The 2025‑26 college football bowl season has officially kicked off, with the College Football Playoff field set and 47 postseason games lined up from mid‑December to mid‑January.
Playoff Field and First Round
All 84 participants were confirmed Sunday, including the 12 teams that will compete in the College Football Playoff. The first‑round matchups begin on December 19 and 20, and the playoff will feature 11 games in total. The quarterfinals and semifinals carry official bowl names, while the first round and national championship do not.
Full Game Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 13
- Cricket Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M, 12 p.m. ET
- Bucked Up LA Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, 8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 16
- IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Troy vs. Jacksonville State, 9 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Dec. 17
- StaffDNA Cura Bowl: Old Dominion vs. South Florida, 5 p.m. ET
- 68 Ventures Bowl: Louisiana vs. Delaware, 8:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Dec. 18
- Xbox Bowl: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State, 9 p.m. ET
Friday, Dec. 19
- Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan, 11 a.m. ET
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis vs. NC State, 2:30 p.m. ET
- CFP First Round: Alabama at Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, Dec. 20
- CFP First Round: Miami at Texas A&M, 12 p.m. ET
- CFP First Round: Tulane at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. ET
- CFP First Round: James Madison at Oregon, 8 p.m. ET
Monday, Dec. 22
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State, 2 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 23
- Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville, 2 p.m. ET
- New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss, 5:30 p.m. ET
- Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio, 9 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Dec. 24
- Hawaii Bowl: California vs. Hawaii, 8 p.m. ET
Friday, Dec. 26
- GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Northwestern, 1 p.m. ET
- Rate Bowl: New Mexico vs. Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. ET
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Florida International vs. UTSA, 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, Dec. 27
- Go Bowling Military Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina, 11 a.m. ET
- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson, 12 p.m. ET
- Wasabi Fenway Bowl: UConn vs. Army, 2:15 p.m. ET
- Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Isleta New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. San Diego State, 5:45 p.m. ET
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Kinder’s Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston, 9:15 p.m. ET
Monday, Dec. 29
- JLAB Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State, 2 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 30
- Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m. ET
- Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois, 5:30 p.m. ET
- Valero Alamo Bowl: USC vs. TCU, 9 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Dec. 31
- ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt, 12 p.m. ET
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. Duke, 2 p.m. ET
- Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas, 3 p.m. ET
- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP quarterfinal): Winner of Miami/Texas A&M vs. Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Jan. 1
- Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Winner of James Madison/Oregon vs. Texas Tech, 12 p.m. ET
- Rose Bowl Game (CFP quarterfinal): Winner of Alabama/Oklahoma vs. Indiana, 4 p.m. ET
- Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Winner of Tulane/Ole Miss vs. Georgia, 8 p.m. ET
Friday, Jan. 2
- Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State, 1 p.m. ET
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Cincinnati, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State, 8 p.m. ET
- Trust & Will Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. SMU, 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Jan. 8
- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal): Georgia/Ole Miss/Tulane vs. Ohio State/Miami/Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Jan. 9
- Chick‑fil‑A Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal): Texas Tech/Oregon/James Madison vs. Indiana/Oklahoma/Alabama, 7:30 p.m. ET
Monday, Jan. 19
- College Football Playoff National Championship: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. ET
Key Takeaways
- 12 teams advance to the College Football Playoff, with 84 teams total competing in postseason play.
- 47 postseason games are scheduled, comprising 11 playoff games and 36 bowl games.
- The first‑round matchups start on December 19 and 20, with the national championship on January 19.
The 2025‑26 bowl season offers a full slate of games for fans to enjoy, from regional matchups to the high‑stakes College Football Playoff, culminating in the national championship on January 19.
