# 2001–02 NCAA football bowl games

The 2001–02 NCAA football bowl games concluded the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Miami Hurricanes won the BCS National Championship Game over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 37–14.
A total of 25 team-competitive games were played—starting on December 18, 2001, and ending on January 3, 2002—with participation by 50 bowl-eligible teams. North Texas entered the New Orleans Bowl with a losing record of 5–6; they were able to play in a bowl game by being co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, having compiled a 5–1 conference record. An additional five all-star games were played, ending with the Hula Bowl on February 2, 2002. One bowl game was established for the 2001–02 season, the New Orleans Bowl. The number of bowl games remained static from the previous season due to the dissolution of the Aloha Bowl after 19 seasons.

## Poll rankings

The below table lists top teams (per polls taken after the completion of the regular season and any conference championship games), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in. The AP column represents rankings per the AP Poll, while the BCS column represents the Bowl Championship Series rankings.
| AP | BCS | Team | W–L | Bowl |
| 1 | 1 | Miami Hurricanes | 11–0 | Rose Bowl † |
| 2 | 4 | Oregon Ducks | 10–1 | Fiesta Bowl † |
| 3 | 3 | Colorado Buffaloes | 10–2 | Fiesta Bowl † |
| 4 | 2 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 11–1 | Rose Bowl † |
| 5 | 5 | Florida Gators | 9–2 | Orange Bowl † |
| 6 | 10 | Maryland Terrapins | 10–1 | Orange Bowl † |
| 7 | 8 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 10–1 | Sugar Bowl † |
| 8 | 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10–2 | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| 9 | 7 | Texas Longhorns | 10–2 | Holiday Bowl |
| 10 | 11 | Oklahoma Sooners | 10–2 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 11 | 9 | Stanford Cardinal | 9–2 | Seattle Bowl |
| 12 | 13 | LSU Tigers | 9–3 | Sugar Bowl † |
| 13 | 12 | Washington State Cougars | 9–2 | Sun Bowl |
| 14 | 14 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 8–3 | Outback Bowl |
| 15 | — | Virginia Tech Hokies | 8–3 | Gator Bowl |
| 16 | — | Georgia Bulldogs | 8–3 | Music City Bowl |
| 17 | — | Michigan Wolverines | 8–3 | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| 18 | — | Syracuse Orangemen | 9–3 | Insight.com Bowl |
| 19 | — | BYU Cougars | 12–1 | Liberty Bowl |
| 20 | — | Fresno State Bulldogs | 11–2 | Silicon Valley Football Classic |
| 21 | 15 | Washington Huskies | 8–3 | Holiday Bowl |
| 22 | — | Ohio State Buckeyes | 7–4 | Outback Bowl |
| 23 | — | Louisville Cardinals | 10–2 | Liberty Bowl |
| 24 | — | Florida State Seminoles | 7–4 | Gator Bowl |
| 25 | — | Toledo Rockets | 9–2 | Motor City Bowl |
† denotes a BCS bowl game

## Non-BCS bowls

| Date | Time | Game | Site | Matchup |
| Dec 18 | 8:00 PM | New Orleans Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | Colorado State 45, North Texas 20 |
| Dec 19 | 8:00 PM | GMAC Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama | Marshall 64, East Carolina 61 (2 OT) |
| Dec 20 | 7:30 PM | Tangerine Bowl | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | Pittsburgh 34, N.C. State 19 |
| Dec 25 | 3:30 PM | Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada | Utah 10, USC 6 |
| Dec 27 | 4:00 PM | Seattle Bowl | Safeco Field Seattle, Washington | Georgia Tech 24, Stanford 14 |
| Dec 27 | 7:30 PM | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana | Alabama 14, Iowa State 13 |
| Dec 28 | 1:30 PM | Galleryfurniture.com Bowl | Houston Astrodome Houston, Texas | Texas A&M 28, TCU 9 |
| Dec 28 | 5:00 PM | Music City Bowl | Adelphia Coliseum Nashville, Tennessee | Boston College 20, Georgia 16 |
| Dec 28 | 8:30 PM | Holiday Bowl | Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California | Texas 47, Washington 43 |
| Dec 29 | 12:00 PM | Motor City Bowl | Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, Michigan | Toledo 23, Cincinnati 16 |
| Dec 29 | 3:30 PM | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16 |
| Dec 29 | 5:30 PM | Insight Bowl | Bank One Ballpark Phoenix, Arizona | Syracuse 26, Kansas State 3 |
| Dec 31 | 12:00 PM | Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas | Washington State 33, Purdue 27 |
| Dec 31 | 12:30 PM | Humanitarian Bowl | Bronco Stadium Boise, Idaho | Clemson 49, Louisiana Tech 24 |
| Dec 31 | 3:00 PM | Silicon Valley Football Classic | Spartan Stadium San Jose, California | Michigan State 44, Fresno State 35 |
| Dec 31 | 4:00 PM | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee | Louisville 28, BYU 10 |
| Dec 31 | 7:30 PM | Peach Bowl | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia | North Carolina 16, Auburn 10 |
| Jan 1 | 11:00 AM | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | South Carolina 31, Ohio State 28 |
| Jan 1 | 11:00 AM | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | Oklahoma 10, Arkansas 3 |
| Jan 1 | 12:30 PM | Gator Bowl | Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | Florida State 30, Virginia Tech 17 |
| Jan 1 | 1:00 PM | Florida Citrus Bowl | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | Tennessee 45, Michigan 17 |
All times are in Eastern Time.

## BCS bowls

| Date | Time | Game | Site | Matchup |
| Jan 1 | 4:30 PM | Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona | Oregon 38, Colorado 16 |
| Jan 1 | 8:30 PM | Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | LSU 47, Illinois 34 |
| Jan 2 | 8:00 PM | Orange Bowl | Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida | Florida 56, Maryland 23 |
| Jan 3 | 8:00 PM | Rose Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | Miami 37, Nebraska 14 |

## All-star games

| Date | Game | Winning Team | Winning Team | Losing Team | Losing Team | Venue | City |
| January 12, 2002 | Paradise Bowl | West All-Stars | 33 | Utah-Colorado All-Stars | 30 | Hansen Stadium | St. George, Utah |
| January 12, 2002 | East–West Shrine Game | West Team | 21 | East Team | 13 | SBC Park | San Francisco, California |
| January 26, 2002 | Gridiron Classic | Team Florida | 42 | Team USA | 13 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, Florida |
| January 26, 2002 | Senior Bowl | South Team | 41 | North Team | 26 | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | Mobile, Alabama |
| February 2, 2002 | Hula Bowl | South | 45 | North | 28 | War Memorial Stadium | Wailuku, Hawaii |

### Senior Bowl

* Game MVP: Antwaan Randle El (Indiana Hoosiers)
* Other notable players: David Carr, Ryan Sims, Patrick Ramsey, LeCharles Bentley, Javon Walker
* North coach: Mike Holmgren (Seattle Seahawks)
* South coach: Dave McGinnis (Arizona Cardinals)
Source: