# 1936–37 NCAA football bowl games

The 1936–37 NCAA football bowl games were the final games of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1936 college football season and featured six bowl games, an increase of two from the prior season. In addition to the prior season's four bowls, the Cotton Bowl Classic was played for the first time, and this was the only season that the Bacardi Bowl was recognized by the NCAA. All six games were played on January 1, 1937. The national championship, according to recognized selectors, was won by Minnesota.

## Poll rankings

The below table lists top teams (per the AP poll taken after the completion of the regular season), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in.
| AP | Team | W–L | Conf. | Bowl |
| 1 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 7–1 | Big Ten | — † |
| 2 | LSU Tigers | 9–0–1 | SEC | Sugar Bowl |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 7–1–1 | Ind. | Rose Bowl |
| 4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 8–0–1 | SEC | — |
| 5 | Washington Huskies | 7–1–1 | PCC | Rose Bowl |
| 6 | Santa Clara Broncos | 7–0 | Ind. | Sugar Bowl |
| 7 | Northwestern Wildcats | 7–1 | Big Ten | — † |
| 8 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 6–2 | Ind. | — |
| 9 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 7–2 | Big Six | — |
| 10 | Penn Quakers | 7–1 | Ind. | — |
| 11 | Duke Blue Devils | 9–1 | Southern | — |
| 12 | Yale Bulldogs | 7–1 | Ind. | — |
| 13 | Dartmouth Indians | 7–1–1 | Ind. | — |
| 14 | Duquesne Dukes | 7–2 | Ind. | Orange Bowl |
| 15 | Fordham Rams | 5–1–2 | Ind. | — |
| 16 | TCU Horned Frogs | 7–2–2 | SWC | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 17 | Tennessee Volunteers | 6–2–1 | SEC | — |
| T18 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 6–3 | SWC | — |
| T18 | Navy Midshipmen | 6–3 | Ind. | — |
| 20 | Marquette Golden Avalanche | 7–1 | Ind. | Cotton Bowl Classic |
† The Big Ten Conference did not allow its members to participate in bowl games until the 1947 Rose Bowl.

## Bowl schedule

Rankings are from the final regular season AP Poll.
| Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers (7–1–1) No. 5 Washington Huskies (7–1–1) | Independent PCC | Pittsburgh 21 Washington 0 |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | Tulane Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana | No. 6 Santa Clara Broncos (7–1) No. 2 LSU Tigers (9–0–1) | Independent SEC | Santa Clara 21 LSU 14 |
| Jan. 1 | Orange Bowl | Miami Field Miami, Florida | No. 14 Duquesne Dukes (7–2) Mississippi State Maroons (7–2–1) | Independent SEC | Duquesne 13 Mississippi State 12 |
| Jan. 1 | Sun Bowl | Jones Stadium El Paso, Texas | Hardin–Simmons Cowboys (8–2) Texas Mines Miners (5–3–2) | Independent Border | Hardin–Simmons 34 Texas Mines 6 |
| Jan. 1 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | No. 16 TCU Horned Frogs (8–2–2) No. 20 Marquette Golden Avalanche (7–1) | SWC Independent | TCU 16 Marquette 6 |
| Jan. 1 | Bacardi Bowl | La Tropical Stadium Havana, Cuba | Auburn Tigers (7–2–1) Villanova Wildcats (7–2) | SEC Independent | Auburn 7 Villanova 7 |

### Conference performance in bowl games

| Conference | Games | Record | Record | Record | Record | Bowls | Bowls | Bowls |
| Conference | Games | W | L | T | Pct. | Won | Lost | Tied |
| Independents | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .750 | Orange, Rose, Sugar, Sun | Cotton | Bacardi |
| SEC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .167 | — | Orange, Sugar | Bacardi |
| SWC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | Cotton | — | — |
| Border | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | Sun | — |
| Pacific Coast | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | Rose | — |