1980–81 NCAA football bowl games

{{Infobox College football bowl games

| season = 1980

| image =

| image_caption =

| regular_season =

| number_of_bowls = 15

| all_star_games =

| bowl_start = December 13, 1980

| bowl_end =
January 2, 1981

| championship_bowl = 1981 Sugar Bowl

| championship_location = Louisiana Superdome,
New Orleans, Louisiana

| champions = Georgia

}}

The 1980–81 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games played in December 1980 and January 1981 to end the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. A total of 15 team-competitive games,{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1980-bowls.html | title=1980 College Football Bowl Games | access-date=September 30, 2023 | work=Sports Reference }} and two all-star games, were played. The post-season began with the Independence Bowl on December 13, 1980, and concluded on January 17, 1981, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.

Schedule

{{cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2022/Bowls.pdf|title=All-Time Bowl-Game Results And Attendance|access-date=April 28, 2024|work=National Collegiate Athletic Association}}

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Date !Game !Site !Television !Teams !Affiliations !Results
{{nowrap\|Dec. 13}} \|Independence Bowl \|State Fair Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana \|Mizlou \|Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8–3) McNeese State Cowboys (10–1) \|Independent Southland \|Southern Miss 16 McNeese State 14
{{nowrap\|Dec. 14}} \|Garden State Bowl \|Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey \|Mizlou \|Houston Cougars (6–5) Navy Midshipmen (8–3) \|Southwest Independent \|Houston 35 Navy 0
{{nowrap\|Dec. 19}} \|Holiday Bowl \|Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, California \|Mizlou \|No. 14 BYU Cougars (11–1) No. 19 SMU Mustangs (8–3) \|WAC Southwest \|BYU 46 SMU 45
{{nowrap\|Dec. 20}} \|Tangerine Bowl \|Orlando Stadium Orlando, Florida \|Mizlou \|Florida Gators (7–4) Maryland Terrapins (8–3) \|SEC ACC \|Florida 35 Maryland 20
{{nowrap\|Dec. 26}} \|Fiesta Bowl \|Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona \|NBC \|No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (9–2) No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (9–2) \|Independent Big Ten \|Penn State 31 Ohio State 19
rowspan=3\|{{nowrap\|Dec. 27}} \|Hall of Fame Classic \|Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama \|Mizlou \|Arkansas Razorbacks (6–5) Tulane Green Wave (7–4) \|Southwest Independent \|Arkansas 34 Tulane 15
Sun Bowl \|Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas \|CBS \|No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–2) No. 17 Mississippi State Bulldogs (9–2) \|Big 8 SEC \|Nebraska 31 Mississippi State 17
Liberty Bowl \|Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee \|ABC \|No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers (8–3) Missouri Tigers (8–3) \|Big Ten Big 8 \|Purdue 28 Missouri 25
{{nowrap\|Dec. 29}} \|Gator Bowl \|Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida \|ABC \|No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers (10–1) No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3) \|Independent Independent \|Pittsburgh 37 South Carolina 9
{{nowrap\|Dec. 31}} \|Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl \|Astrodome Houston, Texas \|Mizlou \|No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (10–1) Texas Longhorns (7–4) \|ACC Southwest \|North Carolina 16 Texas 7
rowspan=4\|{{nowrap\|Jan. 1}} \|Cotton Bowl Classic \|Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas \|CBS \|No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (9–2) No. 6 Baylor Bears (10–1) \|SEC Southwest \|Alabama 30 Baylor 2
Sugar Bowl \|Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana \|ABC \|No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (11–0) No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–1–1) \|SEC Independent \|Georgia 17 Notre Dame 10
Rose Bowl \|Rose Bowl Pasadena, California \|NBC \|No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (9–2) No. 16 Washington Huskies (9–2) \|Big Ten Pac 10 \|Michigan 23 Washington 6
Orange Bowl \|Miami Orange Bowl Miami, Florida \|NBC \|No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (9–2) No. 2 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) \|Big 8 Independent \|Oklahoma 18 Florida State 17
{{nowrap\|Jan. 2}} \|Peach Bowl \|Fulton County Stadium Atlanta, Georgia \|CBS \|No. 20 Miami Hurricanes (8–3) Virginia Tech Gobblers (8–3) \|Independent Independent \|Miami 20 Virginia Tech 10

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Date

!Game

!Site

!Television

!Teams

!Affiliations

!Results

|Independence Bowl

|State Fair Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana

|Mizlou

|Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8–3)
McNeese State Cowboys (10–1)