Holiday Bowl
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The Holiday Bowl has been played annually since 1978. The game is held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. From 1978-1997, the champion of the Western Athletic Conference appeared in the Holiday Bowl. From 1991-1994, the Big Ten had a conference tie-in. The game currently features teams from the Pac-10 and the Big 12. The 2006 contest had a $2.13 million payout to each school.
The inaugural game featured WAC champion Brigham Young University against Navy . Navy won the game 23-16. It would be the first of seven straight appearances for BYU in the Holiday Bowl. The 1980 game between BYU and SMU featured one of the most improbable comebacks in bowl history. Trailing 45-25 with a little over four minutes remaining, BYU rallied back to win the game 46-45 behind the play of quarterback Jim McMahon. BYU scored the winning touchdown on the final play of the game.
The 1984 Holiday Bowl witnessed BYU defeating the Michigan Wolverines 24-17 to capture the national championship. It was the only time in college football history that the national championship was decided in a December bowl game. BYU was obligated to play in the Holiday Bowl because they were the WAC champion.
The 1991 Holiday Bowl between BYU and the Iowa Hawkeyes ended in a 13-13 tie, the only tie in the bowl’s history. In recent years, the Holiday Bowl has produced many high scoring games. The most recent low-scoring game occurred in 2005 when the Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Oregon Ducks 17-14. Oklahoma was forced to vacate the win after it was determined that the Sooners had two ineligible players. The 2005 game has no official winner.
The 2006 matchup between California and Texas A&M was one-sided. Cal won the game 45-10. This year’s game will be played on December 27 and will be televised on ESPN.
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