The Music City Bowl is a college football game that's been held in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998. It's been officially known as the TransPerfect Music City Bowl since 2020. Over the years, it has had different names depending on who sponsored it, like American General Life & Accident, HomePoint.com, Gaylord Entertainment, Bridgestone, and Franklin American Mortgage Company.
From 2014 to 2019, the teams playing in the Music City Bowl were from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC). From 2020 to 2025, it's been between teams from the Big Ten and SEC.
Music City Bowl sponsorship and broadcasting rights
The Music City Bowl, the college football spectacle held in Nashville, Tennessee, has had various sponsors, from American General Life & Accident in 1998 to TransPerfect in 2024. ESPN is the broadcaster of all the games, as of December 2024.
Music City Bowl winner list
In 2006, Kentucky, considered the underdog by 10 points, triumphed over Clemson with a score of 28–20. Other underdog victories include Minnesota's win against Arkansas in 2002 and Virginia's surprising triumph over Minnesota in 2005.
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team |
| Dec 29, 1998 | Virginia Tech | Alabama |
| Dec 29, 1999 | Syracuse | Kentucky |
| Dec 28, 2000 | West Virginia | Ole Miss |
| Dec 28, 2001 | Boston College | No. 16 Georgia |
| Dec 30, 2002 | Minnesota | No. 25 Arkansas |
| Dec 31, 2003 | Auburn | Wisconsin |
| Dec 31, 2004 | Minnesota | Alabama |
| Dec 30, 2005 | Virginia | Minnesota |
| Dec 29, 2006 | Kentucky | Clemson |
| Dec 31, 2007 | Kentucky | Florida State |
| Dec 31, 2008 | Vanderbilt | Boston College |
| Dec 27, 2009 | Clemson | Kentucky |
| Dec 30, 2010 | North Carolina | Tennessee |
| Dec 30, 2011 | Mississippi State | Wake Forest |
| Dec 31, 2012 | Vanderbilt | NC State |
| Dec 30, 2013 | Ole Miss | Georgia Tech |
| Dec 30, 2014 | Notre Dame | No. 22 LSU |
| Dec 30, 2015 | Louisville | Texas A&M |
| Dec 30, 2016 | Tennessee | No. 24 Nebraska |
| Dec 29, 2017 | No. 20 Northwestern | Kentucky |
| Dec 28, 2018 | Auburn | Purdue |
| Dec 30, 2019 | Louisville | Mississippi State |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | — |
| Dec 30, 2021 | Purdue | Tennessee |
| Dec 31, 2022 | Iowa | Kentucky |
| Dec 30, 2023 | Maryland | Auburn |
| Dec 30, 2024 | Iowa vs Missouri | |
Music City Bowl appearances and win-loss records
The Music City Bowl has hosted 26 games.
Here's the table with the appearances and records of teams in the Music City Bowl:
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
| 1 | Kentucky | 6 | 2–4 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 3 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 3 | 1–2 |
| 2 | Auburn | 3 | 2–1 |
| 5 | Louisville | 2 | 2–0 |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | 2 | 2–0 |
| 5 | Iowa | 2 | 1–0 |
| 5 | Boston College | 2 | 1–1 |
| 5 | Clemson | 2 | 1–1 |
| 5 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1–1 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | 2 | 1–1 |
| 5 | Purdue | 2 | 1–1 |
| 5 | Alabama | 2 | 0–2 |
Music City Bowl Player of the Game award
Here's the table with the Music City Bowl Player of the Game award winners along with their respective teams and positions:
| Date played | Player | Team | Position |
| Dec 29, 1998 | Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | DE |
| Dec 29, 1999 | James Mungro | Syracuse | RB |
| Dec 29, 2000 | Brad Lewis | West Virginia | QB |
| Dec 28, 2001 | William Green | Boston College | RB |
| Dec 30, 2002 | Dan Nystrom | Minnesota | K |
| Dec 31, 2003 | Jason Campbell | Auburn | QB |
| Dec 31, 2004 | Marion Barber | Minnesota | RB |
| Dec 30, 2005 | Marques Hagans | Virginia | QB |
| Dec 29, 2006 | Andre' Woodson | Kentucky | QB |
| Dec 31, 2007 | Andre' Woodson | Kentucky | QB |
| Dec 31, 2008 | Brett Upson | Vanderbilt | P |
| Dec 27, 2009 | C. J. Spiller | Clemson | RB |
| Dec 30, 2010 | Shaun Draughn | North Carolina | RB |
| Dec 30, 2011 | Vick Ballard | Mississippi State | RB |
| Dec 31, 2012 | Zac Stacy | Vanderbilt | RB |
| Dec 30, 2013 | Bo Wallace | Ole Miss | QB |
| Dec 30, 2014 | Malik Zaire | Notre Dame | QB |
| Dec 30, 2015 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville | QB |
| Dec 30, 2016 | Joshua Dobbs | Tennessee | QB |
| Dec 29, 2017 | Justin Jackson | Northwestern | RB |
| Dec 28, 2018 | Jarrett Stidham | Auburn | QB |
| Dec 30, 2019 | Malik Cunningham | Louisville | QB |
| Dec 30, 2021 | Broc Thompson | Purdue | WR |
| Dec 31, 2022 | Cooper DeJean | Iowa | DB |
| Dec 30, 2023 | Billy Edwards Jr. | Maryland | QB |
FAQs on Music City Bowl
A: The game will be held on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 2.30 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
A: For the 2024 edition, the teams participating are Missouri and Iowa.
A: The primary conferences playing in the Music City Bowl are the Big Ten and SEC. Previous conference tie-ins include the ACC (2006–2019), Big East (1998–2001), and Big Ten (2002–2005).
A: The date for the Music City Bowl in 2024 is December 30th.
A: The payout for the Music City Bowl is US$5.7 million.
