The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the game was temporarily moved to Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and given the name New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette.
History
The game was organized by the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation in collaboration with the Sun Belt Conference and first played in 2001. The inaugural game had no formal title sponsor. In the 2001 inaugural game, Colorado State defeated North Texas, 45–20. Starting in 2002, the Sun Belt signed a multi-year contract with Conference USA, and the two conferences began their bowl rivalry with a North Texas defeat of then-Conference USA member Cincinnati.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts agreed to a two-year sponsorship deal beginning in 2004 and the game was known as the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome, where the game is usually played, the 2005 game was played in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Cajun Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and was dubbed the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. Wyndham, which had no hotels in Lafayette, did not participate and did not renew its sponsorship in 2006.
The game returned to the Superdome for the 2006 edition, which was won by Troy, co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference, over Rice, making their first bowl appearance since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl. R+L Carriers sponsored the game, which became known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. R+L Carries sponsored the bowl through the 2024 season.
The 2011 through 2014 games were each won by the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns by a combined score of 115–88 over four different opponents. However, the Ragin' Cajuns later had to vacate their 2011 and 2013 victories, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud. In 2011 and 2014, a Mountain West team replaced C-USA as the opponent to the Sun Belt representative.
Game results
Rankings per AP poll prior to the game being played.
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Date !! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;" colspan="2" | Winning Team !! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;" colspan="2" | Losing Team !! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Attendance !! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Notes
|-
| December 18, 2001 || Colorado State || 45 || North Texas || 20 || 27,004 || notes
|-
| December 17, 2002 || North Texas || 24 || Cincinnati || 19 || 19,024 || notes
|-
| December 16, 2003 || Memphis || 27 || North Texas || 17 || 25,184 || notes
|-
| December 14, 2004 || Southern Miss || 31 || North Texas || 10 || 27,253 || notes
|-
| December 20, 2005 || Southern Miss || 31 || Arkansas State || 19 || 18,338 || notes
|-
| December 22, 2006 ||Troy|| 41|| Rice || 17 || 26,423 || notes
|-
| December 21, 2007 ||Florida Atlantic||44|| Memphis || 27 || 25,146 || notes
|-
| December 21, 2008 ||Southern Miss||30||Troy||27 || 30,197 ||notes
|-
| December 20, 2009 ||Middle Tennessee||42||Southern Miss||32|| 30,228 || notes
|-
| December 18, 2010 || Troy || 48 || Ohio || 21 || 29,159 || notes
|-
| December 17, 2011 || Louisiana-Lafayette <small>(vacated)</small> || 32 || San Diego State || 30 || 42,841 || notes
|-
| December 22, 2012 || Louisiana-Lafayette || 43 || East Carolina || 34 || 48,828 || notes
|-
| December 21, 2013 || Louisiana-Lafayette <small>(vacated)</small> || 24 || Tulane || 21 || 54,728 || notes
|-
| December 20, 2014 || Louisiana-Lafayette || 16 || Nevada || 3 || 34,014 || notes
|-
| December 19, 2015 || Louisiana Tech || 47 || Arkansas State || 28 || 32,847 || notes
|-
| December 17, 2016 || Southern Miss || 28 || Louisiana-Lafayette || 21 || 35,061 || notes
|-
| December 16, 2017 || Troy || 50 || North Texas || 30 || 24,904 || notes
|-
| December 15, 2018 || Appalachian State || 45 || Middle Tennessee || 13 || 23,942 || notes
|-<!--table uses AP RANKINGS-->
| December 21, 2019 || No. 20 Appalachian State ||31 || UAB || 17 || 21,202 || notes
|-<!--table uses AP RANKINGS-->
| December 23, 2020 || Georgia Southern || 38 || Louisiana Tech || 3 || 3,000 || notes
|-<!--table uses AP RANKINGS-->
| December 18, 2021 || No. 16 Louisiana || 36 || Marshall || 21 || 21,642 || notes
|-<!--table uses AP RANKINGS-->
| December 21, 2022 || Western Kentucky || 44 || South Alabama || 23 || 13,456 || notes
|-
| December 16, 2023 || Jacksonville State || 34 || Louisiana || 31 || 14,485 || notes
|-
| December 19, 2024 || Sam Houston || 31 || Georgia Southern || 26 || 13,151 || notes
|-
| December 23, 2025 || Western Kentucky || 27 || Southern Miss || 16 || 16,693 || notes
|}
Source:
- The 2005 game was played at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, due to damage to the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina.
- Louisiana-Lafayette vacated all 9 wins from 2011, including the New Orleans Bowl, and vacated 8 wins from 2013, including the New Orleans Bowl, due to major NCAA violations including ACT fraud.
- Louisiana–Lafayette has been known simply as Louisiana since the 2017 season.
MVPs
thumb|right|upright=.66|2007 MVP [[Rusty Smith (American football)|Rusty Smith]]
thumb|right|upright=.66|2013 MVP [[Orleans Darkwa]]
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Year
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|MVP
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Team
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Position
|-
|2001 || Justin Gallimore || Colorado State || DB
|-
|2002 || Kevin Galbreath || North Texas || RB
|-
|2003 || Danny Wimprine || Memphis || QB
|-
|2004 || Michael Boley || Southern Miss || LB
|-
|2005 || Shawn Nelson || Southern Miss || TE
|-
|2006 || Omar Haugabook || Troy || QB
|-
|2007 || Rusty Smith || Florida Atlantic || QB
|-
|2008 || Austin Davis || Southern Miss || QB
|-
|2009 || Dwight Dasher || Middle Tennessee || QB
|-
|2010 || Corey Robinson || Troy || QB
|-
|2011 || Blaine Gautier || Louisiana-Lafayette || QB
|-
|2012 || Terrance Broadway || Louisiana-Lafayette || QB
|-
|2013 || Orleans Darkwa || Tulane || RB
|-
|2014 || Terrance Broadway || Louisiana-Lafayette || QB
|-
|2015 || Kenneth Dixon || Louisiana Tech || RB
|-
|2016 || Allenzae Staggers || Southern Miss || WR
|-
|2017 || Brandon Silvers || |Troy || QB
|-
|2018 || Zac Thomas || Appalachian State || QB
|-
|2019 || Darrynton Evans || Appalachian State || RB
|-
|2020 || Shai Werts || Georgia Southern || QB
|-
|2021 || Levi Lewis || Louisiana || QB
|-
|2022 || Austin Reed || Western Kentucky || QB
|-
|2023 || Ron Wiggins || Jacksonville State || RB
|-
|2024 || Jaylon Jimmerson || Sam Houston || DB
|-
|2025 || Maverick McIvor || Western Kentucky || QB
|}
MVP was a defensive player<br>
MVP's team did not win the game<br>
MVP's team later vacated its victory
Most appearances
Updated through the December 2025 edition (25 games, 50 total appearances).
;Teams with multiple appearances
{|class = "wikitable"
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Rank
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Team
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Appearances
!style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Record
|-
| 1 || Louisiana || 7 || 3–2
|-
| 2 || Southern Miss || 6 || 4–2
|-
| 3 || North Texas || 5 || 1–4
|-
| 4 || Troy || 4 || 3–1
|-
| rowspan=7|5 || Appalachian State || 2 || 2–0
|-
| Western Kentucky || 2 || 2–0
|-
| Georgia Southern || 2 || 1–1
|-
| Louisiana Tech || 2 || 1–1
|-
| Memphis || 2 || 1–1
|-
| Middle Tennessee || 2 || 1–1
|-
| Arkansas State || 2 || 0–2
|}
Louisiana's record excludes two vacated victories. The school was known as Louisiana–Lafayette prior to the 2017 season.
<br>
;Teams with a single appearance
Won (4): Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston
<br>
Lost (10): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Marshall, Nevada, Ohio, Rice, San Diego State, South Alabama, Tulane, UAB
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2025 edition (25 games, 50 total appearances).
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;" rowspan=2|Conference
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;" colspan=4|Record
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;" colspan=3|Appearances by season
|-
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" |Games
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" |W
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" |L
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" |Win pct.
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" class=unsortable|Won
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" class=unsortable|Lost
! style="border: 2px solid #046A52;" class=unsortable|Vacated
|-
| Sun Belt || 25 || <!--2 vacated victories are excluded from WinLossPct-->
| 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
| 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
| 2011, 2013
|-
| CUSA || 21 ||
| 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
| 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
|
|-
|Mountain West || 3 ||
| 2001
| 2011, 2014
|
|-
|MAC || 1 ||
|
| 2010
|
|}
Note: Two vacated victories are excluded from the Sun Belt Conference's win–loss record and winning percentage.
Game records
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Team
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Performance vs. Opponent
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Year
|-
|Most points scored
|50, Troy vs. North Texas
|2017
|-
|Fewest points allowed
|3, shared by:<br>Louisiana–Lafayette vs. Nevada<br>Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern
|<br>2014<br>2020
|-
|Margin of victory
|35, Georgia Southern vs. Louisiana Tech
|2020
|-
|First downs
|31, Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana
|2023
|-
|Rushing yards
|322, Georgia Southern vs. Louisiana Tech
|2020
|-
|Passing yards
|522, Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama
|2022
|-
|All-purpose yards
|791, Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State
|2015
|-
|Most points scored (losing team)
|34, Louisiana–Lafayette vs. East Carolina
| 2012
|-
|Most points scored (both teams)
|80, Troy vs. North Texas
| 2017
|-
|Fewest yards allowed
|232, Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern
| 2020
|-
|Fewest rushing yards allowed
|-8, Troy vs. North Texas
| 2017
|-
|Fewest passing yards allowed
|95, Southern Miss vs. Louisiana–Lafayette
| 2016
|-
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Individual
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Player, Team
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Year
|-
|Points scored
|24, Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech)
|2015
|-
|Passing touchdowns
|5, Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic)
|2007
|-
|Rushing yards
|201, Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee)
|2009
|-
|Passing yards
|497, Austin Reed (Western Kentucky)
|2022
|-
|Receiving yards
|230, Allenzae Staggers (Southern Miss)
|2016
|-
|All-purpose yards
|283, Darryl Surgent (Louisiana–Lafayette)
|2011
|-
|Receptions
|11, shared by:<br>Allenzae Staggers (Southern Miss)<br>Damion Willis (Troy)<br>Devin Voisin (South Alabama)<br>Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky)
|<br>2016<br>2017<br>2022<br>2022
|-
|Touchdowns (all-purpose)
|4, Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech)
|2015
|-
|Rushing touchdowns
|3, shared by:<br>Orleans Darkwa (Tulane)<br>Shai Werts (Georgia Southern)<br>Rasheen Ali (Marshall)
|<br>2013<br>2020<br>2021
|-
|Receiving touchdowns
|3, shared by:<br>Teblarus Gill (Troy)<br>Colin Lockett (San Diego State)
|<br>2010<br>2011
|-
|Tackles
|18, K.C. Ossai (Louisiana)
|2023
|-
|Sacks
|3.0, Ja’Boree Poole (Southern Miss)
|2016
|-
|Interceptions
|2, shared by:<br>Elbert Mack (Troy)<br>Sean Thomas (Louisiana–Lafayette)<br>Reed Blankenship (Middle Tennessee)<br>Justin Birdsong (Georgia Southern)<br>Jaylon Jimmerson (Sam Houston)
|<br>2006<br>2013<br>2018<br>2020<br>2024
|-
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Long Plays
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent
! style="background:#460957; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #046A52;"|Year
|-
|Touchdown run || 68 yds., Alonzo Harris (Louisiana–Lafayette) || 2012
|-
|Touchdown pass || 65 yds., Shai Werts (Georgia Southern) || 2020
|-
|Kickoff return
|98 yds., Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State)
|2015
|-
|Punt return
|87 yds., Darryl Surgent (Louisiana–Lafayette)
|2011
|-
|Interception return
|82 yds., Corey Trim (Louisiana–Lafayette)
|2013
|-
|Fumble return
|56 yds., Colton McDonald (North Texas)
|2017
|-
|Punt
|70 yds., Jarre Humphrey (Memphis)
|2007
|-
|Field goal
|50 yds., shared by:<br>Michael Taylor (Troy)<br>Brett Baer (Louisiana–Lafayette)<br>Jonathan Barnes (Louisiana Tech)
|<br>2010<br>2011, 2012<br>2015
|}
Media coverage
The bowl has been carried on ESPN2 or ESPN since inception.