The college bowl season kicks off on December 19 – the same day as most conference championship games – with the Frisco Bowl, and it starts from there. But bowl games are also being canceled, 11 so far, and some teams are declining. Follow it all here.
The NCAA has waived the minimum requirements for college football teams to be eligible to bowl next season, but that doesn’t mean there will be a record number of bowl teams. This is partly because a number of bowls have been canceled (see below), and because a number of teams have decided not to participate in a bowl due to the pandemic.
The following teams have opted out of bowl play this season: Boston College, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Virginia and LSU (NCAA self-administered penalty).
All times Oriental.
Monday December 21
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State vs. North Texas in Conway, SC, 2:30 pm, ESPN
Tuesday December 22
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Tulane vs. Nevada in Boise, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Boca Raton Bowl: UCF vs. BYU, 7pm, ESPN
Wednesday December 23
New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern, 3:30 pm, ESPN
Montgomery Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis in Montgomery, Ala., 7 p.m., ESPN
Thursday December 24
New Mexico Bowl: Houston vs. Hawaii in Frisco, Texas, 3:30 pm, ESPN
Friday, December 25
Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday December 26
Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Noon, ABC
Cure Bowl in Orlando, Noon, ESPN
First Responder Bowl: UTSA vs. TBD in Dallas, 3:30 pm, ABC
LendingTree Bowl: Georgia State vs. Western Kentucky in Mobile, Ala., 3:30 pm, ESPN
Independence Bowl: Army vs. TBD in Shreveport, La., 7pm, ESPN
Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, 10:15 p.m., ESPN
Monday December 28
Military bowl in Annapolis, Maryland, 2:30 pm, ESPN
Tuesday December 29
Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, 9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday December 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, Noon, ESPN
Music City Bowl in Nashville, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Cotton Bowl in Dallas, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
Thursday December 31
Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, Noon, ESPN
Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Ariz., 2 p.m., CBS
Liberty Bowl in Memphis, 4 p.m., ESPN
Texas Bowl in Houston, 8 p.m., ESPN
Friday January 1
Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., Noon, ESPN2
Peach Bowl in Atlanta, 12:30 p.m., ESPN
Citrus Bowl in Orlando, 1pm, ABC
Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) in Pasadena, California, 5:00 PM, ESPN
Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal) in New Orleans, 8:45 PM, ESPN
Saturday January 2
Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, Noon, ESPN
Outback Bowl in Tampa, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., 4 p.m., ESPN
Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida, 8 p.m., ESPN
Monday January 11
CFP National Championship at Miami Gardens, Florida, 8 p.m., ESPN
Canceled Bowl Games
| Game | Original date | Matchup | city |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Frisco |
December 19th |
ESPN choice |
Frisco, Texas |
|
Pinstripe |
December 29 |
Big Ten vs. ACC |
New York |
|
LA |
December 30th |
MWC vs Pac-12 |
Los Angeles |
|
Sun |
December 31 |
ACC versus Pac-12 |
El Paso |
|
Las Vegas |
No |
SEC vs Pac-12 |
Las Vegas |
|
Redbox |
No |
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 |
Santa Clara, California. |
|
Bahamas |
No |
MAC v C-USA |
Nassau, Bahamas |
|
Hawaii |
No |
MWC versus AAC or C-USA |
Honolulu |
|
Vacation |
No |
ACC versus Pac-12 |
San Diego |
|
Fast Lane |
No |
Big Ten vs. MAC |
Detroit |
|
Fenway |
No |
AAC versus ACC |
Boston |
(Photo: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
Get access to exclusive stories.
Subscribe to The Athletic for comprehensive and ad-free coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try with us for a week.
START FREE TRIAL