Longest Active Bowl Streaks In College Football: FSU Is King

A look at the longest active bowl streaks in college football. Only one team’s run stretches longer than three decades.

‘Tis the season for bowl games, and we definitely have a lot of entertaining matchups lined up for this postseason.

Whether it’s a standoff of whose defense is better between the Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines, or watching Christian McCaffrey take on the Iowa Hawkeyes’ phenomenal rush defense, there’s a lot to be thankful for football wise.

Some teams are bowling for the first time in years, while others are continuing a streak that spans multiple decades. Below is a look at the longest active bowl streaks in college football, from Florida State’s nation-leading 34 to 19 teams who are starting anew.

1. Florida State: 34

The Seminoles have been pretty fortunate to go from a legendary head coach in Bobby Bowden to Jimbo Fisher — talk about a lack of a dropoff. FSU’s streak started in 1982, and it’s held true with the help of Jameis Winston, who led the Noles to a national championship in 2013.

2. Virginia Tech: 23

He may be calling it quits now, but the Hokies definitley owe a lot to Frank Beamer. Virginia Tech’s bowl streak started in 1993 with the Independence Bowl, and Beamer’s tenure is ending with an appearance in the Independence Bowl in 2015. It’s only fitting.

3. Georgia: 19

He may be on his way to South Beach now, but Mark Richt deserves a lot of credit for the Bulldogs’ streak of 19 straight seasons with a bowl game. Jim Donnan got things started with a win in the Outback Bowl back in 1997, and Richt took over and kept it going.

4. Oklahoma: 17

In Bob Stoops’ first season as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1999, he led the team to a 7-5 season. That year was capped off with a berth in the Independence Bowl. Stoops has kept it rolling since then, and now his Sooners will be playing the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl with a shot to play for the national championship.

5. LSU: 16

It’s been a tag-team effort keeping the Tigers on their bowl-game streak. Nick Saban led the program to five straight bowl games before he took off for the Miami Dolphins. Les Miles stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. Miles has kept the Tigers in the running for a national championship just about every year, and that’s helped LSU to a 6-4 bowl record since Miles took over in 2005.

T-6. Boise State: 14

The Broncos have seen four coaches coach in bowl games during their streak of 14 straight appearances. It started with Dan Hawkins with a win in the Humanitarian Bowl in 2002. Chris Petersen carried it over with a victory in the 2006 Fiest Bowl, in which the Broncos pulled off “Hook-and-Ladder” and “Statue of Liberty” plays at clutch moments to beat Oklahoma. Bob Gregory coached Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl as an interim coach before Bryan Harsin led the team to another Fiesta Bowl win last season.

T-6. Wisconsin: 14

The Badgers have also seen four coaches come and go during their streak. It started with Barry Alvarez back in 2002 with a win in the Alamo Bowl. The most recent showing was an Outback Bowl win last season against Auburn.

T-8. Alabama: 12

Mike Shula only lasted four seasons with the Crimson Tide, but he did get its bowl streak started with a loss in the 2004 Music City Bowl. Saban took over in 2007 and has carried the torch, including three appearances in the Sugar Bowl and three berths in the BCS national title game. Now, the Crimson Tide will head into the Cotton Bowl to play Michigan State for a chance at another shot for a national championship.

T-8. Clemson: 12

It’s been all pizza parties and fun for the Clemson Tigers lately. Dabo Swinney has his guys playing in the Orange Bowl with a trip to the national title on the line. Swinney has led the program to eight straight bowl games since he took over for Tommy Bowden, who got the streak started in 2005.

T-10. BYU: 11

Bronco Mendenhall has done a lot of great things for Brigham Young. When he took over, the Cougars were coming off a 5-6 season. Mendenhall led them to five straight appearances in the Las Vegas Bowl and has since taken them to five other bowl games. BYU will head back to the Las Vegas Bowl this year to play Utah.

T-10. Oregon: 11

The Ducks seem to always change their uniforms — maybe even once or twice at half time to shake things up — but one thing that hasn’t been altered is their bowl streak. Oregon’s string of bowl game appearances started with Mike Bellotti in 2005 with a loss in the Holiday Bowl. Chip Kelly stepped in and took the program to new heights, including a national championship game appearance. Mark Helfrich has taken the baton, and now the Ducks will play TCU in the Alamo Bowl.

12. Oklahoma State: 10

The Sooners aren’t the only team in Oklahoma with a lengthy run of bowl games. The Cowboys have also been pretty impressive with their streak beginning in 2006 with a win in the Independence Bowl under Mike Gundy. Now, Oklahoma State will get a crack at the Sugar Bowl when it faces Ole Miss.

13. Michigan State: 9

The Spartans were 4-8 in 2006, but Mark Dantonio took the job over the next year and immediately made a difference. That first bowl game in 2007 was a loss in the Champs Sports Bowl, but Michigan State has kept the streak going, and now it’s gotten to the point where the Spartans are playing Alabama in the Cotton Bowl for a shot at a national championship.

Here’s the rest of the list of active bowl streaks:

Northern Illinois: 8
Pittsburgh: 8
Nebraska: 8
Texas A&M: 7
Stanford: 7
Baylor: 6
Kansas State: 6
Louisville: 6
Mississippi State: 6
Notre Dame: 6
San Diego State: 6
Washington: 6
Arizona State: 5
Arkansas State: 5
Cincinnati: 5
UCLA: 5
Utah State: 5
Arizona: 4
Bowling Green: 4
Duke: 4
Navy: 4
Ole Miss: 4
USC: 4
Minnesota: 4
Auburn: 3
Colorado State: 3
Houston: 3
Iowa: 3
Marshall: 3
Miami: 3
North Carolina: 3
Ohio State: 3
Air Force: 2
Arkansas: 2
Central Michigan: 2
Florida: 2
Louisiana Tech: 2
Memphis: 2
NC State: 2
Nevada: 2
Penn State: 2
TCU: 2
Tennessee: 2
Toledo: 2
Utah: 2
West Virginia: 2
Western Kentucky: 2
Western Michigan: 2
Akron: 1
Appalachian State: 1
California: 1
Connecticut: 1
Georgia Southern: 1
Georgia State: 1
Indiana: 1
Michigan: 1
Middle Tennessee: 1
New Mexico: 1
Northwestern: 1
Ohio: 1
South Florida: 1
Southern Miss: 1
Temple: 1
Texas Tech: 1
Tulsa: 1
Washington State: 1
San Jose State: 1