Bowl Alliance
| Bowl Alliance | |
|---|---|
| In operation | 1995–1997 |
| Preceded by | Bowl Coalition (1992–1994) |
| Succeeded by | Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) |
| Number of Alliance games | 3 per season |
| Championship trophy | AFCA National Championship Trophy |
| Television partner(s) | ABC and CBS |
| Most Bowl Alliance appearances | Florida St, Nebraska (3) |
| Most Bowl Alliance wins | Nebraska (3) |
| Most Bowl Alliance championships | Nebraska (2) |
| Conference with most appearances | Big 12 (4) |
| Conference with most game wins | Big 12 (3) |
| Conference with most championships | Big 8, Big 12, SEC (1) |
| Last championship game | 1998 Orange Bowl |
| Last champion | Nebraska |
The Bowl Alliance was an agreement among college football bowl games (specifically the Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls) for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship bowl game and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences. The agreement was in place for the 1995, 1996, and 1997 seasons and had replaced the Bowl Coalition.
In its beginnings, the Bowl Alliance involved the SEC, Big Eight, SWC, ACC, and Big East conference champions, as well as independent Notre Dame. Because of this, only one at-large slot was available for teams to vie for. With the disbanding of the SWC following the 1995 football season and the formation of the Big 12 Conference in its wake, an additional at-large bid became available. The Alliance bowls were held on three successive days in each of the three years of the Alliance's existence with one game played on New Year's Eve, one on New Year's Day, and one on January 2. A Bowl Alliance Poll was formed by adding together the point totals from AP Poll and Coaches' Poll. The top two ranked teams from the Alliance conferences met in the Bowl Alliance national championship game, which rotated between the three Alliance bowls and was always held on January 2. Both polls retained their autonomy as to who they could name national champion. The coaches poll would get locked into the BCS system starting with the 1998 while the AP poll always retained their autonomy.
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