The Sun Bowl Game

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Team Selection Process

The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl is in the final year of six-year contracts with the ACC and the Pac-12 conferences. The current selection order for each conference is:

ACC SELECTIONS ORDER

College Football Playoff
Orange Bowl versus SEC

The ACC and its bowl partners will make team selections based on several factors, including geographic proximity, avoiding repeat appearances and matchups, and regular-season won-loss records.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl Game (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Cheez-It Bowl (Orlando, Florida) [formerly Camping World Bowl]
Fenway Bowl (Boston, Massachusetts)
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman (Annapolis, Maryland)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (New York City)
Outback Bowl (Tampa, Florida) – if the ACC’s opponent in the Capital One Orange Bowl is from the Big Ten
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl (San Diego, California)
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida)
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas)

Pac-12 SELECTIONS ORDER

College Football Playoff Semifinal: If Selected

New Year’s Six (Chick-fil-A Peach, Cotton, Fiesta) vs. New Year’s Six [Pac-12 Champion goes here if not in the College Football Playoff]

Valero Alamo Bowl versus Big 12
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl versus ACC
Las Vegas Bowl versus SEC
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl versus ACC No. 3-7
LA Bowl vs. Mountain West
Redbox Bowl [tentatively] versus Big Ten
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Army

The Sun Bowl Game

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Buy Sun Bowl Tickets

The first Sun Bowl game was played at El Paso High School’s Jones Stadium, with the El Paso All-Stars defeating Ranger 25-21.

1935
Texas Tech and West Virginia played the first Sun Bowl game at Kidd Field, a 15,000-seat stadium on the UTEP campus.

1938
Miami (Ohio) capped an undefeated season with a 13-12 Sun Bowl victory over Texas Tech.

1948
Two games were played in the same calendar year, Jan. 1 & Dec. 31.

1958
18,646 fans witnessed Oregon defeat SMU, 21-14, in the first Sun Bowl game played at Sun Bowl Stadium on Dec. 31.

1963
Tony Dorsett, Elliott Walker & Robert Haygood rushed for over 100 yards each as Pitt defeated Kansas, 33-19 before a sellout crowd.

1975
The first snow during a Sun Bowl game happened the first time the game was played on Christmas Day.

1982
The 50th edition of the game featured the highest-ranked team ever to play in El Paso – No. 6 SMU. Alabama rolled over SMU, 28-7.

1983
Maryland scored 28 second half points for the biggest comeback win in Sun Bowl history defeating Tennessee 28-27.

1984
The Sun Bowl became the first bowl to enter an agreement with a corporate sponsor signing a five-year contract with John Hancock.

1986
The highest TV rating (7.6) in 20 years also saw over 50,000 fans pack Sun Bowl Stadium to see Michigan State over USC, 17-16.

1990
Game is renamed the Norwest Sun Bowl after Norwest Corporation establishes a corporate relationship with the Sun Bowl Association.

1996
A Norwest/Wells Fargo Bank merger changes the name to Wells Fargo Sun Bowl.

1999
Name is changed to Vitalis Sun Bowl as the largest crowd in Sun Bowl history (51,288) witnesses Arizona State edge Purdue, 27-23.

2004
Renamed the Brut Sun Bowl after securing sponsor Helen of Troy Ltd. through 2009 making largest team payout ever: $1.9m/team.

2006
The game sold out in 22 hours setting a new stadium attendance record, 54,021 as Notre Dame and Miami renew their storied rivalry.

2010
Utah RB John White rushed for 124 yards on 26 carries scoring the winning touchdown in the Sun Bowl’s first ever overtime game.

2011
Sun Bowl fans were able to watch the future No. 2 (Mitch Trubisky) and No. 3 (Solomon Thomas) picks in the NFL Draft battle it out in their final collegiate football game.

2016
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® is announced as the title sponsor of the newly-named Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

2019

Kellogg's

NCAA League

PAC12 League

ACC League

FBA League

Contact Us!

Sun Bowl Association
4150 Pinnacle Street
Suite 100
El Paso, Texas 79902

Phone: (915) 533-4416
Toll Free: (800) 915-BOWL