College Football Bowl Participation Streaks

Eighty schools participated in 40 bowl games (plus a playoff bowl) at the end of the 2015 season.
Every school whose team had a 6-6 record or better was invited.
Three teams (Minneosta, Nebraska, and San Jose State) had 5-7 records.
Following is a list of participating schools, with the number of consecutive bowl game appearances given in parentheses:

Florida State (34)
Virginia Tech (23)
Georgia (19)
Oklahoma (17)
LSU (16)
Boise State, Wisconsin (14)
Alabama (12)
Brigham Young, Clemson, Oregon (11)
Oklahoma State (10)
Michigan State (9)
Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Pittsburgh (8)
Stanford, Texas A&M (7)
The following schools have been to bowls in six consecutive seasons:
Baylor, Kansas State, Louisville, Mississippi State,
Notre Dame, San Diego State, Washington
The following schools have been to bowls in five consecutive seasons:
Arizona State, Arkansas State, Cincinnati, UCLA, Utah State
The following schools have been to bowls in four consecutive seasons:
Arizona, Bowling Green, Duke, Minnesota, Mississippi, Navy, Southern Cal
The following schools have been to bowls in three consecutive seasons:
Auburn, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa, Marshall,
Miami-Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State
The following schools went to bowls after the 2014 and 2015 seasons, but not 2013:
Air Force, Arkansas, Central Michigan, Florida, Louisiana Tech,
Memphis, N. C. State, Nevada, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee,
Toledo, Utah, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan
That takes care of the 61 schools who sent teams to bowl games in both 2014 and 2015.
Listed below are the other 19 schools who were in a 2015 bowl, but who did not go bowling the year before,
with the number of years missing a bowl appearance in parentheses. (Note: If a school's last bowl appearance
was N years ago, then that school has played N–1 seasons without a bowl appearance.)

Michigan, Middle Tennessee, Ohio, Texas Tech, Washington State (1)
Northwestern, San Jose State, Tulsa (2)
California, Southern Mississippi, Temple (3)
Connecticut, South Florida (5)
Indiana, New Mexico (7)
Akron (9)
Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State
(first modern bowl game appearance for each)

Those are the 80 schools participating in the 2015 bowl season, leaving only 48 schools who did not.
The following 15 schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2014 season, but not 2015:
Georgia Tech (ended 18-year bowl attendance streak),
South Carolina (7 years), Rutgers, Texas, UL-Lafayette (4 years),
Central Florida, East Carolina, Fresno State, Rice (3 years),
Boston College, Maryland, Missouri (2 years),
Illinois, South Alabama, Texas - El Paso.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2013 season, but not since then:
Ball State, Buffalo, North Texas, Oregon State, Syracuse, Tulane, UNLV, Vanderbilt.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2012 season, but not since then:
Iowa State, Kent State, Louisiana-Monroe, Purdue, SMU.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2011 season, but not since then:
Florida International, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wyoming.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2010 season, but not since then:
Army, Hawai'i, Kentucky, Miami-Ohio, Troy.
The following schools went bowling sometime between 2005 and 2010:
Idaho (2009), Florida Atlantic (2008), Kansas (2008), Colorado (2007).
That leaves 7 schools who have yet to go bowling in the 21st century:
Eastern Michigan (1987 California Bowl)
New Mexico State (1960 Sun Bowl)
Massachusetts, Texas - San Antonio, and Texas State all joined the FBS in 2012,
while Charlotte and Old Dominion have joined since then (along with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern).
The Media Guide for UMass gives its last bowl appearance as the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl.
Texas State and Old Dominion have both appeared in the Division 1 Championship playoffs.
Charlotte and San Antonio have had their football programs for just a few years.

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