2018–19 NCAA football bowl games

The 2018–19 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games completing the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 15, 2018, and, aside from the all-star games that follow, ended with the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, which was played on January 7, 2019.

2018–19 NCAA football bowl games
Season2018
Regular seasonAugust 25, 2018 (2018-08-25) – December 8, 2018 (2018-12-08)
Number of bowls41[a]
All-star games4
Bowl gamesDecember 15, 2018 (2018-12-15) – January 7, 2019 (2019-01-07)[b]
National Championship2019 College Football Playoff
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipLevi's Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
ChampionsClemson Tigers
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerConference USA
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
ACC 12 (11) 6–5 (0.545) 2
SEC 12 6–6 (0.500) 6
Big Ten 9 5–4 (0.556) 5
Big 12 7 4–3 (0.571) 3
Pac-12 7 3–4 (0.429) 2
AAC 7 2–5 (0.286) 2
Conference USA 6 4–2 (0.667) 0
Mountain West 6 (5) 3–2 (0.600) 3
MAC 6 1–5 (0.167) 0
Sun Belt 5 3–2 (0.600) 0
Independents 3 2–1 (0.667) 2
Note: The ACC versus Mountain West First Responder Bowl was a no-contest due to lightning.

The total of 40 team-competitive bowls in FBS, including the national championship game,[1] was unchanged from the previous year. To fill the 78 available bowl slots, a total of 10 teams (13% of all participants) with non-winning records (6–6) were invited to bowl games. This was the second consecutive year, and only the third time in eight years, that no teams with losing seasons (6–7 or 5–7) were invited to fill available bowl berths.

Only 39 of the 40 bowls were played, with the First Responder Bowl becoming the first ever postseason game at the FBS-level (or its predecessors) to be cancelled, as a severe lightning storm lingered for over two hours near the Cotton Bowl Stadium.[2][3] The game was scored as a no-contest for the teams involved.[4]

The three all-star games were the East–West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, played on January 19, and the Senior Bowl, played on January 26.

Schedule

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The schedule for the 2018–19 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5).

College Football Playoff and Championship Game

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The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks. The top four teams in the final ranking play in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.

The semifinal games for the 2018–19 season were the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl. Both were played on December 29 as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of six bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners advanced to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on January 7.

 
Levi's Stadium, site of the National Championship game
Semifinals Championship
December 29 – Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
 1  Alabama 45  
 4  Oklahoma 34   January 7 – National Championship
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
 
      1   Alabama 16
December 29 – Cotton Bowl
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
    2   Clemson 44
 
 2  Clemson 30
 3  Notre Dame 3  


Each of the games in the following table was televised by ESPN.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 29 12:00 p.m. Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
No. 10 Florida Gators (9–3)
No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (10–2)
SEC
Big Ten
Florida 41
Michigan 15
4:00 p.m. Cotton Bowl Classic

(Playoff Semifinal Game)

AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
No. 2 Clemson Tigers (13–0)
No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12–0)
ACC
Independent
Clemson 30
Notre Dame 3
8:00 p.m. Orange Bowl

(Playoff Semifinal Game)

Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–0)
No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (12–1)
SEC
Big 12
Alabama 45
Oklahoma 34
Jan. 1 1:00 p.m. Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium
Glendale, Arizona
No. 11 LSU Tigers (9–3)
No. 8 UCF Knights (12–0)
SEC
American
LSU 40
UCF 32
5:00 p.m. Rose Bowl Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (12–1)
No. 9 Washington Huskies (10–3)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Ohio State 28
Washington 23
8:45 p.m. Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 15 Texas Longhorns (9–4)
No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (11–2)
Big 12
SEC
Texas 28
Georgia 21
Jan. 7 8:00 p.m. College Football Playoff National Championship

(Cotton Bowl Winner vs. Orange Bowl Winner)

Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, California
No. 2 Clemson Tigers (14–0)
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (14–0)
ACC
SEC
Clemson 44
Alabama 16

Non-CFP bowl games

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For the 2018–19 bowl season, the Gasparilla Bowl was re-located from Tropicana Field to Raymond James Stadium (which already hosts the Outback Bowl). Under new sponsorship deals in comparison to the prior season's bowl games, the Cactus Bowl was renamed the Cheez-It Bowl, the Heart of Dallas Bowl was renamed the First Responder Bowl, and the Foster Farms Bowl was renamed the Redbox Bowl. The Gator Bowl name was reinstated for the first time since the 2013 season, as it had been known as the TaxSlayer Bowl for the four prior editions.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 15 1:30 p.m. Cure Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
CBSSN Tulane Green Wave (6–6)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (7–6)
American
Sun Belt
Tulane 41
Louisiana 24
2:00 p.m. New Mexico Bowl Dreamstyle Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico
ESPN Utah State Aggies (10–2)
North Texas Mean Green (9–3)
MWC
C-USA
Utah State 52
North Texas 13
3:30 p.m. Las Vegas Bowl Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, Nevada
ABC No. 21 Fresno State Bulldogs (11–2)
Arizona State Sun Devils (7–5)
MWC
Pac-12
Fresno State 31
Arizona State 20
5:30 p.m. Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama
ESPN Georgia Southern Eagles (9–3)
Eastern Michigan Eagles (7–5)
Sun Belt
MAC
Georgia Southern 23
Eastern Michigan 21
9:00 p.m. New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
Appalachian State Mountaineers (10–2)
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (8–5)
Sun Belt
C-USA
Appalachian State 45
Middle Tennessee 13
Dec. 18 7:00 p.m. Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida
UAB Blazers (10–3)
Northern Illinois Huskies (8–5)
C-USA
MAC
UAB 37
Northern Illinois 13
Dec. 19 8:00 p.m. Frisco Bowl Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
Ohio Bobcats (8–4)
San Diego State Aztecs (7–5)
MAC
MWC
Ohio 27
San Diego State 0
Dec. 20 8:00 p.m. Gasparilla Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
Marshall Thundering Herd (8–4)
South Florida Bulls (7–5)
C-USA
American
Marshall 38
South Florida 20
Dec. 21 12:30 p.m. Bahamas Bowl Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
FIU Panthers (8–4)
Toledo Rockets (7–5)
C-USA
MAC
FIU 35
Toledo 32
4:00 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
BYU Cougars (6–6)
Western Michigan Broncos (7–5)
Independent
MAC
BYU 49
Western Michigan 18
Dec. 22 12:00 p.m. Birmingham Bowl Legion Field
Birmingham, Alabama
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6–6)
Memphis Tigers (8–5)
ACC
American
Wake Forest 37
Memphis 34
3:30 p.m. Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas
Army Black Knights (10–2)
Houston Cougars (8–4)
Independent
American
Army 70
Houston 14
7:00 p.m. Dollar General Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
Troy Trojans (9–3)
Buffalo Bulls (10–3)
Sun Belt
MAC
Troy 42
Buffalo 32
10:30 p.m. Hawaii Bowl Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (7–5)
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (8–5)
C-USA
MWC
Louisiana Tech 31
Hawaii 14
Dec. 26 1:30 p.m. First Responder Bowl Cotton Bowl Stadium
Dallas, Texas
Boston College Eagles (7–5)
No. 25 Boise State Broncos (10–3)
ACC
MWC
No contest due to
weather cancellation.
5:15 p.m. Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6–6)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7–5)
Big Ten
ACC
Minnesota 34
Georgia Tech 10
9:00 p.m. Cheez-It Bowl Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
TCU Horned Frogs (6–6)
California Golden Bears (7–5)
Big 12
Pac-12
TCU 10
California 7 (OT)
Dec. 27 1:30 p.m. Independence Bowl Independence Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana
Duke Blue Devils (7–5)
Temple Owls (8–4)
ACC
American
Duke 56
Temple 27
5:15 p.m. Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium
Bronx, New York
Wisconsin Badgers (7–5)
Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7–5)
Big Ten
ACC
Wisconsin 35
Miami (FL) 3
9:00 p.m. Texas Bowl NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
Baylor Bears (6–6)
Vanderbilt Commodores (6–6)
Big 12
SEC
Baylor 45
Vanderbilt 38
Dec. 28 1:30 p.m. Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee
Auburn Tigers (7–5)
Purdue Boilermakers (6–6)
SEC
Big Ten
Auburn 63
Purdue 14
5:15 p.m. Camping World Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
No. 20 Syracuse Orange (9–3)
No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers (8–3)
ACC
Big 12
Syracuse 34
West Virginia 18
9:00 p.m. Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas
No. 13 Washington State Cougars (10–2)
No. 24 Iowa State Cyclones (8–4)
Pac-12
Big 12
Washington State 28
Iowa State 26
Dec. 29 12:00 p.m. Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
ABC Virginia Cavaliers (7–5)
South Carolina Gamecocks (7–5)
ACC
SEC
Virginia 28
South Carolina 0
1:15 p.m. Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Arizona
CBSSN Nevada Wolf Pack (7–5)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (8–4)
MWC
Sun Belt
Nevada 16
Arkansas State 13 (OT)
Dec. 31 12:00 p.m. Military Bowl Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Maryland
ESPN Cincinnati Bearcats (10–2)
Virginia Tech Hokies (6–6)
American
ACC
Cincinnati 35
Virginia Tech 31
2:00 p.m. Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, Texas
CBS Stanford Cardinal (8–4)
Pittsburgh Panthers (7–6)
Pac-12
ACC
Stanford 14
Pittsburgh 13
3:00 p.m. Redbox Bowl Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, California
Fox Oregon Ducks (8–4)
Michigan State Spartans (7–5)
Pac-12
Big Ten
Oregon 7
Michigan State 6
3:45 p.m. Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee
ESPN Oklahoma State Cowboys (6–6)
No. 23 Missouri Tigers (8–4)
Big 12
SEC
Oklahoma State 38
Missouri 33
7:00 p.m. Holiday Bowl SDCCU Stadium
San Diego, California
FS1 No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats (8–5)
No. 17 Utah Utes (9–4)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Northwestern 31
Utah 20
7:30 p.m. Gator Bowl TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, Florida
ESPN No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies (8–4)
NC State Wolfpack (9–3)
SEC
ACC
Texas A&M 52
NC State 13
Jan. 1 12:00 p.m. Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
ESPN2 Iowa Hawkeyes (8–4)
No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8–4)
Big Ten
SEC
Iowa 27
Mississippi State 22
1:00 p.m. Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
ABC No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats (9–3)
No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions (9–3)
SEC
Big Ten
Kentucky 27
Penn State 24

FCS bowl game

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The FCS has one bowl game; they also have a championship bracket that began on November 24 and ended on January 5.

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Participants Affiliations Results
Dec. 15 12:00 p.m. Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
ABC North Carolina A&T Aggies (9–2)
Alcorn State Braves (9–3)
MEAC
SWAC
North Carolina A&T 24
Alcorn State 22

All-star games

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Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Participants Results
Jan. 13 Tropical Bowl Daytona Stadium
Daytona Beach, Florida
American Team
National Team
American 24
National 16
Jan. 19[5] 3:00 p.m. East–West Shrine Game Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, Florida
NFL Network West Team
East Team
West 21
East 17
5:00 p.m. NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
FS1 American Team
National Team
American 10
National 7
Jan. 26[6] 2:30 p.m. Senior Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama
NFL Network North Team
South Team
North 34
South 24

Team selections

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Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible. The College Football Playoff semi-final games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.

CFP top 25 standings and bowl games

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On December 2, 2018, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the season.[7]

Three of the four semifinalists – Alabama, Clemson, and Oklahoma – had also been semifinalists the previous season.

Rank Team W–L Conference and standing Bowl game
1
Alabama Crimson Tide
13–0
SEC champions Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal)
2
Clemson Tigers
13–0
ACC champions Cotton Bowl (CFP semifinal)
3
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
12–0
Independent Cotton Bowl (CFP semifinal)
4
Oklahoma Sooners
12–1
Big 12 champions Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal)
5
Georgia Bulldogs
11–2
SEC East Division champions Sugar Bowl (NY6)
6
Ohio State Buckeyes
12–1
Big Ten champions Rose Bowl (NY6)
7
Michigan Wolverines
10–2
Big Ten East Division co-champions Peach Bowl (NY6)
8
UCF Knights
12–0
AAC champions Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
9
Washington Huskies
10–3
Pac-12 champions Rose Bowl (NY6)
10
Florida Gators 9–3 SEC East Division second place (tie) Peach Bowl (NY6)
11
LSU Tigers 9–3 SEC West Division second place (tie) Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
12
Penn State Nittany Lions 9–3 Big Ten East Division third place Citrus Bowl
13
Washington State Cougars
10–2
Pac-12 North Division co-champions Alamo Bowl
14
Kentucky Wildcats 9–3 SEC East Division second place (tie) Citrus Bowl
15
Texas Longhorns 9–4 Big 12 second place Sugar Bowl (NY6)
16
West Virginia Mountaineers 8–3 Big 12 third place (tie) Camping World Bowl
17
Utah Utes 9–4 Pac-12 South Division champions Holiday Bowl
18
Mississippi State Bulldogs 8–4 SEC West Division fourth place Outback Bowl
19
Texas A&M Aggies 8–4 SEC West Division second place (tie) Gator Bowl
20
Syracuse Orange 9–3 ACC Atlantic Division second place Camping World Bowl
21
Fresno State Bulldogs
11–2
Mountain West champions Las Vegas Bowl
22
Northwestern Wildcats 8–5 Big Ten West Division champions Holiday Bowl
23
Missouri Tigers 8–4 SEC East Division fourth place (tie) Liberty Bowl
24
Iowa State Cyclones 8–4 Big 12 third place (tie) Alamo Bowl
25
Boise State Broncos
10–3
MWC West Division champions First Responder Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

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Three bowls will feature two conference champions playing against each other—the Boca Raton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Rose Bowl. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.

Conference Champion W–L Rank Bowl game
ACC Clemson Tigers
13–0
2 Cotton Bowl
American UCF Knights
12–0
8 Fiesta Bowl
Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes
12–1
6 Rose Bowl
Big 12 Oklahoma Sooners
12–1
4 Orange Bowl
C-USA UAB Blazers
10–3
Boca Raton Bowl
MAC Northern Illinois Huskies 8–5 Boca Raton Bowl
Mountain West Fresno State Bulldogs
11–2
21 Las Vegas Bowl
Pac-12 Washington Huskies
10–3
9 Rose Bowl
SEC Alabama Crimson Tide
13–0
1 Orange Bowl
Sun Belt Appalachian State Mountaineers
10–2
New Orleans Bowl

Bowl–eligible teams

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Number of bowl berths available: 78
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 82

Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth

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As there were more bowl-eligible teams than berths available, four teams that were bowl-eligible did not receive an invitation.

Bowl–ineligible teams

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Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 48

Television Ratings

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Non-CFP bowl games

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Rank Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV Rating[9] Game Location
1 January 1, 2019, 5:00 ET #9 Washington 23 #6 Ohio State 28 ESPN 16.7 8.9 Rose Bowl Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
2 January 1, 2019, 8:45 ET #15 Texas 28 #5 Georgia 21 13.3 7.3 Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
3 January 1, 2019, 1:00 ET #11 LSU 40 #8 UCF 32 8.5 4.7 Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
4 December 29, 2018, 12:00 ET #10 Florida 41 #7 Michigan 15 8.4 5.0 Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta, GA
5 January 1, 2019, 1:00 ET #14 Kentucky 27 #12 Penn State 24 ABC 7.7 4.4 Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
6 December 28, 2018, 9:00 ET #24 Iowa State 26 #13 Washington State 28 ESPN 5.5 3.2 Alamo Bowl Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
7 December 31, 2018, 7:30 ET NC State 13 #19 Texas A&M 52 5.1 2.7 Gator Bowl TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
8 December 28, 2018, 5:15 ET #16 West Virginia 18 #20 Syracuse 34 4.8 2.8 Camping World Bowl Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
9 December 31, 2018, 3:45 ET #23 Missouri 33 Oklahoma State 38 3.8 2.3 Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
10 December 27, 2018, 5:15 ET Miami (FL) 3 Wisconsin 35 3.8 2.3 Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

#CFP Rankings.

College Football Playoff

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Game Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV Rating Location
Cotton Bowl (semifinal) December 29, 2018, 4:00 ET #3 Notre Dame 3 #2 Clemson 30 ESPN 16.9 9.4 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Orange Bowl (semifinal) December 29, 2018, 8:00 ET #4 Oklahoma 34 #1 Alabama 45 19.1 9.9 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
National Championship January 7, 2019, 8:00 ET #2 Clemson 44 #1 Alabama 16 25.3 13.6 Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 40 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.
  2. ^ Dates exclude all-star games.
  3. ^ Ole Miss had a two-year bowl ban which applied for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. However, they would have been ineligible under normal circumstances, as they finished with a 5–7 record.
  4. ^ Liberty is bowl ineligible until 2019, due to their transition from FCS to FBS. Liberty had six wins and could have requested an NCAA waiver, had there been insufficient bowl-eligible teams.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "College Football Bowl Schedule For The 2018–19 Season". USAToday.com. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "A bowl first: Weather ends BC-Boise St. game". ESPN.com. December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  3. ^ Auerbach, Nicole (December 26, 2018). "Why the First Responder Bowl became a rare canceled postseason game". The Athletic. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "First Responder Bowl: Boise State vs. Boston College canceled, ruled no contest due to inclement weather". CBSSports.com. December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "Sports Calendar". New York Daily News. January 19, 2019. p. 45. Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "College Football". New York Daily News. January 26, 2019. p. 42. Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Staats, Wayne (December 2, 2018). "College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma in Top Four". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  8. ^ McGuire, Kevin (July 1, 2018). "It's July 1, so Liberty is now officially college football's newest FBS program; Idaho drops to FCS". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "College Football TV Ratings". SportsMediaWatch.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.

Further reading

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