2025-26 College Football Playoff and Bowl Schedule Highlights
The 2025-2026 college football season? Wild. The bowl games, in particular, had fans glued to their screens all over the country.
This was only the second year with a 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP). The season wrapped up with a national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
So, what really happened during this bowl season? Let’s walk through the biggest moments and matchups, from the first round all the way to the final whistle.
Contents
First-Round Games: Setting the Stage
The CFP opened with four first-round games at campus sites on December 19 and 20. Right away, the energy was off the charts.
- No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24: Alabama took down Oklahoma at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
- No. 10 Miami 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3: Miami squeezed past Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station.
- No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 11 Tulane 10: Ole Miss ran away with it against Tulane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
- No. 5 Oregon 51, No. 12 James Madison 34: Oregon outscored James Madison in a shootout at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Quarterfinal Showdowns
The quarterfinals moved to the classic New Year’s Six bowls. Stakes were sky-high, and the performances? Genuinely memorable.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 10 Miami 24, No. 2 Ohio State 14: Miami stunned Ohio State at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Not many saw that coming.
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 5 Oregon 23, No. 4 Texas Tech 0: Oregon’s defense just shut the door on Texas Tech at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential
No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3: Indiana looked unstoppable, rolling past Alabama at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 3 Georgia 34: Ole Miss and Georgia traded blows, but Ole Miss got the edge at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Semifinal Showdowns
Semifinals kept the energy high. The games were tight, and you could feel the tension.
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
No. 10 Miami 31, No. 6 Ole Miss 27: Miami’s wild ride rolled on with a gritty win over Ole Miss at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 1 Indiana 56, No. 5 Oregon 22: Indiana’s offense exploded against Oregon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That score says it all.
National Championship: A Battle for the Ages
The CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T went down on January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Indiana, the top seed, faced off with Miami, the underdog on a hot streak.
No. 1 Indiana 27, No. 10 Miami 21: Indiana pulled it off in a close one, sealing the national title with a gutsy win over Miami. What a ride.
Additional Bowl Games: Highlights and Surprises
Bowl season wasn’t just about the CFP. There were 36 more games, and each one had its own weird twists and flashes of brilliance.
- Cricket Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State edged out Prairie View A&M 40-38 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
- Bucked Up LA Bowl: Washington dominated Boise State 38-10 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
- IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Jacksonville State secured a 17-13 victory over Troy at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
- StaffDNA Cure Bowl: Old Dominion defeated South Florida 24-10 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
- 68 Ventures Bowl: Delaware triumphed over Louisiana 20-13 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
- Xbox Bowl: Arkansas State edged out Missouri State 34-28 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
- Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Engine: Western Michigan routed Kennesaw State 42-6 at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina.
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: NC State defeated Memphis 31-7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State beat Utah State 34-21 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
- Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans: Louisville edged out Toledo 27-22 at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.
- New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky defeated Southern Miss 27-16 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
- Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: Ohio secured a 17-10 victory over UNLV at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
- Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl: Hawaii triumphed over California 35-31 at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu.
- GameAbove Sports Bowl: Northwestern dominated Central Michigan 34-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.
- Rate Bowl: Minnesota edged out New Mexico 20-17 in overtime at Chase Field in Phoenix.
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: UTSA routed Florida International 57-20 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.
- Go Bowling Military Bowl: East Carolina defeated Pittsburgh 23-17 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State beat Clemson 22-10 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York.
- Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Army triumphed over UConn 41-16 at Fenway Park in Boston.
- Pop-Tarts Bowl: BYU edged out Georgia Tech 25-21 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
- Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Fresno State defeated Miami (OH) 18-3 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.
- Isleta New Mexico Bowl: North Texas won a high-scoring affair against San Diego State 49-47 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Virginia edged out Missouri 13-7 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.
- Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Houston defeated LSU 38-35 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
- JLAB Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern beat App State 29-10 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
- Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech defeated Coastal Carolina 23-14 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl: Illinois edged out Tennessee 30-28 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Valero Alamo Bowl: TCU triumphed over USC 30-27 in overtime at Alamodome in San Antonio.
- ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa defeated Vanderbilt 34-27 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Duke edged out Arizona State 42-39 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
- Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Texas defeated Michigan 41-27 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Utah dominated Nebraska 44-22 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
- Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Texas State routed Rice 41-10 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Navy defeated Cincinnati 35-13 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest beat Mississippi State 43-29 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Trust & Will Holiday Bowl: SMU triumphed over Arizona 24-19 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
Honestly, it was a wild ride. Some of these scores still don’t seem real.
Want to dig into the full 2025-2026 College Football Playoff and bowl schedule? Check out ESPN’s comprehensive coverage for every last detail.
