Birmingham Bowl

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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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Date Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attendance
December 23, 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl South Florida 24 East Carolina 7 32,023
December 22, 2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl 20 Cincinnati 31 Southern Miss 21 35,258
December 29, 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl Rutgers 29 NC State 23 38,582
January 2, 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl Connecticut 20 South Carolina 7 45,254
January 8, 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh 27 Kentucky 10 41,207
January 7, 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl SMU 28 Pittsburgh 6 29,726
January 5, 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl Ole Miss 38 Pittsburgh 17 59,135
January 4, 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl Vanderbilt 41 Houston 24 42,717
January 3, 2015 Birmingham Bowl Florida 28 East Carolina 20 30,083
December 30, 2015 Birmingham Bowl Auburn 31 Memphis 10 59,430
December 29, 2016 Birmingham Bowl 25 South Florida 46 South Carolina 39 (OT) 31,229
December 23, 2017 Birmingham Bowl 23 South Florida 38 Texas Tech 34 28,623
December 22, 2018 Birmingham Bowl Wake Forest 37 Memphis 34 25,717
January 2, 2020 Birmingham Bowl 23 Cincinnati 38 Boston College 6 27,193
January 1, 2021 Canceled[4]
December 28, 2021 Birmingham Bowl 21 Houston 17 Auburn 13 47,100
December 27, 2022 Birmingham Bowl East Carolina 53 Coastal Carolina 29 15,901
December 23, 2023 Birmingham Bowl Duke 17 Troy 10 20,023

Source:[16]

MVPs[edit]

Two-time MVP winner Quinton Flowers
Date Name School Position
December 23, 2006 Benjamin Williams South Florida RB
December 22, 2007 Ben Mauk Cincinnati QB
December 29, 2008 Mike Teel Rutgers QB
January 2, 2010 Andre Dixon Connecticut RB
January 8, 2011 Dion Lewis Pittsburgh RB
January 7, 2012 Darius Johnson SMU WR
January 5, 2013 Bo Wallace Ole Miss QB
January 4, 2014 Jordan Matthews Vanderbilt WR
January 3, 2015 Adam Lane Florida RB
December 30, 2015 Jovon Robinson Auburn RB
December 29, 2016 Quinton Flowers South Florida QB
December 23, 2017 Quinton Flowers South Florida QB
December 22, 2018 Jamie Newman Wake Forest QB
January 2, 2020 Desmond Ridder Cincinnati QB
December 28, 2021 Clayton Tune Houston QB
December 27, 2022 Holton Ahlers East Carolina QB
December 23, 2023 Chandler Rivers Duke CB

Source:[16][17]

Most appearances[edit]

A 2017 Birmingham Bowl ticket

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

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1 South Florida 3 3–0
Pittsburgh 3 1–2
East Carolina 3 1–2
4 Cincinnati 2 2–0
Auburn 2 1–1
Houston 2 1–1
Memphis 2 0–2
South Carolina 2 0–2
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[edit]

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

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
The American 16 10 6 .625 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009*, 2010*, 2016, 2017, 2019*, 2021, 2022 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015, 2018
SEC 8 4 4 .500 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015 2009*, 2010*, 2016, 2021
ACC 4 2 2 .500 2018, 2023 2008, 2019*
C-USA 3 1 2 .333 2011* 2006, 2007
Sun Belt 2 0 2 .000   2022, 2023
Big 12 1 0 1 .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[edit]

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 yards 318, 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 yards 155, Damion Fletcher (Southern Miss) 2007
Rushing touchdowns 3, shared by:
Quinton Flowers (South Florida)
Jamie Newman (Wake Forest)
Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)

2016
2018
2020
Passing yards 427, Shane Carden (East Carolina) Jan. 2015
Passing touchdowns 5, Holton Ahlers (East Carolina) 2022
Receptions 14, Deebo Samuel (South Carolina) 2016
Receiving yards 190, Deebo Samuel (South Carolina) 2016
Receiving touchdowns 2, shared by:
Dominick Goodman (Cincinnati)
Tyre McCants (South Florida)
Isaiah Winstead (East Carolina)

2007
2017
2022
Tackles 17, shared by:
Jason Hendricks (Pittsburgh)
Shareef White (Memphis)

2013
Dec. 2015
Sacks 3.0, shared by:
Margus Hunt (SMU)
Dante Fowler (Florida)

2012
Jan. 2015
Interceptions 2, Reggis Ball (Memphis) Dec. 2015
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run 62 yds., shared by:
I’Tavius Mathers (Ole Miss)
Daniel Spencer (Houston)
2013
2014
Touchdown pass 86 yds., Treon Harris to Ahmad Fulwood (Florida) Jan. 2015
Kickoff return 97 yds., Tony Pollard (Memphis) 2018
Punt return 56 yds., Marcus Davis (Auburn) Dec. 2015
Interception return 53 yds., Reggis Ball (Memphis) Dec. 2015
Fumble return
Punt 60 yds., Ryan Dougherty (East Carolina) 2006
Field goal 53 yds., Jake Elliott (Memphis) Dec. 2015

Source:[18]

Media coverage[edit]

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

References[edit]

  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. ^ a b "TicketSmarter Named Title Sponsor of Birmingham Bowl" (PDF). Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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.

External links[edit]