2025 College Football Bowl Schedule: Key Dates and Matchups

As the 2025 college football season rolls along, fans and teams are buzzing about the bowl season ahead. There’s still over a month left in the regular season, and teams are scrambling for those crucial wins to lock up bowl eligibility.

Bowl games cap off the season with a bang, giving teams a shot to shine on a big stage. Here’s a look at the 2025 college football bowl game schedule—dates, places, and matchups you might want to circle on your calendar.

Understanding Bowl Eligibility

To snag a bowl invite, teams usually need a .500 record and at least six wins against Division I opponents. Only one of those can be from an FCS team that offers scholarships.

If there aren’t enough eligible teams, a few backup options come into play:

• Teams that dip below .500 after losing their conference championship
• Teams who’d be eligible if their FCS opponent handed out enough scholarships
• 6–7 teams that skipped the conference title game
• Programs moving up from FCS to FBS
• 5–7 teams, picked by Academic Progress Rate (APR)

Key Dates and Early Bowl Games

Bowl season kicks off December 13, right after the conference championships. The Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta and the LA Bowl in Inglewood both get things started.

• Cricket Celebration Bowl – Dec. 13, Noon, ABC, Atlanta, GA
• LA Bowl – Dec. 13, 9 p.m., ESPN, Inglewood, CA

Mid-December Matchups

Mid-December brings a slew of matchups all over the country. The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery and the StaffDNA Cure Bowl in Orlando are just a couple of the highlights.

• IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl – Dec. 16, 9 p.m., ESPN, Montgomery, AL
• StaffDNA Cure Bowl – Dec. 17, 5 p.m., ESPN, Orlando, FL
• 68 Ventures Bowl – Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m., ESPN, Mobile, AL

Leading Up to Christmas

The week before Christmas is packed with games like the Myrtle Beach Bowl and the Gasparilla Bowl. These bring a little extra holiday spirit to the action.

• Myrtle Beach Bowl – Dec. 19, Noon, ESPN, Conway, SC
• Gasparilla Bowl – Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m., ESPN, Tampa, FL
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Dec. 22, 2 p.m., ESPN, Boise, ID

Christmas Week and Beyond

Christmas week keeps the energy high with the Boca Raton Bowl and the New Orleans Bowl. Each game brings a different vibe, thanks to their unique host cities.

• Boca Raton Bowl – Dec. 23, 2 p.m., ESPN, Boca Raton, FL
• New Orleans Bowl – Dec. 23, 5:30 p.m., ESPN, New Orleans, LA
• Frisco Bowl – Dec. 23, 9 p.m., ESPN, Frisco, TX
• Hawai’i Bowl – Dec. 24, 8 p.m., ESPN, Honolulu, HI

Post-Christmas Showdowns

Once Christmas wraps up, the action doesn’t slow down. The Sports Bowl in Detroit and the Rate Bowl in Phoenix are just a couple more reasons to stay glued to your screen.

• Sports Bowl – Dec. 26, 1 p.m., ESPN, Detroit, MI
• Rate Bowl – Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m., ESPN, Phoenix, AZ
• First Responder Bowl – Dec. 26, 8 p.m., ESPN, Dallas, TX

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

Closing out the year, some of the biggest bowl games take center stage. The ReliaQuest Bowl and the Sun Bowl always seem to deliver drama.

• ReliaQuest Bowl – Dec. 31, 12 p.m., ESPN, Tampa, FL
• Sun Bowl – Dec. 31, 2 p.m., CBS, El Paso, TX
• Citrus Bowl – Dec. 31, 3 p.m., ABC, Orlando, FL
• Las Vegas Bowl – Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN, Las Vegas, NV

January Bowl Games

Even after the ball drops, there’s more football to soak in. January features the Armed Forces Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, and a few more before the College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship wraps it all up.

• Armed Forces Bowl – Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN, Fort Worth, TX
• Liberty Bowl – Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m., ESPN, Memphis, TN
• Mayo Bowl – Jan. 2, 8 p.m., ESPN, Charlotte, NC
• Holiday Bowl – Jan. 2, 8 p.m., Fox, San Diego, CA

College Football Playoff (CFP)

The CFP always brings a ton of excitement, with quarterfinals set for December 31 and January 1. Semifinals follow on January 8 and 9, all leading up to the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, on January 19.

• Cotton Bowl – Dec. 31, Quarterfinals, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Arlington, TX
• Orange Bowl – Jan. 1, Quarterfinals, 12 p.m., ESPN, Miami Gardens, FL
• Rose Bowl – Jan. 1, Quarterfinals, 4 p.m., ESPN, Pasadena, CA
• Sugar Bowl – Jan. 1, Quarterfinals, 8 p.m., ESPN, New Orleans, LA
• Fiesta Bowl – Jan. 8, Semifinals, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Glendale, AZ
• Peach Bowl – Jan. 9, Semifinals, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Atlanta, GA
• CFP Championship – Jan. 19, Championship, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Miami Gardens, FL

Want to see the full schedule or dig into details for every game? Check out the complete bowl schedule.