The 2010 Gator Bowl was played on New Year's Day, January 1, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. EST. The Florida State Seminoles from the Atlantic Coast Conference played against the West Virginia Mountaineers of the Big East Conference. In Bobby Bowden's last game, the Florida State Seminoles were victorious over the West Virginia Mountaineers, winning 33-21.http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=300010052

The game, which aired live on CBS, was played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, in Jacksonville, Florida.

West Virginia finished the 2009 season with a 9-3 record, going 5-2 in the Big East to finish third in the conference. After dropping games against Auburn, South Florida and Cincinnati, the Mountaineers came back to win the Backyard Brawl, defeating Pittsburgh Panthers 19 to 16.http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=277

The Florida State Seminoles narrowly reached bowl eligibility with an even 6-6 record. The season started and ended with losses to in-state rivals, dropping their first game to the Miami Hurricanes and finishing the season with a loss in the Sunshine Showdown to the Florida Gators. Along they way they topped the highly ranked BYU Cougars, but were also defeated by the then-22nd-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=52