Virginia Tech Tops the List of Longest Bowl Streaks After Beating Marshall
Bowl season has featured Florida State for 36 consecutive seasons and Virginia Tech for the last 25. After it looked for much of November like both ACC powers would see their streaks snapped in the same year, only the Seminoles will be watching the postseason from home.
The Seminoles' bowl streak, which had been the longest in college football history, was snapped on the final week of the regular season after a loss to rival Florida ended their season at 5–7. Virginia Tech received new life to extend its own streak after a big comeback win over Virginia, putting a conditional game with Marshall into motion on championship Saturday during which the Hokies cruised to victory, 41–20.
So which schools have the longest active bowl streaks now? We updated the leaderboard:
1. Virginia Tech: 26 Years (since 1992)
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Hokies eventually found their footing after quarterback Josh Jackson was lost for the season with an ankle injury. An improbable overtime win over Virginia set up transfer QB Ryan Willis for a career day against the Thundering Herd: 312 passing yards and four touchdowns.
2. Georgia: 21 Years (since 1997)
The Bulldogs don't look like they'll be knocked from this list any time soon. Georgia will extend its streak to 22 when it lines up for a big-time bowl game come New Year’s—maybe even the College Football Playoff. We’ll see what Alabama has to say about that.
3. Oklahoma: 19 Years (since 1999)
Oklahoma has been to three-straight New Year’s Six bowls, including five in the last six years. Kyler Murray has the one-loss Sooners in line for another in their upcoming 20th-straight bowl appearance.
4. LSU: 18 Years (since 2000)
LSU is 18-for-18 this millennium, and the Tigers haven’t been close to missing bowl season, winning eight-plus games every year since 2000. This season, Ed Orgeron looks to power the program to a New Year’s Six bowl for the first time during his tenure.
SINGLE: Bowl Projections: Where May Your Team Be Heading?
5. Boise State: 16 Years (since 2002)
With 14 seasons of 10 or more wins since the turn of the century, you can make the case that the Broncos have been the most consistent Division I program of the modern era. They’ll play in a bowl game for a 17th consecutive season this year. Of course, Boise State’s most memorable bowl moment featured a ring back in ’07.
6. Wisconsin: 16 Years (since 2002)
Entering this season, only three programs (Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson) had more wins than the Badgers since 2009. Wisconsin has slogged through 2018, but electrifying tailback Jonathan Taylor will have the Badgers bowling again.
7. Alabama: 14 Years (since 2004)
A casual college football fan might think Alabama’s bowl streak is something like, infinity years, but in the seven seasons before Saban arrived, the Tide had three under-.500 runs. In 2003, 4–9 Alabama—with losses to Northern Illinois and Hawaii—missed out on a bowl game. Life has been pretty, prettyyyyy, prettttaaayyyyy good since.
8. Clemson: 13 Years (since 2005)
This season, Clemson is a favorite to earn its third national championship berth in four years. Since 2011, the Tigers have won 10-plus games in every single season. Their bowl streak will balloon to two touchdowns.
9. Oklahoma State: 12 Years (since 2006)
The Cowboys haven’t failed to reach a bowl since Mike Gundy’s first season. After a massive upset in Week 12 over West Virginia, Gundy’s boys are bowling for the 13th straight season.
10. Stanford: 9 Years (since 2009)
Stanford earned a bowl berth just nine times from 1972 to 2008. With another bowl-eligible season this year, the Cardinal will play in the postseason for the 10th straight year.
10. Texas A&M: 9 Years (since 2009)
A&M’s 2012 move to the SEC hasn’t stunted its bowl momentum. In his first season, Jimbo Fisher has the Aggies bowl-bound in 2018.
