 #19 Purdue 25 (OT) 54,059
January 1, 2001 Outback Bowl South Carolina 24 #19 Ohio State 7 65,229
January 1, 2002 Outback Bowl #14 South Carolina 31 #22 Ohio State 28 66,249
January 1, 2003 Outback Bowl #12 Michigan 38 #22 Florida 30 65,101
January 1, 2004 Outback Bowl #13 Iowa 37 #17 Florida 17 65,657
January 1, 2005 Outback Bowl #8 Georgia 24 #16 Wisconsin 21 62,414
January 2, 2006 Outback Bowl #16 Florida 31 #25 Iowa 24 65,881
January 1, 2007 Outback Bowl Penn State 20 #17 Tennessee 10 65,601
January 1, 2008 Outback Bowl #16 Tennessee 21 #18 Wisconsin 17 60,121
January 1, 2009 Outback Bowl Iowa 31 South Carolina 10 55,117
January 1, 2010 Outback Bowl Auburn 38 Northwestern 35 (OT) 49,383
January 1, 2011 Outback Bowl Florida 37 Penn State 24 60,574
January 2, 2012 Outback Bowl #12 Michigan State 33 #18 Georgia 30 (3OT) 49,429
January 1, 2013 Outback Bowl #11 South Carolina 33 #19 Michigan 28 54,527
January 1, 2014 Outback Bowl #14 LSU 21 Iowa 14 51,296
January 1, 2015 Outback Bowl #17 Wisconsin 34 #19 Auburn 31 (OT) 44,023
January 1, 2016 Outback Bowl Tennessee 45 #12 Northwestern 6 53,202
January 2, 2017 Outback Bowl #20 Florida 30 #21 Iowa 3 51,119
January 1, 2018 Outback Bowl South Carolina 26 Michigan 19 45,687
January 1, 2019 Outback Bowl Iowa 27 #18 Mississippi State 22 40,518
January 1, 2020 Outback Bowl #16 Minnesota 31 #9 Auburn 24 45,652
January 2, 2021 Outback Bowl Ole Miss 26 #7 Indiana 20 11,025
January 1, 2022 Outback Bowl #22 Arkansas 24 Penn State 10 46,577
January 2, 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl #24 Mississippi State 19 Illinois 10 35,797
January 1, 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl #13 LSU 35 Wisconsin 31 31,424

Source:[14]
† LSU's win in the 2014 edition was vacated in 2023 by the NCAA for a booster-related violation.[15]

MVPs

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The bowl has named an MVP since inception; in the inaugural game, there were co-MVPs.[16]

Source:[14][17]

Most appearances

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Updated through the January 2024 edition (38 games, 76 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1 Iowa 6 3–3
Michigan 6 3–3
Wisconsin 6 2–4
4 South Carolina 5 4–1
Penn State 5 3–2
Florida 5 3–2
Georgia 5 3–2
Auburn 5 2–3
9 Tennessee 4 3–1
Ohio State 4 0–4
11 LSU 3 1–1 ‡
12 Syracuse 2 2–0
Alabama 2 1–1
Boston College 2 1–1
Mississippi State 2 1–1
Illinois 2 0–2
Northwestern 2 0–2

‡ LSU's win in the 2014 edition was vacated by the NCAA in 2023.

Teams with a single appearance

Won (5): Arkansas, Clemson, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss
Lost (5): Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, NC State, Purdue

Appearances by conference

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Updated through the January 2024 edition (38 games, 76 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost Vacated
Big Ten 35 13 22 .371 1987*, 1993*, 1994*, 1995*, 1998*, 2002*, 2003*, 2006*, 2008*, 2011*, 2014*, 2018*, 2019* 1989*, 1990*, 1991*, 1996*, 1997*, 1999*, 2000*, 2001*, 2004*, 2005*, 2007*, 2009*, 2010*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2020*, 2021*, 2022*, 2023*  
SEC 34 20 13 .606 ‡ 1989*, 1992*, 1996*, 1997*, 1999*, 2000*, 2001*, 2004*, 2005*, 2007*, 2009*, 2010*, 2012*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2020*, 2021*, 2022*, 2023* 1986, 1987*, 1988*, 1995*, 1998*, 2002*, 2003*, 2006*, 2008*, 2011*, 2014*, 2018*, 2019* 2013*
ACC 3 1 2 .333 1990* 1993*, 1994*  
Independents 2 2 0 1.000 1986, 1988*  
Big East 2 1 1 .500 1991* 1992*  

‡ LSU's vacated win following the 2013 season (played in January 2014) is excluded from win–loss totals and winning percentage.

  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • Results reflect conference affiliations at the time each game was played.
  • Big East appearances: Syracuse (1992) and Boston College (1993); the American Athletic Conference (The American) has retained the charter of the original Big East, following its 2013 realignment.
  • Independent appearances: Boston College (1986) and Syracuse (1988).

Game records

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Team Performance vs. opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 45, Tennessee vs. Northwestern 2016
Most points scored (losing team) 35, Northwestern vs. Auburn 2010
Most points scored (both teams) 73, Auburn vs. Northwestern 2010
Fewest points allowed 0, Clemson vs. Illinois 1991
Largest margin of victory 39, Tennessee vs. Northwestern 2016
Total yards 621, Northwestern vs. Auburn 2010
Rushing yards 400, Wisconsin vs. Auburn 2015
Passing yards 532, Northwestern vs. Auburn 2010
First downs 34, Northwestern vs. Auburn 2010
Fewest yards allowed 199, Mississippi State vs. Iowa 2019
Fewest rushing yards allowed –15, Mississippi State vs. Iowa 2019
Fewest passing yards allowed 55, Florida vs. Iowa 2017
Individual Performance, Player, Team Year
Total offense 566, Mike Kafka Northwestern vs. Auburn (532 Pass, 34 Rush) 2010
Touchdowns (all-purpose) 4, Chris Perry (Michigan) 2003
Rushing yards 251, Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) 2015
Rushing touchdowns 4, Chris Perry (Michigan) 2003
Passing yards 532, Mike Kafka (Northwestern) 2010
Passing touchdowns 4, most recent:
Mike Kafka (Northwestern)

2010
Receiving yards 205, Tavarres King (Georgia) 2012
Receiving touchdowns 2, most recent:
Tyler Johnson (Minnesota)

2020
Tackles 16, Traveon Henry (Northwestern) 2016
Sacks 3, most recent:
David Pollack (Georgia)
2005
Interceptions 2, most recent:
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (Florida)
2017
Long Plays Performance, Team/Player vs. opponent Year
Touchdown run 77 yds., Jamie Morris (Michigan) 1988
Touchdown pass 85 yds., Austin Appleby to Mark Thompson (Florida) 2017
Kickoff return 96 yds., shared by:
Jordan Cotton (Iowa)
Noah Igbinoghene[18] (Auburn)

2014
2020
Punt return 92 yds., Brandon Boykin (Georgia) 2012
Interception return 100 yds., shared by:
Walter McFadden (Auburn)
Evan Berry (Tennessee)

2010
2016
Fumble return 88 yds.,Tony Davis (Penn State) 2007
Punt 70 yds., Tyeler Dean (South Carolina) 2002
Field goal 53 yds., Charles Campbell (Indiana) 2021

Source:[19]

Media coverage

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The inaugural edition of the bowl was carried by Mizlou in December 1986, with NBC carrying the next five editions (1988–1992).[20] Since 1993, the game has been carried by ESPN or ESPN2, except for four broadcasts on ABC (2011, 2012, 2017, and 2021).[20]

References

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  1. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Alfonso, David (December 29, 1995). "A new name highlights the 10th year of what started as the Hall of Fame Bowl". Tampa Tribune.
  3. ^ McEwen, Tom (April 17, 1986). "Hall of Fame Bowl will be played in Tampa". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Bowl gets new sponsor". San Francisco Examiner. April 13, 1995. p. C-2. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Mills, Roger (September 3, 1998). "Outback joins the crowd at new stadium". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 5H. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Baker, Matt (March 25, 2022). "Crikey! Outback Bowl changes name". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Kritzer, Ashley Gurbal (May 2, 2022). "Bloomin' CEO on dropped Outback Bowl sponsorship: 'It was just time'". Tampa Bay Business Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Baker, Matt (June 9, 2022). "Tampa's Outback Bowl has a new name: the ReliaQuest Bowl". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Reliaquest Bowl Slated to Kickoff at 12:00 PM ET on New Year's Eve". reliaquestbowl.com (Press release). June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "ESPN Signs Deal with Gator Bowl, Extends Agreements with Capital One Bowl and Outback Bowl; All Three Games to be Televised on New Year's Day". ESPN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  11. ^ "2016-17 SEC Bowl Schedule". secsports.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Big Ten Bowl Partners". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. ^ "About the Bowl". www.reliaquestbowl.com. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Bowl Game Summary". reliaquestbowl.com. January 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Mandel, Stewart. "Vacated LSU wins leave Les Miles out of CFB Hall of Fame consideration". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  16. ^ "Quick Game Summary". outbackbowl.com. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  17. ^ @glenwest21 (January 1, 2024). "Garrett Nussmeier is the ReliaQuest bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "No. 18 Minnesota tops No. 12 Auburn in Outback Bowl". reuters.com. Field Level Media. January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020. Noah Igbinoghene's 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, which tied an Outback Bowl record.
  19. ^ "Outback Bowl Records". outbackbowl.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Kelly, Doug (ed.). "2019–20 Football Bowl Association Media Guide" (PDF). footballbowlassociation.com. p. 154. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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