The 1987–88 NCAA football bowl games concluded the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season , featuring 18 games. Twenty ranked teams participated, and seven of the eighteen matchups were between two ranked teams.[1] The Miami Hurricanes were declared the national champions, after upsetting #1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl .[2] [3]
Seventeen of the bowl games ended with a winner, while there was a lone tie (Auburn vs Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl ).
Nine independent teams competed, along with six SEC teams, four Big Ten, four Pac-10, three WAC, three Big 8, three SWC, two ACC, one MAC, and one PCAA.
The largest margin of victory occurred twice; Clemson beat Penn State and Texas A&M beat Notre Dame, both 35-10.
The "bowl week" started on December 13 with the California Bowl, and concluded on January 2, 1988 with the Hall of Fame Bowl and the Peach Bowl.
Bowl schedule [ edit ] Date Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results Dec. 13 California Bowl Bulldog Stadium Fresno, California ESPN Eastern Michigan Hurons (9–2) San Jose State Spartans (10–1) MAC PCAA Eastern Michigan 30 San Jose State 27 Dec. 19 Independence Bowl Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana Mizlou Washington Huskies (6–4–1) Tulane Green Wave (6–5) Pac-10 Independent Washington 24 Tulane 12 Dec. 22 All-American Bowl Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Raycom BYU Cougars (9–3) Virginia Cavaliers (7–4) WAC ACC Virginia 22 BYU 16 Dec. 25 Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI ABC #10 UCLA Bruins (9–2) Florida Gators (6–5) Pac-10 SEC UCLA 20 Florida 16 John Hancock Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas CBS West Virginia Mountaineers (6–5) #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9–2) Independent Big 8 Oklahoma State 35 West Virginia 33 Dec. 29 Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee Raycom Arkansas Razorbacks (9–3) #15 Georgia Bulldogs (8–3) SWC SEC Georgia 20 Arkansas 17 Dec. 30 Freedom Bowl Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, California Mizlou Air Force Falcons (9–3) Arizona State Sun Devils (6–4–1) WAC Pac-10 Arizona State 33 Air Force 28 SeaWorld Holiday Bowl Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego ESPN #18 Iowa Hawkeyes (9–3) Wyoming Cowboys (10–2) Big Ten WAC Iowa 20 Wyoming 19 Dec. 31 Mazda Gator Bowl Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida CBS #9 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3) #7 LSU Tigers (9–1–1) Independent SEC LSU 30 South Carolina 13 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl Astrodome Houston Mizlou #19 Pittsburgh Panthers (8–3) Texas Longhorns (6–5) Independent SWC Texas 32 Pittsburgh 27 Jan. 1 Rose Bowl Rose Bowl Pasadena, California NBC #16 USC Trojans (8–3) #8 Michigan State Spartans (8–2–1) Pac-10 Big Ten Michigan State 20 USC 17 Orange Bowl National Championship Orange Bowl Miami NBC #2 Miami Hurricanes (11–0) #1 Oklahoma Sooners (11–0) Independent Big 8 Miami 20 Oklahoma 14 Florida Citrus Bowl Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida ABC #14 Clemson Tigers (9–2) #20 Penn State Nittany Lions (8–3) ACC Independent Clemson 35 Penn State 10 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona NBC #3 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) #5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10–1) Independent Big 8 Florida State 31 Nebraska 28 Cotton Bowl Classic Cotton Bowl Dallas CBS #12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–3) #8 Texas A&M Aggies (9–2) Independent SWC Texas A&M 35 Notre Dame 10 USF&G Sugar Bowl Louisiana Superdome New Orleans ABC #6 Auburn Tigers (9–1–1) #4 Syracuse Orangemen (11–0) SEC Independent Auburn 16 Syracuse 16 Jan. 2 Hall of Fame Bowl Tampa Stadium Tampa, Florida NBC Michigan Wolverines (7–4) Alabama Crimson Tide (7–4) Big Ten SEC Michigan 28 Alabama 24 Peach Bowl Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta Mizlou #17 Tennessee Volunteers (9–2–1) Indiana Hoosiers (8–3) SEC Big Ten Tennessee 27 Indiana 22
References [ edit ] ^ "AP and Coaches Yearly Final Polls" . cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2016 . ^ "Recognized National Championships by Year" . cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016 . ^ Keith Meador. "1987 Oklahoma at Miami (FL) Game Recap - SoonerStats - Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats" . soonerstats.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016 .