| LA Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk | |
 | |
| Stadium | SoFi Stadium |
| Location | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Operated | 2021–present |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| 2022 matchup | |
| Fresno State vs. Washington State (Fresno State 29–6) | |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Boise State vs. UCLA (UCLA 35–22) | |
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences.
History
The Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference announced tie-ins for the new bowl in July 2019, under a five-year agreement.[1] The game was officially unveiled in February 2020. It matches up the Mountain West champion (or the next-highest pick available if the conference champion is selected for the New Year's Six) against the fifth pick from the Pac-12. Previously, the Mountain West champion had received an automatic bid to the Las Vegas Bowl.[2] The game is owned and operated by the owners of SoFi Stadium,[3] StadCo LA, LLC.[4]
Three weeks before the scheduled bowl game debut on December 30, 2020, the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
On June 16, 2021, the game was renamed the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as part of a naming rights agreement with comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Announcing the renaming on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel remarked that "never before has a bowl game been named after a human being (as far as I know, I didn't check)."[6] The game is the first bowl named for a living figure; other bowls have been named in honor of deceased people:
- The Will Rogers Bowl was held in Oklahoma City in 1947 as a memorial to actor Will Rogers, who died in 1935
- The Grantland Rice Bowl was contested in the NCAA's College Division (1964–1972) and Division II (1973–1977), in honor of sportswriter Grantland Rice, who died in 1954
- The Knute Rockne Bowl was also played in the NCAA's College Division (1969–1972) and Division II (1976–1977), named for coach Knute Rockne, who died in 1931
- The NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, has been played in the NCAA's Division III since 1973, named for football pioneer and multiple college championship coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, who died in 1965.
The investment bank Stifel was later added as a presenting sponsor.[3]
On October 21, 2023, the bowl announced that it had signed a new multi-year sponsorship deal with former NFL star Rob Gronkowski.[7] On December 1, 2023, it added an additional naming rights partnership with Starco Brands Inc, officially naming the bowl the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk[8]
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2021 | Utah State | 24 | Oregon State | 13 | 29,896 | notes |
| December 17, 2022 | Fresno State | 29 | Washington State | 6 | 32,405 | notes |
| December 16, 2023 | UCLA | 35 | Boise State | 22 | 32,780 | notes |
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2021 | Deven Thompkins | Utah State | WR | Nick Heninger | Utah State | DE | [9] |
| 2022 | Jordan Mims | Fresno State | RB | Devo Bridges | Fresno State | DE | [10] |
| 2023 | Ethan Garbers | UCLA | QB | Darius Muasau | UCLA | LB | [11] |
Appearances by team
Updated through the December 2023 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (3): Fresno State, UCLA, Utah State
Lost (3): Boise State, Oregon State, Washington State
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2023 edition (3 games, 6 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Mountain West | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2021, 2022 | 2023 |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2023 | 2021, 2022 |
Game records
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 35, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Fewest points allowed | 6, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Margin of victory | 23, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| First downs | 27, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 280, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Passing yards | 280, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 22, Boise State vs. UCLA | 2023 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 57, UCLA vs. Boise State | 2023 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 182, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 45, Fresno State vs. Washington State | 2022 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 117, Boise State vs. UCLA | 2023 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| Points scored | 12, multiple (most recently): TJ Harden (UCLA) Ethan Garbers (UCLA) George Holani (Boise State) |
2023 |
| Passing touchdowns | 2, shared by: Jake Haener (Fresno State) Ethan Garbers (UCLA) |
2022 2023 |
| Rushing yards | 209, Jordan Mims (Fresno State) | 2022 |
| Passing yards | 280, Jake Haener (Fresno State) | 2022 |
| Receiving yards | 142, J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA) | 2023 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 2, shared by: Jordan Mims (Fresno State) George Holani (Boise State) TJ Harden (UCLA) |
2022 2023 2023 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 1, multiple (most recently): J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA) Kyle Ford (UCLA) Hudson Habermehl (UCLA) |
2023 |
| Tackles | 12, Alexander Teubner (Boise State) | 2023 |
| Sacks | 3, Nick Heninger (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, shared by: Hunter Reynolds (Utah State) Akili Arnold (Oregon State) Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) LJ Early (Fresno State) Alex Johnson (UCLA) |
2021 2021 2021 2022 2023 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 66 yds., George Holani (Boise State) | 2023 |
| Touchdown pass | 62 yds., Cooper Legas to Deven Thompkins (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Kickoff return | 25 yds., Savon Scarver (Utah State) | 2021 |
| Punt return | 16 yds., Logan Loya (UCLA) | 2023 |
| Interception return | 11 yds., Alex Johnson (UCLA) | 2023 |
| Fumble return | N/A | |
| Punt | 56 yds., James Ferguson-Reynolds (Boise State) | 2023 |
| Field goal | 37 yds., Everett Hayes (Oregon State) | 2021 |
Media
Television
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ABC | Joe Tessitore | Greg McElroy | Laura Rutledge |
| 2022 | Molly McGrath | |||
| 2023 | Dave Flemming | Brock Osweiler | Kayla Burton |
Radio
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ESPN Radio | Jorge Sedano | Tom Ramsey | Kelsey Riggs |
| 2022 | Rod Gilmore | Quint Kessenich | ||
| 2023 | Mike Couzens | Tom Ramsey |
References
- ↑ Crepea, James (July 25, 2019). "Pac-12 adds Los Angeles Bowl to postseason lineup starting in 2020". oregonlive. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ↑ "SoFi Stadium will be home to new college bowl game this season". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- 1 2 "Stifel and Jimmy Kimmel team up as big names on college bowl game". St. Louis Business Journal. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ↑ "How much will Rams, Chargers season tickets cost in Inglewood's new stadium?". Orange County Register. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ↑ "Inaugural LA Bowl Postponed Until 2021 Due To Coronavirus". Associated Press. December 7, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ Tapp, Tom (June 17, 2021). "Jimmy Kimmel Gets College Football Bowl Game Named After Him: The 'Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl' At SoFi Stadium". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ↑ Reedy, Joe (October 21, 2023). "Move over Jimmy Kimmel, it's now the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk". Associated Press. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ↑ "LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK PARTNERS WITH STARCO BRANDS FOR NAMING RIGHTS TO BOWL GAME, NOW STARCO BRANDS LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK". Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ↑ Henline, Mitch. "Aggies finish championship season with LA Bowl victory over Oregon State". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ↑ Stoeckle, Savannah (December 17, 2022). "'Dogs make history with 29-6 win in Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Dominant Second Half Carries UCLA to 35-22 Victory Over Boise State in LA Bowl". mynewsla.com. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.