It's pretty confusing to refer to the bowl games in the year they were played instead of the season they relate to. Especially with bowls that flip-flop between playing in December and January. For instance, there were 2 1972 Sugar Bowls, one on Jan. 1 and one on Dec. 31, and then there was no 1976 Sugar Bowl because from 1972 to 1975 the Sugar Bowl was played on New Years Eve (there were also 2 1995 Sugar Bowls and no 1996 Sugar Bowl for the same reason).