2026 College Football Bowl Schedule: Every Game, Every Date

Posted on by USA Sportz
College Football Bowl Schedule

The Celebration Bowl kicks it off in Atlanta on December 12, and six weeks later the sport crowns a champion in Las Vegas. The 2026 college football bowl schedule runs 45 games deep, wrapping the 12-team College Football Playoff around a bowl season that still leans on tradition-rich matchups like the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl — except now three of those historic games double as Playoff Quarterfinals and Semifinals.

Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Cricket Celebration BowlMEAC vs. SWACMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA12:00 PM, ABC

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
IS4S Salute to Veterans BowlCUSA/MAC/SBCCramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL5:30 PM, ESPN
Frisco Football ClassicCUSA vs. SBCFord Center at The Star, Frisco, TX9:00 PM, ESPN

Friday, Dec. 18, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Boca Raton BowlAmer./CUSA/MAC/MWC/SBCFlagler CU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL11:00 AM, ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla BowlSEC vs. AmericanRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL2:30 PM, ESPN
CFP First-Round Game 1TBDSite TBD8:00 PM, ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
CFP First-Round Game 2TBDSite TBD12:00 PM, ABC/ESPN
CFP First-Round Game 3TBDSite TBD3:30 PM, TNT/truTV/HBO Max
CFP First-Round Game 4TBDSite TBD7:30 PM, TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Monday, Dec. 21, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Myrtle Beach BowlCUSA/MAC/SBCBrooks Stadium, Conway, SC11:00 AM, ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato BowlMAC/MWC/Pac-12/SBCAlbertsons Stadium, Boise, ID2:30 PM, ESPN

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Puerto Rico BowlMAC vs. Amer./CUSA/MWC/SBCJuan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, P.R.1:30 PM, ESPN
StaffDNA Cure BowlAmer./CUSA/MAC/SBCCamping World Stadium, Orlando, FL5:00 PM, ESPN
Radiance Technologies Independence BowlBig 12 vs. CUSAIndependence Stadium, Shreveport, LA8:30 PM, ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
New Orleans BowlCUSA vs. Sun BeltCaesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA2:00 PM, ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlBig 12 vs. Amer./MWC/SBCAmon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX5:30 PM, ESPN
Frisco BowlAmer./CUSA/MAC/MWC/SBCFord Center at The Star, Frisco, TX9:00 PM, ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Isleta New Mexico BowlMWC vs. Amer./CUSA/MAC/SBCUniversity Stadium, Albuquerque, NM2:30 PM, ESPN
Sheraton Hawai’i BowlAmer. vs. MWCChing Complex, Honolulu, HI7:00 PM, ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 26, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe BowlACC/ND vs. Big TenYankee Stadium, Bronx, NY12:00 PM, ABC
Wasabi Fenway BowlACC/ND vs. Amer.Fenway Park, Boston, MA2:00 PM, ESPN
Duke’s Mayo BowlACC/ND vs. SECBank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC3:30 PM, ABC
68 Ventures BowlCUSA/MAC/SBCHancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL5:30 PM, ESPN
Cactus BowlBig 12 vs. Big TenMountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ7:30 PM, ABC

Monday, Dec. 28, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Freedom Mortgage Military BowlACC/ND vs. Amer.Navy-Marine Corps Mem. Stadium, Annapolis, MD2:00 PM, ESPN

Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
JLab Birmingham BowlSEC vs. Amer.Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL2:00 PM, ESPN
Pop-Tarts BowlACC/ND vs. Big 12Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL5:30 PM, ESPN
Valero Alamo BowlBig 12 vs. Pac-12Alamodome, San Antonio, TX9:00 PM, ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
TaxSlayer Gator BowlSEC vs. ACC/NDEverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL11:30 AM, ESPN
Liberty Mutual Music City BowlSEC vs. Big TenNissan Stadium, Nashville, TN3:00 PM, ESPN
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)—State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ7:30 PM, TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
ReliaQuest BowlSEC vs. Big TenRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL12:00 PM, ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun BowlACC/ND vs. Pac-12Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX2:00 PM, CBS/Paramount+
Las Vegas BowlSEC vs. ACC/Big Ten/Big 12Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV3:45 PM, ESPN
Kinder’s Texas BowlBig 12 vs. SECReliant Stadium, Houston, TX7:30 PM, ESPN

Friday, Jan. 1, 2027

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Goodyear Cotton Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)—AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TXTBA
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)—Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GATBA
Rose Bowl Game (CFP Quarterfinal)—Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CATBA

Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Citrus BowlSEC vs. Big TenCamping World Stadium, Orlando, FL12:00 PM, ABC
SERVPRO First Responder BowlAmer./ACC/Big 12Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX3:30 PM, ABC
AutoZone Liberty BowlBig 12 vs. SECSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN7:30 PM, ABC

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal)—Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL7:30 PM, TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Friday, Jan. 15, 2027

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)—Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA7:30 PM, ABC/ESPN

Monday, Jan. 25, 2027

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
CFP National ChampionshipSemifinal winnersAllegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV7:30 PM, ABC/ESPN

TBA Games

BowlMatchupLocationTime (ET) / TV
Snoop Dogg Arizona BowlMAC vs. MWCCasino Del Sol Stadium, Tucson, AZTBA, The CW
Trust & Will Holiday BowlACC vs. Pac-12Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CATBA

College Football Playoff Schedule 2026 Spans Six Weeks and Three Rounds

This is the backbone of the entire bowl season now. Four First-Round games play out December 18-19 at campus sites still to be determined by seeding. The Quarterfinal round folds directly into four of the sport’s most historic bowls — the Fiesta (Dec. 30), Cotton, Peach, and Rose (all Jan. 1) — before the Semifinals move to the Orange Bowl (Jan. 14) and Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15). The CFP National Championship 2027 date closes the entire season on Monday, January 25, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — a full 44 days after the Celebration Bowl opened the bowl calendar.

Bowl Games December 2026 Front-Load the Calendar Hard

Twenty-nine of the season’s 45 games are played in December alone, with a genuine crunch between December 18 and 31 — 26 bowls in a two-week window, including five games on December 26 and four more on December 29. If you’re building a bowl-season viewing schedule, the back half of December is where nearly two-thirds of the entire slate lives.

The Rose Bowl’s New Identity

Worth calling out on its own: the Rose Bowl Game, arguably the sport’s most tradition-bound matchup, now runs as a CFP Quarterfinal with a still-TBA kickoff time rather than its historic fixed afternoon slot. That’s the clearest sign of how thoroughly the 12-team Playoff has reshaped bowl season — even the “Granddaddy of Them All” now bends to seeding logistics instead of tradition.

FAQ

Q: When does the 2026 college football bowl schedule start?
A: The 2026 college football bowl schedule opens Saturday, December 12, with the Cricket Celebration Bowl (MEAC vs. SWAC) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Q: What is the CFP National Championship 2027 date?
A: The CFP National Championship 2027 date is Monday, January 25, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, airing on ABC/ESPN.

Q: Which bowls are College Football Playoff Quarterfinals in 2026-27?
A: The College Football Playoff schedule 2026 quarterfinal round includes the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30), and the Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Rose Bowl (all Jan. 1) — with the Rose Bowl CFP Quarterfinal 2027 kickoff time still to be announced.

Q: How many bowl games are on the 2026 college football bowls schedule?
A: The full slate totals 45 games, including 41 traditional bowls plus the four-game CFP First Round, two Semifinals, and the National Championship.

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