College football bowl games set to bring tourism boost to Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - It's bowl season for college football, and this year's slate will once again bring four teams – along with tens of thousands of fans – to Tampa.

Two bowl games will be played at Raymond James Stadium, starting with the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 20, pitting the Florida Gators against Tulane, who finished the season as the runner-up in the American Athletic Conference.

The Gators finished the regular season with a 7-5 record after three straight wins, including two over ranked teams and a victory over rival Florida State.

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On New Year's Eve, Tampa will host the ReliaQuest Bowl with Michigan taking on No. 11 Alabama, who just missed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, with the committee instead selecting SMU.

The Wolverines and Crimson Tide played each other in the CFP last year, with Michigan winning in overtime en route to a national championship.

It's been a down year for Michigan, who posted a 7-5 record, but they closed their regular season with an upset win on the road over the rival Ohio State Buckeyes.

Raymond James Stadium will again host two college football bowl games this year.

Both games will attract large amounts of fans from out of town, which means tourism dollars for the Bay Area.

"The RVs will start rolling in Monday of that week," Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said. "Folks will play golf here. They'll be enjoying, and not only in Tampa and Hillsborough County, but all of Tampa Bay over the beaches. And they're really going to enjoy themselves here."

Tickets for both bowl games are on sale now. For the Gasparilla Bowl, click here. For the ReliaQuest Bowl, click here.

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