# 1980–81 NCAA football bowl games

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, 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

| Date | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Dec. 20 | Tangerine Bowl | Orlando Stadium Orlando, Florida | Mizlou | Florida Gators (7–4) Maryland Terrapins (8–3) | SEC ACC | Florida 35 Maryland 20 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Dec. 27 | 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 |
| Dec. 27 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Jan. 1 | 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 |
| Jan. 1 | 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 |
| Jan. 1 | 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 |
| 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 |
Rankings from AP Poll