Seventy FBS schools participated in 35 bowl games at the end of the 2012 season.
Louisiana Tech (9-3) failed to land a bowl bid, as did Middle Tennessee State (8-4).
Also, Ohio State (12-0), Penn State (8-4), North Carolina (8-4), and, apparently, Miami-Florida (7-5)
were all ineligible for post-season play this year.
Following is a list of schools with the number of consecutive bowl game appearances in parentheses:
Florida State (31)
Florida (22)
Virginia Tech (20)
Georgia, Georgia Tech (16)
Oklahoma (14)
LSU (13)
Boise State, West Virginia, Wisconsin (11)
Alabama (9)
Brigham Young, Clemson, Nevada, Oregon, Texas Christian (8)
Oklahoma State (7)
Air Force, Michigan State (6)
Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, South Carolina (5)
Ohio, SMU, Stanford, Texas A&M (4)
The following schools have been to bowls in three consecutive seasons:
Baylor, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Mississippi State,
N.C. State, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Toledo, Tulsa, Washington
The following schools went to bowls after the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but not 2010:
Arizona State, Arkansas State, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisiana,
Purdue, Rutgers, Texas, UCLA, Utah State, Vanderbilt
That takes care of the 50 schools who sent teams to bowl games in both 2011 and 2012.
Listed below are the other 20 schools who were in a 2012 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.)
Arizona, Central Florida, East Carolina, Fresno State, Navy, Syracuse, Texas Tech (1)
Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon State, Southern Cal (2)
Ball State, Rice (3)
San Jose State (5)
Duke (16 years, 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl)
Kent State (39 years, 1972 Tangerine Bowl)
Western Kentucky (first FBS bowl appearance, last appeared in I-AA playoffs in 2000)
Louisiana-Monroe (first FBS bowl appearance, last appeared in I-AA playoffs in 1993)
Those are the 70 schools participating in 2012 bowls, leaving 54 schools who did not.
The following 19 schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2011 season, but not 2012:
Ohio State (ended 12-year streak), Southern Mississippi (ended 10-year streak),
Utah (ended 9-year streak), Missouri, Penn State (7 years), Iowa, North Carolina (4 years),
Arkansas, Auburn (3 years), Florida International, Illinois, Virginia (2 years),
California, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Temple, Wake Forest, Western Michigan, Wyoming
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2010 season, but not since then:
Arizona, Army, Boston College, Connecticut, Hawai'i, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami-Florida,
Miami-Ohio, Middle Tennessee State, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas - El Paso, Troy.
Idaho went to a bowl at the end of the 2009 season, but not since then.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2008 season, but not since then:
Buffalo, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Kansas, Memphis.
The following schools went to a bowl at the end of the 2007 season, but not since then:
Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico.
The following schools went bowling sometime during 2001-2006, but not since then:
Akron (2005), North Texas, UAB (2004), Washington State (2003), Tulane (2002).
That leaves 7 FBS schools who have yet to go bowling in the 21st century:
Nevada-Las Vegas (2000 Silver Bowl)
Eastern Michigan (1987 California Bowl)
New Mexico State (1960 Sun Bowl)
Massachusetts, South Alabama, Texas - San Antonio, and Texas State all joined the FBS in 2012.
UMass and Texas State (formerly Southwest Texas State) used to appear in I-AA playoffs, I'll have
to check on FCS playoff appearances. USA and UTSA have had football programs for just a few years.
