Is FSU the first school to play in all six major bowl games?

Is FSU the first school to play in all six major bowl games?

"The Peach Bowl just became a major bowl last year and it had TCU vs Ole Miss. I don't think that either one of them has played in all five of the other major bowls. So ...

Some of y'all are not old enough to remember that the Cotton Bowl used to be one of the major bowls back when there were only four of them. For decades the four major bowl games were the Rose, Cotton, Orange and Sugar.

Then in the middle of the 1980s the Fiesta Bowl, which had been in existence since 1971 (FSU played in the first one!), became elevated into a major bowl. There is no date to say when exactly when it happened as they'd hosted some top-10 teams going back to the '70s, but starting in the '80s they had several match-ups with both teams being in the top-10. And the first national championship game it hosted was for the 1986 season when they got #1 Miami vs #2 Penn State. The next year they had #3 FSU vs #5 Nebraska followed by #1 ND vs #3 WVU followed by #5 FSU vs #6 Nebraska. The Fiesta Bowl has been a major bowl since 1986.

The Cotton Bowl ceased to be a major bowl following the break-up of the Southwest Conference after the 1996 season, but jumped back up in status just last year as one of the newly minted "New Year's Six" bowl games.

There are now six major bowl games, and I do believe that FSU is the first to play in all six of them (or will be come 12/31). FSU also played in a designated "BCS National Championship Game" which was not one of the old major bowl games, but was a game set aside by itself like the College Football Playoff Championship Game now. FSU has to be the only school to play in each of the six major bowl games and a national championship game.

• 1979: Orange Bowl
• 1980: Orange Bowl
• 1987: Fiesta Bowl
• 1988: Sugar Bowl
• 1989: Fiesta Bowl
• 1991: Cotton Bowl
• 1992: Orange Bowl
• 1993: Orange Bowl
• 1994: Sugar Bowl
• 1995: Orange Bowl
• 1996: Sugar Bowl
• 1997: Sugar Bowl
• 1998: Fiesta Bowl
• 1999: Sugar Bowl
• 2000: Orange Bowl
• 2002: Sugar Bowl
• 2005: Orange Bowl
• 2012: Orange Bowl
• 2013: BCS National Championship Game
• 2014: Rose Bowl
• 2015: Peach Bowl

For if no other reason this is pretty damned cool.

 

1 FSU91, Yesterday at 8:34 PM " 

 

 

 

"I think that there are a few teams that have played in the original "Big Four". Many appearances being from back before the bowl games had the automatic tie-ins. Georgia Tech and Alabama are two that stick out. Bama's first five bowl appearances were all in the Rose Bowl. Their next three were the Cotton, Orange and Sugar so they got the "Big Four" knocked out pretty early. Duke has been to all four as well.

The coming of the Fiesta Bowl changed the list a lot. "

 

 

"Interesting facts: 1) Georgia Tech was the first team to win each one of the four original major bowls; and,
2) FSU played in both the first ever Peach Bowl and the first ever Fiesta Bowl. "

 

 

"Actually, the Blockbuster Bowl is now the Russell Athletic Bowl. I just noticed/recalled that fact. The first 10 or so games were in Joe Robbie Stadium with several different names. It then moved to Orlando where it is now and its had a couple of different names too.

So, we played in the first ever Russell Athletic Bowl. "

 

 

"Duke has been to all the original 4 major bowls (as FSU91) pointed out, and they have been to the Chick-Fil-A. But if you want to say that Peach only counts while it was a major bowl, I think the OP is correct. FSU is also the only team to play in all 4 BCS national champion sites. "

 

"FSU91

You are a wealth of information but I think TCU beat us to the punch last year in playing in all six major bowls.

 

13 Tejasnole, Today at 11:44 AM "