Music City Bowl
| Music City Bowl | |
|---|---|
| TransPerfect Music City Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Nissan Stadium |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Previous stadiums | Vanderbilt Stadium (1998) |
| Operated | 1998–present |
| Conference tie-ins | Big Ten, SEC |
| Previous conference tie-ins | ACC (2006–2019) Big East (1998–2001) Big Ten (2002–2005) |
| Payout | US$5.7 million (2019)[1] |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2019 matchup | |
| Mississippi State vs. Louisville (Louisville 38–28) | |
| 2021 matchup | |
| Purdue vs. Tennessee (December 30, 2021) | |
The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998. Since 2020, it has been sponsored by TransPerfect and is officially known as the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Previous title sponsors include American General Life & Accident (1998), HomePoint.com (1999), Gaylord Entertainment (2002–2003), both Gaylord Entertainment and Bridgestone (2004–2009), and Franklin American Mortgage Company (2010–2019). From 2014 through 2019, the bowl had tie-ins with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC); for 2020 through 2025, the bowl has tie-ins with the Big Ten and SEC.
The 2020 edition, slated for December 30 between Missouri and Iowa, was cancelled on December 27 due to COVID-19 issues within Missouri's program.[2]
History[]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2019) |
The first Music City Bowl was played at Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998. Beginning in 1999, the game was moved to the just completed home stadium of the Tennessee Titans, now known as Nissan Stadium. American General Life & Accident (now a subsidiary of AIG) sponsored the inaugural 1998 game, and the now-defunct "homepoint.com" sponsored the 1999 game. There was no sponsor in 2000 or 2001. In 2002, with title sponsorship from Nashville-based Gaylord Hotels, the game became known as the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. In 2003, Bridgestone became the presenting sponsor of the game, and its full title became the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone. Bridgestone dropped its presenting sponsorship following the 2007 game. Beginning with the 2010 game, served as title sponsor, with Gaylord continuing as a major sponsor of the event.[3] In December 2019, it was announced that TransPerfect, a New York City-based translation services company, would take over title sponsorship of the bowl for the 2020 through 2025 playings.[4]
Conference tie-ins[]
The game initially featured a matchup between representatives of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big East Conference. The Big East was replaced by the Big Ten Conference in 2002. Beginning with the 2006 game, the Big Ten was replaced by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The ACC also took part in the 2005 game, when Virginia appeared because the SEC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams. For six seasons beginning in 2014, the Music City Bowl shared its tie in with the Gator Bowl (also known as the TaxSlayer Bowl for several playings), to match an SEC team with either an ACC or Big Ten team.[5] In June 2019, the Music City Bowl announced an extension to their agreement with the SEC, and an agreement for the Big Ten to provide teams for the 2020 through 2025 seasons.[6]
Game results[]
The Music City Bowl has a history of upsets. The biggest underdog win was when Kentucky (+10) defeated Clemson 28–20 in 2006. Other big upsets include Minnesota (+7) defeating Arkansas 29–14 in 2002, and Virginia (+6) defeating Minnesota 34–31 in 2005. Boston College was a four-point underdog when they defeated Georgia 20–16 in 2001, West Virginia was a three-point underdog when they beat Ole Miss in 2000, Syracuse was a three-point underdog when they defeated Kentucky in 1999, and Minnesota was a one-point underdog when they beat Alabama in 2004. In 2008, four-point underdog Vanderbilt, making their first bowl appearance since 1982, upset Boston College, 24th in the BCS rankings, 16–14.
All rankings are taken from the AP Poll prior to the game being played.
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance[7] | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 29, 1998 | Virginia Tech | 38 | Alabama | 7 | 41,248[a] | notes |
| December 29, 1999 | Syracuse | 20 | Kentucky | 13 | 59,221 | notes |
| December 28, 2000 | West Virginia | 49 | Ole Miss | 38 | 47,119 | notes |
| December 28, 2001 | Boston College | 20 | No. 16 Georgia | 16 | 46,125 | notes |
| December 30, 2002 | Minnesota | 29 | No. 25 Arkansas | 14 | 39,183 | notes |
| December 31, 2003 | Auburn | 28 | Wisconsin | 14 | 55,109 | notes |
| December 31, 2004 | Minnesota | 20 | Alabama | 16 | 66,089 | notes |
| December 30, 2005 | Virginia | 34 | Minnesota | 31 | 40,519 | notes |
| December 29, 2006 | Kentucky | 28 | Clemson | 20 | 68,024 | notes |
| December 31, 2007 | Kentucky | 35 | Florida State | 28 | 68,661 | notes |
| December 31, 2008 | Vanderbilt | 16 | Boston College | 14 | 54,250 | notes |
| December 27, 2009 | Clemson | 21 | Kentucky | 13 | 57,280 | notes |
| December 30, 2010 | North Carolina | 30 | Tennessee | 27 (2OT) | 69,143 | notes |
| December 30, 2011 | Mississippi State | 23 | Wake Forest | 17 | 55,208 | notes |
| December 31, 2012 | Vanderbilt | 38 | NC State | 24 | 55,801 | notes |
| December 30, 2013 | Ole Miss | 25 | Georgia Tech | 17 | 52,125 | notes |
| December 30, 2014 | Notre Dame | 31 | No. 22 LSU | 28 | 60,419 | notes |
| December 30, 2015 | Louisville | 27 | Texas A&M | 21 | 50,478 | notes |
| December 30, 2016 | Tennessee | 38 | No. 24 Nebraska | 24 | 68,496 | notes |
| December 29, 2017 | No. 20 Northwestern | 24 | Kentucky | 23 | 48,675 | notes |
| December 28, 2018 | Auburn | 63 | Purdue | 14 | 59,024 | notes |
| December 30, 2019 | Louisville | 38 | Mississippi State | 28 | 46,850 | notes |
| December 30, 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues[b] | — | [8] | |||
| December 30, 2021 | Purdue vs. Tennessee | notes | ||||
Source:[9]
Most Valuable Players[]
| Date played | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 29, 1998 | Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | DE |
| December 29, 1999 | James Mungro | Syracuse | RB |
| December 29, 2000 | Brad Lewis | West Virginia | QB |
| December 28, 2001 | William Green | Boston College | RB |
| December 30, 2002 | Dan Nystrom | Minnesota | K |
| December 31, 2003 | Jason Campbell | Auburn | QB |
| December 31, 2004 | Marion Barber | Minnesota | RB |
| December 30, 2005 | Marques Hagans | Virginia | QB |
| December 29, 2006 | Andre' Woodson | Kentucky | QB |
| December 31, 2007 | Andre' Woodson | Kentucky | QB |
| December 31, 2008 | Brett Upson | Vanderbilt | P |
| December 27, 2009 | C. J. Spiller | Clemson | RB |
| December 30, 2010 | Shaun Draughn | North Carolina | RB |
| December 30, 2011 | Vick Ballard | Mississippi State | RB |
| December 31, 2012 | Zac Stacy | Vanderbilt | RB |
| December 30, 2013 | Bo Wallace | Ole Miss | QB |
| December 30, 2014 | Malik Zaire | Notre Dame | QB |
| December 30, 2015 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville | QB |
| December 30, 2016 | Joshua Dobbs | Tennessee | QB |
| December 29, 2017 | Justin Jackson | Northwestern | RB |
| December 28, 2018 | Jarrett Stidham | Auburn | QB |
| December 30, 2019 | Malik Cunningham | Louisville | QB |
Most appearances[]
Updated for the December 2021 edition (23 games, 46 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | 5 | 2–3 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 3 | 2–1 |
| Tennessee | 3 |
1–1 | |
| 4 | Auburn | 2 | 2–0 |
| Louisville | 2 | 2–0 | |
| Vanderbilt | 2 | 2–0 | |
| Boston College | 2 | 1–1 | |
| Clemson | 2 | 1–1 | |
| Mississippi State | 2 | 1–1 | |
| Ole Miss | 2 | 1–1 | |
| Purdue | 2 |
0–1 | |
| Alabama | 2 | 0–2 |
December 2021 participant
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (7): North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Lost (10): Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, NC State, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
Appearances by conference[]
Updated for the December 2021 edition (23 games, 46 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| SEC | 22 |
9 | 12 | .429 | 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 |
| ACC | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Big Ten | 8 |
3 | 4 | .429 | 2002, 2004, 2017 | 2003, 2005, 2016, 2018 |
| Big East | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 | |
| Independents | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2014 | |
December 2021 participant
- Independent appearances: Notre Dame (2014)
- The American Athletic Conference (The American) retains the conference charter of the Big East following the 2013 split of the original Big East along football lines.
Game records[]
The most lopsided game was Auburn's 63–14 win over Purdue in the 2018 edition. Auburn's 63 points (56 in the first half alone, a record for a half in any bowl game) is the bowl's high score, while Alabama's 7 points in 1998 is the low score. The closest game was Vanderbilt's 16–14 win over Boston College in 2008. This also marked the lowest point total in the bowl's history. The 87 point total in the 2000 edition, when West Virginia defeated Ole Miss, 49–38, is a high for the bowl. The attendance record was set at the 2010 game, when North Carolina defeated Tennessee.
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 63, Auburn vs. Purdue | 2018 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 38, Ole Miss vs. West Virginia | 2000 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 87, West Virginia (49) vs. Ole Miss (38) | 2000 |
| Fewest points allowed | 7, Virginia Tech vs. Alabama | 1998 |
| Largest margin of victory | 49, Auburn (63) vs. Purdue (14) | 2018 |
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| First downs | ||
| Fewest yards allowed | ||
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | ||
| Fewest passing yards allowed | ||
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | ||
| Touchdowns (overall) | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Rushing touchdowns | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing touchdowns | ||
| Receptions | ||
| Receiving yards | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | ||
| Tackles | ||
| Sacks | ||
| Interceptions | ||
| Long Plays | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | ||
| Touchdown pass | ||
| Kickoff return | ||
| Punt return | ||
| Interception return | ||
| Fumble return | ||
| Punt | ||
| Field goal | ||
| Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Bowl Attendance | 69,143, North Carolina vs. Tennessee | 2010 |
Media coverage[]
The bowl has been televised by ESPN since its inception.
Notes[]
- ^ The 1998 contest was played at Vanderbilt Stadium while Nissan Stadium (then Adelphia Coliseum) was under construction.
- ^ The 2020 contest of Iowa vs. Missouri was canceled three days prior to the game.
References[]
- ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Cobb, David (December 27, 2020). "2020 Music City Bowl canceled as COVID-19 outbreak forces Missouri to pull out of game vs. Iowa". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Franklin American Mortgage To Title Music City Bowl In 2010".
- ^ Organ, Mike (December 18, 2019). "TransPerfect becomes title sponsor of the Music City Bowl". tennessean.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Selection Process". musiccitybowl.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Announces New 2020-2025 Conference Agreements". musiccitybowl.com (Press release). June 4, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "Bowl Recaps". musiccitybowl.com. 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ "2020 TransPerfect Music City Bowl Cancelled". Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 13. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
External links[]
- Music City Bowl
- College football bowls
- Sports competitions in Nashville, Tennessee
- American football in Tennessee
- College sports in Tennessee