The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse. It is organized by the Tampa Bay Bowl Association under Jim McVay, who has been the president/CEO since 1988.

The Outback Bowl is not Tampa's first bowl game, as the Cigar Bowl was played at old Phillips Field near downtown from 1947–1954. However, the earlier event matched small college teams, so the Outback Bowl was the first major bowl game to be played in the area. (A notable participant in the 1950 Cigar Bowl was Florida State, but the FSU football program had just begun at the time and they were not yet considered a major college team.)

The Hall of Fame Bowl was held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977–1985. In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame decided to discontinue their association with the bowl and realign with a new bowl game to be played in Tampa Stadium which would inherit the Hall of Fame Bowl name. The bowl did not have agreements to bring in teams from particular conferences in its early years but often matched a school from either the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference against a team from another region.

Jadeveon Clowney (born February 14, 1993) is an American football defensive end. He recently graduated from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Clowney was named South Carolina's 2010 Mr. Football, and considered the consensus No. 1 football recruit in the United States for his class.

For the 2010 season, Clowney had 162 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles, 6 fumbles recoveries, 43 quarterback pressures and five defensive touchdowns. South Pointe was 38-6 during his three varsity seasons. He is considered the best college football prospect in recent memory.

Clowney was named by ESPN, as well as Scouts and Rivals, as the top college football recruiting prospect in the nation leading into the 2011 NCAA Signing Day, (February 2, 2011). Clowney himself stated in an interview that he had narrowed down his prospects to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Clemson Tigers, and the South Carolina Gamecocks; however, he did not commit on National Signing Day. On February 14, 2011, his 18th birthday, Clowney committed to the University of South Carolina.