Bowl Game

In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams from the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The term "bowl" originated from the Rose Bowl Stadium, site of the first post-season college football games. The Rose Bowl Stadium, in turn, takes its name and bowl-shaped design from the Yale Bowl, the prototype of many football stadiums in the United States. In turn, the NFL's "Super Bowl" is a reference to college football bowl games.

Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating teams, which had to meet strict eligibility requirements. As the number of bowl games has grown (in 2010, in terms of team-competitive games, there were 35), a bowl game has become a season-ending event for virtually every team with a non-losing record and the games have gained increased importance for the revenue they bring to participating programs and the opportunity to recruit new players to the teams. In recent years, the term "bowl" has become synonymous with any major American football event, generally collegiate football with some significant exceptions (such as the Super Bowl). One example is the Iron Bowl, a nickname given to the annual game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers.

The use of the term has crossed over into professional and collegiate Canadian football. A notable example is the annual Banjo Bowl between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) plays two semi-final "bowl games" before the Vanier Cup national championship game. The Uteck Bowl is normally played between the Atlantic Division Champion and the champion from another division. It is usually held at the venue of the easternmost team playing in the semi-finals. The Mitchell Bowl is played at the westernmost team's venue participating in the semi-finals.