# List of Alabama Crimson Tide bowl games

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), representing the University of Alabama in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Since the establishment of the team in 1892, Alabama has appeared in 75 bowl games. Included in these games are 40 combined appearances in the traditional "big four" bowl games (the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, and Orange), 6 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game appearances (including three victories in the BCS National Championship Game) and six appearances in the College Football Playoff, and three victories in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Alabama's first bowl game was in 1926, when Wallace Wade led them to the first of three Rose Bowls during his tenure and defeated Washington 20–19. Taking over for Wade following the 1930 season, between 1931 and 1946 Frank Thomas led Alabama to six bowl appearances including three Rose, and one trip each to the Cotton, Orange and Sugar Bowls. After Thomas, Harold Drew led Alabama to the Sugar, Orange and Cotton Bowls between 1947 and 1954. After a five-year bowl absence, Alabama made the first of 24 consecutive bowl appearances under Paul "Bear" Bryant in the 1959 Liberty Bowl. From 1959 to 1982, Bryant led the Crimson Tide to eight Sugar, five Orange, four Cotton, four Liberty, two Bluebonnet and one Gator Bowls.
After Bryant retired, Ray Perkins extended Alabama's consecutive bowl game streak to 25 years with a victory in the 1983 Sun Bowl. However, the streak ended when the 1984 team finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses and failed to qualify for a bowl for the first time in 26 years. The bowl absence lasted only one season as Perkins led the Crimson Tide to wins in both the Aloha and Sun Bowls before he resigned as head coach following the 1986 season. Bill Curry continued the bowl tradition and led the Crimson Tide to Hall of Fame, Sun and Sugar Bowl appearances in his three seasons as head coach. After Curry, Gene Stallings took Alabama to the Fiesta, Blockbuster, Gator, Citrus and Outback Bowls. Stallings also led the Crimson Tide to victory in the first Bowl Coalition national championship game with a 34–13 victory over Miami in the Sugar Bowl. In August 1995, as part of the penalty imposed by the NCAA for rules violations, Alabama was ruled ineligible to participate in the 1995 bowl season.
Following the retirement of Stallings, Mike DuBose was hired as head coach. After failing to qualify for a bowl game in 1997, DuBose led the Crimson Tide to the inaugural Music City Bowl and Alabama's first BCS bowl berth in the Orange Bowl. After again failing to qualify for a bowl in 2000, DuBose was fired and Dennis Franchione was hired as head coach. In his first season, Franchione led Alabama to the Independence Bowl. In February 2002, the NCAA found Alabama violated multiple rules, and as part of its penalty a two-year bowl ban was imposed to include both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Eligible again to compete in bowl games, Mike Shula led Alabama to the Music City Bowl and a victory in the Cotton Bowl. However, in 2009, Alabama was again found to have violated NCAA rules between 2005 and 2007 and as part of their penalty, the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic victory was officially vacated. In the week following the 2006 loss to Auburn, Shula was fired and Joe Kines served as interim head coach for the Independence Bowl loss.
In January 2007, Nick Saban was hired as head coach, and has led the Crimson Tide to 15 bowl appearances in his twelve seasons at Alabama. After defeating Colorado in the Independence Bowl, Saban led Alabama to their second BCS bowl against Utah in the Sugar Bowl. In 2009, Saban led the Crimson Tide to the BCS National Championship Game, and defeated Texas 37–21 to clinch the program's first national title of the BCS era. A year after Alabama defeated Michigan State in the 2011 Capital One Bowl, the Crimson Tide defeated LSU in the BCS National Championship Game to clinch the program's second national title of the BCS era. The following season, the Crimson Tide won their second consecutive BCS National Championship Game by a final score of 42–14 over Notre Dame. In their latest bowl appearance, Alabama defeated Ohio State in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. The win brings Alabama's overall bowl record to 44 wins, 26 losses, and 3 ties, placing the Crimson Tide in first place among all FBS schools for both bowl appearances and victories.

## Key

General :
| † | Bowl game record attendance |
| ‡ | Former bowl game record attendance |
| * | Denotes national championship game |
| § | Denotes College Football Playoff game |
Results :
| W | Win |
| L | Loss |
| T | Tie |

## Bowl games

List of bowl games showing bowl played in, score, date, season, opponent, stadium, location, attendance and head coach :
| # | Bowl | Score | Date | Season | Opponent | Stadium | Location | Attendance | Head coach |
| 1 | Rose Bowl | W 20–19 | January 1, 1926 | 1925 | Washington Huskies | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 50,000 | Wallace Wade |
| 2 | Rose Bowl | T 7–7 | January 1, 1927 | 1926 | Stanford | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 57,417$^‡$ | Wallace Wade |
| 3 | Rose Bowl | W 24–0 | January 1, 1931 | 1930 | Washington State Cougars | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 60,000 | Wallace Wade |
| 4 | Rose Bowl | W 29–13 | January 1, 1935 | 1934 | Stanford Indians | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 84,474$^‡$ | Frank Thomas |
| 5 | Rose Bowl | L 0–13 | January 1, 1938 | 1937 | California Golden Bears | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 90,000$^‡$ | Frank Thomas |
| 6 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W 29–21 | January 1, 1942 | 1941 | Texas A&M Aggies | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 38,000 | Frank Thomas |
| 7 | Orange Bowl | W 37–21 | January 1, 1943 | 1942 | Boston College Eagles | Orange Bowl | Miami | 25,166 | Frank Thomas |
| 8 | Sugar Bowl | L 26–29 | January 1, 1945 | 1944 | Duke Blue Devils | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 72,000 | Frank Thomas |
| 9 | Rose Bowl | W 34–14 | January 1, 1946 | 1945 | USC Trojans | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 93,000 | Frank Thomas |
| 10 | Sugar Bowl | L 7–27 | January 1, 1948 | 1947 | Texas Longhorns | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 72,000 | Harold Drew |
| 11 | Orange Bowl | W 61–6 | January 1, 1953 | 1952 | Syracuse Orangemen | Orange Bowl | Miami | 66,280$^‡$ | Harold Drew |
| 12 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L 6–28 | January 1, 1954 | 1953 | Rice Owls | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 75,504$^‡$ | Harold Drew |
| 13 | Liberty Bowl | L 0–7 | December 19, 1959 | 1959 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Philadelphia Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia | 36,211$^‡$ | Bear Bryant |
| 14 | Bluebonnet Bowl | T 3–3 | December 17, 1960 | 1960 | Texas Longhorns | Rice Stadium | Houston | 68,000$^†$ | Bear Bryant |
| 15 | Sugar Bowl | W 10–3 | January 1, 1962 | 1961 | Arkansas Razorbacks | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 82,910$^‡$ | Bear Bryant |
| 16 | Orange Bowl | W 17–0 | January 1, 1963 | 1962 | Oklahoma Sooners | Orange Bowl | Miami | 72,880 | Bear Bryant |
| 17 | Sugar Bowl | W 12–7 | January 1, 1964 | 1963 | Ole Miss Rebels | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 80,785 | Bear Bryant |
| 18 | Orange Bowl | L 17–21 | January 1, 1965 | 1964 | Texas Longhorns | Orange Bowl | Miami | 72,647 | Bear Bryant |
| 19 | Orange Bowl | W 39–28 | January 1, 1966 | 1965 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Orange Bowl | Miami | 72,214 | Bear Bryant |
| 20 | Sugar Bowl | W 34–7 | January 2, 1967 | 1966 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 82,000 | Bear Bryant |
| 21 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L 16–20 | January 1, 1968 | 1967 | Texas A&M Aggies | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 75,504 | Bear Bryant |
| 22 | Gator Bowl | L 10–35 | December 28, 1968 | 1968 | Missouri Tigers | Gator Bowl Stadium | Jacksonville | 68,011 | Bear Bryant |
| 23 | Liberty Bowl | L 33–47 | December 13, 1969 | 1969 | Colorado Buffaloes | Memphis Memorial Stadium | Memphis | 50,042$^‡$ | Bear Bryant |
| 24 | Bluebonnet Bowl | T 24–24 | December 31, 1970 | 1970 | Oklahoma Sooners | Houston Astrodome | Houston | 53,829 | Bear Bryant |
| 25 | Orange Bowl | L 6–38 | January 1, 1972 | 1971 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Orange Bowl | Miami | 78,151 | Bear Bryant |
| 26 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L 13–17 | January 1, 1973 | 1972 | Texas Longhorns | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 72,000 | Bear Bryant |
| 27 | Sugar Bowl | L 23–24 | December 31, 1973 | 1973 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans | 85,161$^†$ | Bear Bryant |
| 28 | Orange Bowl | L 11–13 | January 1, 1975 | 1974 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Orange Bowl | Miami | 71,801 | Bear Bryant |
| 29 | Sugar Bowl | W 13–6 | December 31, 1975 | 1975 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 75,212 | Bear Bryant |
| 30 | Liberty Bowl | W 36–6 | December 20, 1976 | 1976 | UCLA Bruins | Memphis Memorial Stadium | Memphis | 52,736$^‡$ | Bear Bryant |
| 31 | Sugar Bowl | W 35–6 | January 2, 1978 | 1977 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 76,811 | Bear Bryant |
| 32 | Sugar Bowl | W 14–7 | January 1, 1979 | 1978 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 76,824 | Bear Bryant |
| 33 | Sugar Bowl | W 24–9 | January 1, 1980 | 1979 | Arkansas Razorbacks | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 77,486 | Bear Bryant |
| 34 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W 30–2 | January 1, 1981 | 1980 | Baylor Bears | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 74,281 | Bear Bryant |
| 35 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L 12–14 | January 1, 1982 | 1981 | Texas Longhorns | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 73,243 | Bear Bryant |
| 36 | Liberty Bowl | W 21–15 | December 29, 1982 | 1982 | Illinois Fighting Illini | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Memphis | 54,123 | Bear Bryant |
| 37 | Sun Bowl | W 28–7 | December 24, 1983 | 1983 | SMU Mustangs | Sun Bowl Stadium | El Paso | 41,412$^‡$ | Ray Perkins |
| 38 | Aloha Bowl | W 24–3 | December 28, 1985 | 1985 | USC Trojans | Aloha Stadium | Honolulu | 35,183 | Ray Perkins |
| 39 | Sun Bowl | W 28–6 | December 25, 1986 | 1986 | Washington Huskies | Sun Bowl Stadium | El Paso | 48,722 | Ray Perkins |
| 40 | Hall of Fame Bowl | L 24–28 | January 2, 1988 | 1987 | Michigan Wolverines | Tampa Stadium | Tampa | 60,156$^‡$ | Bill Curry |
| 41 | Sun Bowl | W 29–28 | December 24, 1988 | 1988 | Army | Sun Bowl Stadium | El Paso | 48,719 | Bill Curry |
| 42 | Sugar Bowl | L 25–33 | January 1, 1990 | 1989 | Miami Hurricanes | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 77,452 | Bill Curry |
| 43 | Fiesta Bowl | L 7–34 | January 1, 1991 | 1990 | Louisville Cardinals | Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe | 69,098 | Gene Stallings |
| 44 | Blockbuster Bowl | W 30–25 | December 28, 1991 | 1991 | Colorado Buffaloes | Joe Robbie Stadium | Miami Gardens | 52,644 | Gene Stallings |
| 45 | Sugar Bowl* | W 34–13 | January 1, 1993 | 1992 | Miami Hurricanes | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 76,789 | Gene Stallings |
| 46 | Gator Bowl | W 24–10 | December 31, 1993 | 1993 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Gator Bowl Stadium | Jacksonville | 67,205 | Gene Stallings |
| 47 | Citrus Bowl | W 24–17 | January 2, 1995 | 1994 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Citrus Bowl | Orlando | 71,195 | Gene Stallings |
| 48 | Outback Bowl | W 17–14 | January 1, 1997 | 1996 | Michigan Wolverines | Tampa Stadium | Tampa | 53,161 | Gene Stallings |
| 49 | Music City Bowl | L 7–38 | December 28, 1998 | 1998 | Virginia Tech Hokies | Vanderbilt Stadium | Nashville | 41,248$^‡$ | Mike DuBose |
| 50 | Orange Bowl | L 34–35 | January 1, 2000 | 1999 | Michigan Wolverines | Pro Player Stadium | Miami Gardens | 70,461 | Mike DuBose |
| 51 | Independence Bowl | W 14–13 | December 27, 2001 | 2001 | Iowa State Cyclones | Independence Stadium | Shreveport | 45,627 | Dennis Franchione |
| 52 | Music City Bowl | L 16–20 | December 31, 2004 | 2004 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | The Coliseum | Nashville | 66,089$^‡$ | Mike Shula |
| 53 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W 13–10 | January 1, 2006 | 2005 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | Cotton Bowl | Dallas | 74,222 | Mike Shula |
| 54 | Independence Bowl | L 31–34 | December 28, 2006 | 2006 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | Independence Stadium | Shreveport | 45,054 | Joe Kines |
| 55 | Independence Bowl | W 30–24 | December 30, 2007 | 2007 | Colorado Buffaloes | Independence Stadium | Shreveport | 47,043 | Nick Saban |
| 56 | Sugar Bowl | L 17–31 | January 2, 2009 | 2008 | Utah Utes | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans | 71,872 | Nick Saban |
| 57 | BCS National Championship Game* | W 37–21 | January 7, 2010 | 2009 | Texas Longhorns | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 94,906$^†$ | Nick Saban |
| 58 | Capital One Bowl | W 49–7 | January 1, 2011 | 2010 | Michigan State Spartans | Citrus Bowl | Orlando | 61,519 | Nick Saban |
| 59 | BCS National Championship Game* | W 21–0 | January 9, 2012 | 2011 | LSU Tigers | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans | 78,237 | Nick Saban |
| 60 | BCS National Championship Game* | W 42–14 | January 7, 2013 | 2012 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens | 80,120 | Nick Saban |
| 61 | Sugar Bowl | L 31–45 | January 2, 2014 | 2013 | Oklahoma Sooners | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans | 70,473 | Nick Saban |
| 62 | Sugar Bowl§ | L 35–42 | January 1, 2015 | 2014 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans | 74,682 | Nick Saban |
| 63 | Cotton Bowl Classic§ | W 38–0 | December 31, 2015 | 2015 | Michigan State Spartans | AT&T Stadium | Arlington | 82,812 | Nick Saban |
| 64 | CFP National Championship* | W 45–40 | January 11, 2016 | 2015 | Clemson Tigers | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale | 75,765 | Nick Saban |
| 65 | Peach Bowl§ | W 24–7 | December 31, 2016 | 2016 | Washington Huskies | Georgia Dome | Atlanta | 79,996 | Nick Saban |
| 66 | CFP National Championship* | L 31–35 | January 9, 2017 | 2016 | Clemson Tigers | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa | 74,512 | Nick Saban |
| 67 | Sugar Bowl§ | W 24–6 | January 1, 2018 | 2017 | Clemson Tigers | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans | 72,360 | Nick Saban |
| 68 | CFP National Championship* | W 26–23 | January 8, 2018 | 2017 | Georgia Bulldogs | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta | 77,430 | Nick Saban |
| 69 | Orange Bowl§ | W 45–34 | December 29, 2018 | 2018 | Oklahoma Sooners | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens | 66,203 | Nick Saban |
| 70 | CFP National Championship* | L 16–44 | January 7, 2019 | 2018 | Clemson Tigers | Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara | 74,814 | Nick Saban |
| 71 | Citrus Bowl | W 35–16 | January 1, 2020 | 2019 | Michigan Wolverines | Camping World Stadium | Orlando | 59,746 | Nick Saban |
| 72 | Rose Bowl§ | W 31–14 | January 1, 2021 | 2020 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | AT&T Stadium | Arlington | 18,373 | Nick Saban |
| 73 | CFP National Championship* | W 52–24 | January 11, 2021 | 2020 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens | 14,926 | Nick Saban |
| 74 | Cotton Bowl Classic§ | W 27–6 | December 31, 2021 | 2021 | Cincinnati Bearcats | AT&T Stadium | Arlington | 76,313 | Nick Saban |
| 75 | CFP National Championship* | L 18–33 | January 10, 2022 | 2021 | Georgia Bulldogs | Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis | 68,311 | Nick Saban |
| 76 | Sugar Bowl | W 45–20 | December 31, 2022 | 2022 | Kansas State Wildcats | Caesars Superdome | New Orleans | 60,437 | Nick Saban |
| 77 | Rose Bowl§ | L 20–27 | January 1, 2024 | 2023 | Michigan Wolverines | Rose Bowl | Pasadena | 96,371 | Nick Saban |
| 78 | ReliaQuest Bowl | L 13–19 | December 31, 2024 | 2024 | Michigan Wolverines | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa | 51,439 | Kalen DeBoer |