| Sugar Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Caesars Superdome |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Previous stadiums | Tulane Stadium (1934–1974) |
| Temporary venue | Georgia Dome,Atlanta, Georgia (2006)[a] |
| Operated | 1935–present |
| Championship affiliation | |
| Conference tie-ins | SEC (unofficial 1935–1975, official 1976–present) Big 12 (2015–present) |
| Payout | US$17 million per team(As of 2014[update])[1] |
| Website | allstatesugarbowl |
| Sponsors | |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2023 season matchup | |
| Washington vs.Texas (Washington 37–31) | |
| 2024 season matchup | |
| Notre Dame vs.Georgia (Notre Dame 23–10) | |
TheSugar Bowl is an annual Americancollege footballbowl game played inNew Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with theOrange Bowl andSun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only by theRose Bowl Game.[2]
The Sugar Bowl was originally played atTulane Stadium before moving to theSuperdome in 1975. When the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to both the winds from and the flooding in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina in 2005, the Sugar Bowl was temporarily moved to theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta in 2006. Since 2007, the game has been sponsored byAllstate and officially known as theAllstate Sugar Bowl. Previous sponsors includeNokia (1996–2006) andUSF&G Financial Services (1988–1995).
The Sugar Bowl has had a longstanding relationship with theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). Through 91 editions, only 12 games have not featured a representative from the SEC. The SEC's opponent varied from year to year, but prior to the advent of theBowl Coalition, it was often a member of theBig Eight, theSWC, or a major independent. Starting in 2015, the Sugar Bowl also established a relationship with theBig 12 Conference.[3]
Beginning in1992, the Sugar Bowl joined with several other bowls to create theBowl Coalition in an effort to produce anundisputed national champion in college football. It would subsequently participate in theBowl Alliance andBowl Championship Series. From 1993 to 2006, the Sugar Bowl served as the national championship game of these systems in1993,1997,2000, and2004. The Superdome and the Sugar Bowl Committee hosted theBCS National Championship Game in2008 and2012, in addition to the regular Sugar Bowl game.
In2014, the Sugar Bowl, along with the "New Year's Six" bowls, became a part of theCollege Football Playoff. As part of the four team playoff from 2015 to2023, the Sugar Bowl served as a semifinal game in2015,2018, and2021. When not serving as a semifinal, the Sugar Bowl featured the best available teams from SEC and theBig 12 conferences.[3]
With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams in the2024–25 season, the Sugar Bowl will serve as either a quarterfinal or semifinal each year. It served as a quarterfinal in2025 and will do so again in 2026. When serving as a quarterfinal, the Sugar Bowl will host the higher-seeded SEC or Big 12 champion, if seeded in the top four. When serving as a semifinal, the game will be played one week after New Year's Day, and, if the SEC or Big 12 champion is one of the top two seeds, the higher-seeded team will be assigned to the Sugar Bowl.[4]
In 1890,Pasadena, California, held its firstTournament of Roses Parade to showcase the city's mild weather compared to the harsh winters in northern cities. As one of the organizers said: "InNew York, people are buried in snow. Here, our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear [fruit]. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." In1902, the annual festival was enhanced by adding afootball game.[5]
In 1926, leaders inMiami, Florida, decided to do the same with a "Fiesta of the American Tropics" that was centered around a New Year's Day football game. Although a second "Fiesta" was never held, Miami leaders later revived the idea with the "Palm Festival" (with the slogan "Have a Green Christmas in Miami"). The football game and associated festivities of the Palm Festival were soon named the "Orange Bowl."[6]
InNew Orleans, Louisiana, the idea of a New Year's Day football game was first presented in 1927 by ColonelJames M. Thomson, publisher of theNew Orleans Item, and Sports EditorFred Digby. Every year thereafter, Digby repeated calls for action, and even came up with the name "Sugar Bowl" for his proposed football game.[7]
By 1935, enough support had been garnered for the first Sugar Bowl. The game was played inTulane Stadium, which had been built in 1926 on Tulane University's campus (before 1871, Tulane's campus wasPaul Foucher's plantation, where Foucher's father-in-law,Etienne de Bore, had first granulated sugar fromcane syrup). Warren V. Miller, the first president of the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association, guided the Sugar Bowl through its difficult formative years of 1934 and 1935. An unusual 2–0 score marked the1942 Sugar Bowl, in which the sole scoring play was a safety.
In January 1956,Bobby Grier became the first black player to participate in the Sugar Bowl. He is also regarded as the first black player to compete at a bowl game in theDeep South, though others such asWallace Triplett had played in games like the 1948 Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Grier's team, the Pittsburgh Panthers, was set to play against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[8] However, Georgia's governorMarvin Griffin beseeched Georgia Tech to not participate in this racially integrated game.[9][10] Griffin was widely criticized by news media leading up to the game, and protests were held at his mansion by Georgia Tech students. Despite the governor's objections, Georgia Tech's presidentBlake R. Van Leer upheld the contract after he threatened to resign and the board of regents voted in his favor to compete in the bowl.[11] In the game's first quarter, a pass interference call against Grier ultimately resulted in Yellow Jackets' 7-0 victory. Grier stated that he has mostly positive memories about the experience, including the support from teammates and letters from all over the world.[12]
In November1967,Army's success on the field (then at 7–1) made them a strong candidate to be selected for the1968 game. However, Pentagon officials, in the midst of theVietnam War, refused to allow the team to play what would have been the academy's first bowl game ever—citing the "heavy demands on the players' time" as well as an emphasis on football being "not consistent with the academy's basic mission: to produce career Army officers."[13][14]
Tulane Stadium hosted through December1974, and it has since been at theSuperdome (except2006). For the1972 season, the game was moved to New Year's Eve night;[15] which lasted for four editions, returning to New Year's Day in January1977. The last time it was played on natural grass was in January1971.
Compared to most bowl games, the Sugar Bowl has had steadynaming rights sponsorship. Its first corporate title sponsor wasUSF&G Financial Services from 1987 to 1995, thenFinnishmobile phone manufacturerNokia from 1995 to 2006. In March 2006,Allstate Insurance was announced as the new title sponsor, and has continued to sponsor the game since.
ABC Sports televised the game from 1969 through 2006.Fox Sports televised the game from 2007 to 2010 as part of its contract with the BCS.ESPN started airing the game with the 2010–11 season, after outbidding Fox for the broadcasting rights.[16]
The2006 game was relocated to theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta, Georgia, because of the extensive damage the Superdome suffered as a result ofHurricane Katrina. Big East Champion West Virginia would go on to beat SEC Champion Georgia in the game 38-35. It returned to the refurbished Superdome in2007. The payout for the 2006 game was $14–17 million per participating team. According toSports Illustrated, the 2007 salary for Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan was $607,500.[17]
Prior to theBCS, the game traditionally hosted theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) champion against a top-tier at-large opponent. This was formalized in 1975, when the SEC champion was granted an automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl starting with the end of the 1976 season. This continued throughout the time of theBowl Coalition, a precursor to the BCS. However, the Sugar Bowl agreed to release the SEC champion if necessary to force a national championship game. Under this format, the Sugar Bowl hosted the first Bowl Coalition national championship game, when SEC champion Alabama upendedMiami at the end of the 1992 season. When the Bowl Coalition became theBowl Alliance at the start of the 1995 season, the Sugar Bowl would still release the SEC champion to go to the national championship game if they were ranked in the top two in the nation.
Under the now-defunct BCS format, the Sugar Bowl continued to host the SEC champion against a top-tier at-large opponent, unless the SEC champion went to theBCS National Championship Game.[18] When this happened, the Sugar Bowl usually selected the highest-ranked SEC team still available in the BCS pool. The SEC champion played for the national championship in every one of the eight final editions of the BCS (2006–2013).
The Sugar Bowl maintains an archive of past programs, images, newsreels, and other materials. The archive, originally housed in the Superdome, survived Hurricane Katrina, but a more secure home was needed. During the summer of 2007, the Sugar Bowl donated its materials toThe Historic New Orleans Collection, designating it the permanent home of its archive.
Ohio State vacated its2011 Sugar Bowl victory overArkansas in response toNCAA allegations over a memorabilia-for-cash scandal.[19]
The2012 game, pitting theMichigan Wolverines against theVirginia Tech Hokies, was the first Sugar Bowl since 2000—and only the sixth since World War II—without an SEC team. Both of the SEC's BCS participants,Alabama andLSU, played in theNational Championship Game (in the Superdome), and under BCS rules only two teams per conference were eligible for BCS bowls.
In May 2012, theBig 12 and SEC announced plans to create a new bowl game, the "Champions Bowl," that would play host to the champions of those two conferences.[20] That November, it was officially announced that the Champions Bowl had been awarded to New Orleans under a 12-year contract beginning in 2015, and would retain the Sugar Bowl name (stating that "Champions Bowl" was only a working title). In addition, it was announced that the Sugar Bowl would host one of two national semi-final games every three seasons (in the 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2023 seasons) as part of the newCollege Football Playoff system replacing the BCS.[21][22]
The game for the 2022 season was moved to December 31, 2022 with a noon ET kickoff; out of respect to theNFL, no bowl games are played on January 1 if it falls on a Sunday, while broadcaster ESPN is also committed to airingMonday Night Football. It was only the sixth edition of the game played on New Year's Eve.[23][24]
TheWashington Huskies, by virtue of being ranked #2 in the CFP rankings at the end of the2023 season, became the firstPac-12 team to play in the Sugar Bowl, where they faced #3Texas in a winning effort,37–31.
All rankings are taken from theAP poll (inaugurated in1936), before each game was played.Italics denote a tie game.
| Date Played | Winning team | Losing team | Venue | Attnd.[25] | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1935 | Tulane | 20 | Temple | 14 | Tulane Stadium | 22,026 | notes |
| January 1, 1936 | TCU | 3 | LSU | 2 | 35,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1937 | Santa Clara | 21 | LSU | 14 | 41,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1938 | Santa Clara | 6 | LSU | 0 | 45,000 | notes | |
| January 2, 1939 | #1TCU | 15 | #6Carnegie Tech | 7 | 50,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1940 | #1Texas A&M | 14 | #5Tulane | 13 | 73,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1941 | #4Boston College | 19 | #6Tennessee | 13 | 73,181 | notes | |
| January 1, 1942 | #6Fordham | 2 | #7Missouri | 0 | 72,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1943 | #7Tennessee | 14 | #4Tulsa | 7 | 70,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1944 | #13Georgia Tech | 20 | Tulsa | 18 | 69,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1945 | #11Duke | 29 | Alabama | 26 | 72,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1946 | #5Oklahoma State | 33 | #7Saint Mary's (CA) | 13 | 75,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1947 | #3Georgia | 20 | #9North Carolina | 10 | 73,300 | notes | |
| January 1, 1948 | #5Texas | 27 | #6Alabama | 7 | 73,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1949 | #5Oklahoma | 14 | #3North Carolina | 6 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 2, 1950 | #2Oklahoma | 35 | #9LSU | 0 | 82,470 | notes | |
| January 1, 1951 | #7Kentucky | 13 | #1Oklahoma | 7 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1952 | #3Maryland | 28 | #1Tennessee | 13 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1953 | #2Georgia Tech | 24 | #7Ole Miss | 7 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1954 | #8Georgia Tech | 42 | #10West Virginia | 19 | 76,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1955 | #5Navy | 21 | #6Ole Miss | 0 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 2, 1956 | #7Georgia Tech | 7 | #11Pittsburgh | 0 | 80,175 | notes | |
| January 1, 1957 | #11Baylor | 13 | #2Tennessee | 7 | 81,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1958 | #7Ole Miss | 39 | #11Texas | 7 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1959 | #1LSU | 7 | #12Clemson | 0 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1960 | #2Ole Miss | 21 | #3LSU | 0 | 83,000 | notes | |
| January 2, 1961 | #2Ole Miss | 14 | Rice | 6 | 82,851 | notes | |
| January 1, 1962 | #1Alabama | 10 | #9Arkansas | 3 | 82,910 | notes | |
| January 1, 1963 | #3Ole Miss | 17 | #6Arkansas | 13 | 82,900 | notes | |
| January 1, 1964 | #8Alabama | 12 | #7Ole Miss | 7 | 80,785 | notes | |
| January 1, 1965 | #7LSU | 13 | Syracuse | 10 | 65,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1966 | #6Missouri | 20 | Florida | 18 | 67,421 | notes | |
| January 2, 1967 | #6Alabama | 34 | #3Nebraska | 7 | 82,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 1968 | LSU | 20 | #5Wyoming | 13 | 78,963 | notes | |
| January 1, 1969 | #9Arkansas | 16 | #4Georgia | 2 | 82,113 | notes | |
| January 1, 1970 | #13Ole Miss | 27 | #3Arkansas | 22 | 82,500 | notes | |
| January 1, 1971 | #4Tennessee | 34 | #11Air Force | 13 | 78,655 | notes | |
| January 1, 1972 | #3Oklahoma | 40 | #5Auburn | 22 | 84,031 | notes | |
| December 31, 1972 | #2Oklahoma | 14 | #5Penn State | 0 | 80,123 | notes | |
| December 31, 1973 | #3Notre Dame | 24 | #1Alabama | 23 | 85,161 | notes | |
| December 31, 1974 | #8Nebraska | 13 | #18Florida | 10 | 67,890 | notes | |
| December 31, 1975 | #3Alabama | 13 | #7Penn State | 6 | Louisiana Superdome | 75,212 | notes |
| January 1, 1977 | #1Pittsburgh | 27 | #4Georgia | 3 | 76,117 | notes | |
| January 2, 1978 | #3Alabama | 35 | #9Ohio State | 6 | 76,811 | notes | |
| January 1, 1979 | #2Alabama | 14 | #1Penn State | 7 | 76,824 | notes | |
| January 1, 1980 | #2Alabama | 24 | #6Arkansas | 9 | 77,486 | notes | |
| January 1, 1981 | #1Georgia | 17 | #7Notre Dame | 10 | 77,895 | notes | |
| January 1, 1982 | #10Pittsburgh | 24 | #2Georgia | 20 | 77,224 | notes | |
| January 1, 1983 | #2Penn State | 27 | #1Georgia | 23 | 78,124 | notes | |
| January 2, 1984 | #3Auburn | 9 | #8Michigan | 7 | 77,893 | notes | |
| January 1, 1985 | #5Nebraska | 28 | #11LSU | 10 | 75,608 | notes | |
| January 1, 1986 | #8Tennessee | 35 | #2Miami (Florida) | 7 | 77,432 | notes | |
| January 1, 1987 | #6Nebraska | 30 | #5LSU | 15 | 76,234 | notes | |
| January 1, 1988 | #4Syracuse | 16 | #6Auburn | 16 | 75,495 | notes | |
| January 2, 1989 | #4Florida State | 13 | #7Auburn | 7 | 61,934 | notes | |
| January 1, 1990 | #2Miami (Florida) | 33 | #7Alabama | 25 | 77,452 | notes | |
| January 1, 1991 | #6Tennessee | 23 | Virginia | 22 | 75,132 | notes | |
| January 1, 1992 | #18Notre Dame | 39 | #3Florida | 28 | 76,447 | notes | |
| January 1, 1993BC | #2Alabama | 34 | #1Miami (Florida) | 13 | 76,789 | notes | |
| January 1, 1994 | #8Florida | 41 | #3West Virginia | 7 | 75,437 | notes | |
| January 2, 1995 | #7Florida State | 23 | #5Florida | 17 | 76,224 | notes | |
| December 31, 1995 | #13Virginia Tech | 28 | #9Texas | 10 | 70,283 | notes | |
| January 2, 1997BA | #3Florida | 52 | #1Florida State | 20 | 78,344 | notes | |
| January 1, 1998 | #4Florida State | 31 | #9Ohio State | 14 | 67,289 | notes | |
| January 1, 1999 | #3Ohio State | 24 | #8Texas A&M | 14 | 76,503 | notes | |
| January 4, 2000BCS | #1Florida State | 46 | #2Virginia Tech | 29 | 79,280 | notes | |
| January 2, 2001 | #2Miami (Florida) | 37 | #7Florida | 20 | 64,407 | notes | |
| January 1, 2002 | #12LSU | 47 | #7Illinois | 34 | 77,688 | notes | |
| January 1, 2003 | #4Georgia | 26 | #16Florida State | 13 | 74,269 | notes | |
| January 4, 2004BCS | #2LSU | 21 | #3Oklahoma | 14 | 79,342 | notes | |
| January 3, 2005 | #3Auburn | 16 | #9Virginia Tech | 13 | 77,349 | notes | |
| January 2, 2006 | #11West Virginia | 38 | #8Georgia | 35 | Georgia Dome[a] | 74,458 | notes |
| January 3, 2007 | #4LSU | 41 | #11Notre Dame | 14 | Louisiana Superdome | 77,781 | notes |
| January 1, 2008 | #4Georgia | 41 | #10Hawaiʻi | 10 | 74,383 | notes | |
| January 2, 2009 | #7Utah | 31 | #4Alabama | 17 | 71,872 | notes | |
| January 1, 2010 | #5Florida | 51 | #4Cincinnati | 24 | 65,207 | notes | |
| January 4, 2011 | #6Ohio State[b] | 31 | #8Arkansas | 26 | 73,879 | notes | |
| January 3, 2012 | #13Michigan | 23 | #17Virginia Tech | 20 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 64,512 | notes |
| January 2, 2013 | #22Louisville | 33 | #4Florida | 23 | 54,178 | notes | |
| January 2, 2014 | #10Oklahoma | 45 | #3Alabama | 31 | 70,473 | notes | |
| January 1, 2015SF | #5Ohio State | 42 | #1Alabama | 35 | 74,682 | notes | |
| January 1, 2016 | #16Ole Miss | 48 | #13Oklahoma State | 20 | 72,117 | notes | |
| January 2, 2017 | #7Oklahoma | 35 | #17Auburn | 19 | 54,077 | notes | |
| January 1, 2018SF | #4Alabama | 24 | #1Clemson | 6 | 72,360 | notes | |
| January 1, 2019 | #14Texas | 28 | #6Georgia | 21 | 71,449 | notes | |
| January 1, 2020 | #5Georgia | 26 | #8Baylor | 14 | 55,211 | notes | |
| January 1, 2021SF | #3Ohio State | 49 | #2Clemson | 28 | 3,000 | notes | |
| January 1, 2022 | #7Baylor | 21 | #8Ole Miss | 7 | Caesars Superdome | 66,479 | notes |
| December 31, 2022 | #5Alabama | 45 | #11Kansas State | 20 | 60,437 | notes | |
| January 1, 2024SF | #2Washington | 37 | #3Texas | 31 | 68,791 | notes | |
| January 2, 2025QF[c] | #3Notre Dame | 23 | #2Georgia | 10 | 57,267 | notes | |
Source:[26]
The Miller-Digby Award is presented to the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) in the Sugar Bowl, as voted by sports journalists covering the game. The award was initially established in 1948 following the death of Warren V. Miller, the first president of the Bowl; it was renamed the Miller-Digby Memorial Trophy in 1959, to also honorFred J. Digby, the first general manager and fellow founding member of the Bowl.[27] When the Sugar Bowl acts as a CFP semifinal, both an offensive and defensive MVP are named; this has been the case in 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2023.
† Terrelle Pryor was later ruled ineligible and his statistics for the 2010 season, including the 2011 Sugar Bowl, were vacated.[28]
Updated through the January 2025 edition (91 games, 182 total appearances).
|
|
‡ Ohio State's win–loss record excludes itsvacated win in the January 2011 game.
Won (9):Boston College,Duke,Fordham,Kentucky,Louisville,Maryland,Navy,Utah,Washington
Lost (11):Air Force,Carnegie Tech,Cincinnati,Hawai'i,Illinois,Kansas State,Rice,Saint Mary's (CA),Temple,Virginia,Wyoming
Updated through the January 2025 edition (91 games, 182 total appearances).
| Rank | Conference | Record | Appearances by year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | T | Win pct. | Won | Lost | Tied | Vacated | ||
| 1 | SEC | 82 | 42 | 39 | 1 | .518 | 1935, 1943, 1944, 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975D, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022D | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1973D, 1974D, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2025 | 1988 | |
| 2 | Independent | 26 | 13 | 12 | 1 | .519 | 1937, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1955, 1973D, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2025 | 1935, 1939, 1946, 1956, 1965, 1971, 1972D, 1975D, 1979, 1981, 1986, 2007 | 1988 | |
| 3 | SWC | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 1936, 1939, 1940, 1948, 1957, 1969 | 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1980, 1995D | ||
| T4 | Big Eight | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 1949, 1950, 1966, 1972, 1972D, 1974D, 1985, 1987 | 1942, 1951, 1967 | ||
| T4 | ACC | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 1995, 1998, 2000 | 1959, 1991, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2012, 2018, 2021 | ||
| 6 | Big 12 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 | 1999, 2004, 2016, 2020, 2022D, 2024 | ||
| 7 | Big Ten | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 ‡ | 1999, 2012, 2015, 2021 | 1978, 1984, 1998, 2002 | 2011 | |
| 8 | Big East | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 1995D, 2001, 2006, 2013 | 1993, 1994, 2000, 2010 | ||
| 9 | SoCon | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1945, 1952 | 1947, 1949, 1954 | ||
| 10 | MVC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1946 | 1943, 1944 | ||
| 11 | WAC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 1968, 2008 | |||
| T12 | Mountain West | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2009 | |||
| T12 | Pac-12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2024 | |||
‡ The Big Ten's win–loss record andwinning percentage exclude avacated win by Ohio State.
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 52, Florida vs. Florida State | 1997 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 35, shared by: Georgia vs. West Virginia Alabama vs. Ohio State | 2006 2015 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 81, LSU (47) vs. Illinois (34) | 2002 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, eight times, most recent: Oklahoma vs. Penn State | Dec. 1972 |
| Largest margin of victory | 35, Oklahoma (35) vs. LSU (0) | 1950 |
| Total yards | 659, Florida (482 pass, 177 rush) vs. Cincinnati | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 439, Oklahoma vs. Auburn | Jan. 1972 |
| Passing yards | 482, Florida vs. Cincinnati | 2010 |
| First downs | 32, LSU vs. Illinois | 2002 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 74, Ole Miss vs. LSU (-15 rush, 89 pass) | 1960 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | -39, Tennessee vs. Tulsa | 1943 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 0, three times, most recent: Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech | 1956 |
| Sacks | 10, Baylor vs. Ole Miss | Jan. 2022 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 282,Kevin Williams, Miami (FL) vs. Alabama | 1993 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4,Domanick Davis, LSU vs. Illinois | 2002 |
| Rushing yards | 230,Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State vs. Alabama | 2015 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4,Domanick Davis, LSU vs. Illinois | 2002 |
| Passing yards | 482,Tim Tebow, Florida vs. Cincinnati | 2010 |
| Passing touchdowns | 6,Justin Fields, Ohio State vs. Clemson | 2021 |
| Receiving yards | 239,Josh Reed, LSU vs. Illinois | 2002 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, shared by: Ike Hilliard, Florida vs. Florida State Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State | 1997 2016 |
| Tackles | 20,Tom Cousineau, Ohio State vs. Alabama | 1978 |
| Sacks | 3, shared by six players, most recent: Eric Striker, Oklahoma vs. Alabama | 2014 |
| Interceptions | 3, shared by three players, most recent: Bobby Johns, Alabama vs. Nebraska | 1967 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 92,Ray Brown, Ole Miss vs. Texas | 1958 |
| Touchdown pass | 82,Ike Hilliard fromDanny Wuerffel, Florida vs. Florida State | Jan. 1995 |
| Kickoff return | 100,Andre Debose, Florida vs. Louisville | 2013 |
| Punt return | 78,Kevin Williams, Miami (FL) vs. Alabama | 1993 |
| Interception return | 96, Al Walcott, Baylor vs. Ole Miss | Jan. 2022 |
| Fumble return | 26, shared by: Bobby Jackson, Illinois vs. LSU Geneo Grissom, Oklahoma vs. Alabama | 2002 2014 |
| Punt | 76,Glenn Dobbs, Tulsa vs. Tennessee | 1943 |
| Field goal | 53, John Carroll, Oklahoma vs. Auburn | Jan. 1972 |
| Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Team | Year |
| Game attendance | 85,161, Notre Dame vs. Alabama | 1973 |
Source:[29]
From 1999 to 2006, the game aired on ABC as part of its BCS package, where it had also been televised from 1969 through 1998. The Sugar Bowl was the only Bowl Alliance game to stick with ABC following the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons; the Fiesta and Orange Bowls were televised byCBS. Prior to that,NBC aired the game for several years. From 2006 to 2010,Fox broadcast the game, whileESPN picked up the Sugar Bowl after picking up the rest of the BCS beginning in the 2009–10 season.[16] For 2013,ESPN Deportes introduced aSpanish language telecast of the game.[30]
In November 2012, ESPN announced that it had reached a deal to maintain broadcast rights to the Sugar Bowl through 2026. ESPN pays $55 million yearly to broadcast the game beginning in the 2014–15 season under the new contract, which took effect upon the establishment of the College Football Playoff. ESPN made a similar deal to maintain broadcast rights to theOrange Bowl following the discontinuation of the BCS as well.[31]
