Football Zebras has obtained the conference assignments of the officiating crews to the 2016-17 bowl games, and the officials assigned where known. The Power Five conferences receive five bowls, other conferences receive three, with a fourth assignment rotated annually. All times are Eastern. The conference that assigns the officials for each game is listed in italics
* indicates officials that were in the 2016 NFL officiating development program.
Playoff games
Saturday, Dec. 31
- Peach Bowl ESPN 3 p.m. — Washington vs. Alabama
- Big Ten
- Fiesta Bowl ESPN 7 p.m. — Ohio State vs. Clemson
- Pac-12
Monday, Jan. 9
- National Championship ESPN 8 p.m. —
- Big 12
New Year’s Six
Friday, Dec. 30
- Orange Bowl ESPN 8 p.m. — Michigan vs. Florida State
- SEC
Monday, Jan. 2
- Cotton Bowl Classic ESPN 1 p.m. — Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin
- ACC
- R — Riley Jonson
- C — Larry Hayes
- U — Tom Laverty
- H — Kavin McGrath
- L — Danny Short*
- S — Mike McCarthy
- F — Harry Tyson
- B — Bryan Platt
- Alt — George Geiss
- Replay — Steve McBride
- Rose Bowl ESPN 5 p.m. — USC vs. Penn State
- ACC
- R — Duane Heydt
- C — Tyrone Anderson
- U — Jim Eckl
- H — Rich Misner
- L — Tracy Lynch
- S — Tony Tarantini
- F — Wayne Rundell
- B — Jacques Cooper
- Alt — John Hoffman
- Replay — Ralph Pickett
- Sugar Bowl ESPN 8:30 p.m. — Auburn vs. Oklahoma
- Big Ten
Other bowl games
Saturday, Dec. 17
- Celebration Bowl ABC 12 p.m. — North Carolina Central vs. Grambling
- Mountain West Conference
- R — Marvel July
- U — Marlow Fitzgerald*
- H — Justin Gragg
- L — Catherine Conti
- S — Bill Stimmel
- F — Justin Jordan
- B — Albert Bryant
- New Mexico Bowl ESPN 2 p.m. — New Mexico vs. UTSA
- Sun Belt
- R — Jason McArthur
- U — John Short
- H — Keith Johnson
- L — Terry Allgeier
- S — Bart Horne
- F — Glen Fucik
- B — Jay Brown
- Las Vegas Bowl ABC 3:30 p.m. — Houston vs. San Diego State
- Conference USA
- R — Daniel Gautreaux
- U — Dongray Johnson
- H — Max Causey
- L — Brad McGrath
- S — Chris Scott
- F — Adrian Carson
- B — Tom Healey
- Camellia Bowl ESPN 5:30 p.m. — Appalachian State vs. Toledo
- Conference USA
- R — Ken Antee
- U — Jason Yates
- H — Maia Chaka*
- L — Scott Held
- S — Scott Gasaway
- F — Chris Cockerall
- B — Nate Jones*
- Cure Bowl CBSSN 5:30 p.m. — UCF vs. Arkansas State
- Mountain West
- R — Kevin Mar*
- U — Stuart Schake
- H — George Shoup
- L — David Young
- S — Steven Heiman
- F — Robert Asel
- B — Robert Lewis
- New Orleans Bowl ESPN 9 p.m. — Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
- MAC
- R — Tom Stapleton
- C — Amanda Sauer
- U — Tim Owens
- H — Ryan MacDonald
- L — Mark Bennett
- S — Matt Kukar
- F — Dominique Pender
- B — Jeff Latkiewicz
- Alt — Bob Stinson
- Replay — Jim Thomas
Monday, Dec. 19
- Miami Beach Bowl ESPN 2:30 p.m. — Central Michigan vs. Tulsa
- Mountain West
- R — Marvel July
- U — Apollo Martin
- H — Greg Downum
- L — John Kilmer
- S — Mark Graves
- F — Kirk Wisnewski
- B — Michael Aaronia
Tuesday, Dec. 20
- Boca Raton Bowl ESPN 7 p.m. — Memphis vs. Western Kentucky
- Big Ten
- R — Don Willard
- U — Robert Colosimo
- H — Steve Matarante
- L — Paul Engelberts
- S — Steve Hassel
- F — Jeff Noggle
- B — Robert Smith Jr
Wednesday, Dec. 21
- Poinsettia Bowl ESPN 9 p.m. — BYU vs. Wyoming
- MAC
- R — Greg Blum
- C — Dan Novak
- U — Brad Hudak
- H — Vincent Winters
- L — Ric Hinkamper
- S — Ryan Flynn
- F — Raymond Daniel
- B — Doug Warns
- Alt — Curt Johnson
- Replay — Bill Alge
Thursday, Dec. 22
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl ESPN 7 p.m. — Idaho vs. Colorado State
- American
- R — Tracy Jones
- C — Ryan Wingers
- U — Bill Lamkin
- H — Dan Harrington
- L — Lance Thompson
- F — Ben Vasconcells
- S — Alex Moore
- B — Tom Fimmen
- Alt — Ken Bushey
- Replay — Buddy Ward
- Communicator — Kevin Collins
Friday, Dec. 23
- Bahamas Bowl ESPN 1 p.m. — Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion
- Sun Belt
- R — Chuck Lewis
- U — Chad Walker
- C — Jon Baden
- H — Scott Petersen
- L — Dion Quinn
- F — Dan Moore
- S — Chip Shields
- B — Matt Hollifield
- Alt — Ted Pitts
- Replay — John Layne
- Observer — Larry Leatherwood
- Armed Forces Bowl ESPN 4:30 p.m. — Louisiana Tech vs. Navy
- MAC
- R — Larry Smith
- U — Robert Holcomb
- H — Kole Knueppel
- L — Jeff Meslow
- S — Richard Ames
- F — Monte Tilgner
- B — Tom Riepenoff
- Dollar General Bowl ESPN 8 p.m. — Ohio vs. Troy
- Conference USA
- R — Tra Blake
- U — Chad Craig
- H — Gary Calip
- L — Josh Fath
- S — Tony Lombardo
- F — Ed Kierce
- B — Larry Neal
Saturday, Dec. 24
- Hawaiʻi Bowl ESPN 8 p.m. — Hawaiʻi vs. Middle Tennessee
- American
- R — Charles Lamertina
- C — Anthony Calabrese
- U — Jeff Akers
- H — Adam Loudin
- L — Jeff Cooney
- F — Glen Crowther
- S — Mark Windham
- B — Byron Adams
- Alt — Steven Ray
- Replay — Paul Zukis
- Communicator — Jack Winter
Monday, Dec. 26
- St. Petersburg Bowl ESPN 11 a.m. — Miami (Ohio) vs. Mississippi State
- Conference USA
- R — Jay Edwards
- U — Mike Moten
- H — Steve Fleming
- L — Tom Eaton
- S — Maurice Pierre
- F — Justin Larrew*
- B — Michael Bailey
- Quick Lane Bowl ESPN 2:30 p.m. — Maryland vs. Boston College
- Pac-12
- R — Steve Strimling
- U — Frank Villar
- C — John Love
- H — Bob Day
- L — Jeff Robinson
- S — Jeff Dahle
- F — Jeff Yock
- B — Brad Robinson
- Independence Bowl ESPN2 5 p.m. — NC State vs. Vanderbilt
- Big Ten
- R — Mike Cannon
- U — Ken Zelmanski
- H — Bruce Keeling
- L — Jeff Szink
- S — Scott McElwee
- F — Al Terry
- B — Scott Buchanan
Tuesday, Dec. 27
- Heart of Dallas Bowl ESPN 12 p.m. — Army vs. North Texas
- SEC
- Military Bowl ESPN 3:30 p.m. — Temple vs. Wake Forest
- Sun Belt
- Holiday Bowl ESPN 7 p.m. — Minnesota vs. Washington State
- ACC
- R — Gary Patterson
- C — Mike Webster
- U — Mike Wooten
- H — Art Hardin
- L — Colin Formulak
- S — Rich Wilborn
- F — Mike Cullin
- B — Pat Ryan
- Alt — Jim Biddle
- Cactus Bowl ESPN 10:15 p.m. — Boise State vs. Baylor
- American
- R — Michael Roche
- C — Mark Mobra
- U — Paul Myers
- H — Jim Casey
- L — Tod Reese
- F — Rick Santilli
- S — Bruce Williams
- B — Victor Firth
- Alt — Marcus Woods
- Replay — Roy Rennels
- Communicator — Wayne Pollard
Wednesday, Dec. 28
- Pinstripe Bowl ESPN 2 p.m. — Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern
- Big 12
- Russell Athletic Bowl ESPN 5:30 p.m. — West Virginia vs. Miami
- SEC
- Foster Farms Bowl FOX 8:30 — Indiana vs. Utah
- SEC
- Texas Bowl ESPN 9 p.m. — Texas A&M vs. Kansas State
- Big Ten
- R — Jerry McGinn
- C — Mike Carr*
- U — Steve Woods*
- H — John Wiercinski
- L — Ron Tipton
- S — Joel Clay
- F — Tim Maguire
- B — Mike Brown
- Alt — Mark Kluczynski
- Replay — James Kemerling
Thursday, Dec. 29
- Birmingham Bowl ESPN 2 p.m. — South Florida vs. South Carolina
- Mountain West
- Belk Bowl ESPN 5:30 p.m. — Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech
- Big 12
- Alamo Bowl ESPN 9 p.m. — Oklahoma State vs. Colorado
- ACC
- R — Jeff Heaser
- C — Sean Geraghty
- U — Mark Wilson
- H — Troy Gray
- L — Hugh Campbell
- S — Jerry Hocker
- F – Milton Britton
- B — Gary Dancewicz
- Alt — Steve Clein
- Replay — Tom DeJoseph
Friday, Dec. 30
- Liberty Bowl ESPN 12 p.m. — Georgia vs. TCU
- Pac-12
- R — Michael Batlan
- U — Bryan Hay
- C — Jim Wharrie
- H — Kirk Mattson
- L — Rich Troyer
- S — Michael Marsh
- F — Shane Standley
- B — David Ross
- Alt — Matt Dornan
- Replay — Jim Fogltance
- Communicator — Cleo Robinson
- Sun Bowl CBS 2 p.m. — Stanford vs. North Carolina
- SEC
- Music City Bowl ESPN 3:30 p.m. — Nebraska vs. Tennessee
- Pac-12
- Arizona Bowl CAMPUS INSIDERS 5:30 p.m. — South Alabama vs. Air Force
- ACC
- R — Jerry Magallanes
- C — Don Yates
- U — Dan Worrell
- H — Matt Fitzgerald
- L — Brian Sakowsky
- S — Jim Capora
- F — Conor Clougherty
- B — Keith Parham
- Alt — Bill Beckett
Saturday, Dec. 31
- Citrus Bowl ABC 11 a.m. — LSU vs. Louisville
- Pac-12
- TaxSlayer Bowl ESPN 11 a.m. — Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky
- Big 12
Monday, Jan. 2
- Outback Bowl ABC 1 p.m. — Florida vs. Iowa
- Big 12
Ben :
This play is legal under the rules of NCAA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIVb4cZetxk
Thanks a lot ¡
“Football Zebras has obtained the conference assignments of the officiating crews”
Can you share that info with the rest of us? I don’t see any information here about officiating crews. What am I missing?
The officials assigned to these games will come from the conferences indicated. Essentially, this is Step 1 of the bowl assignments for the officials. Stay tuned.
Ah, I see. That makes more sense. I wish the article was clearer. Thanks!
Ben, Any word on when we’ll know who the lead refs will be for each game Saturday? Thanks.
Will there be any notification on the lead refs for the games.
What conference provided the refs for the Celebration Bowl?
I’m a college football fan and I’m curious – what is the “bowl experience” for officials for these games? Do they fly in and out like any other game or do they participate at some level with the bowl outings? Do they get their own special activities?
Good question! As a former “zebra” myself, i think a couple of the refs in the armed forces bowl need to go back to reffing school.
In the St Petersburg Bowl, even though the Box Score lists the Umpire as Mike Morton it was actually Mike Moten. Morton works for the ACC while Moten is in C-USA and it was a C-USA crew.
In the Quick Lane Bowl the Center Judge was John Love per the box score on the Maryland football website.
Does anybody know whom the lead ref is for the Military Bowl. I understand it’s a Sun Belt Crew.
@Coaching1- the Referee of that game was Kevin Stine and he is indeed from the Sun Belt.
Why are you not indicating the Center Judge for all games?
who will be the replay officials and clock operators for the Peach bowl?
@Russ — Thanks. I actually hesitated before going ahead for that very reason. Should have trusted my first instinct.
@John — Appreciate the addition.
Thanks a lot.
Can’t believe they are letting one of the awful big ten crews work a playoff semifinal.
Russ, Who was the lead ref in the Pinstripe Bowl? Thanks.
Coaching1, The Referee of the Pinstripe Bowl was Dan Romeo from the Big 12.
Thanks a lot, Russ
What conference is officiating the Belk Bowl?
Big 12 refs at Belk Bowl ? The greatest collection of idiots ever assembled – and it’s only halftime !