College Football Bowl Games December 13: Schedule and TV Channels
The 2025 college football bowl season is actually starting earlier than usual, with games kicking off on Saturday, December 13. The reason? The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, which gets rolling the following week.
That Saturday’s got two bowl games on tap, with the iconic Army-Navy Game right in the middle. If you’re trying to keep up, here’s a breakdown of the matchups and how to watch—because, honestly, missing these would be a shame.
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Early Bowl Season Excitement
This year’s bowl season is launching a full week ahead of the normal schedule. The change is all about making room for the new 12-team College Football Playoff, which starts December 19.
Fans can look forward to a pretty energetic start, with two solid matchups happening on December 13. It’s not your usual bowl season vibe, but hey, sometimes change is good.
Cricket Celebration Bowl: A Showcase of HBCU Talent
The first bowl game of the day is the Cricket Celebration Bowl. It’s Prairie View A&M Panthers (10-3), the SWAC champs, squaring off with the MEAC champion South Carolina State Bulldogs (9-3).
This one starts at noon ET, right in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and it’ll be on ABC.
- Teams: Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs
- Date and Time: Saturday, December 13, Noon ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
- TV Channel: ABC
- Commentators: Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker, Harry Lyles Jr., Quint Kessenich
The Celebration Bowl is widely seen as the HBCU National Championship. Sure, it doesn’t cover every single HBCU team, but it’s still a huge deal and always manages to spotlight some seriously talented players and traditions.
After the Celebration Bowl, the annual Army-Navy Game steps into the spotlight. This classic rivalry kicks off at 3:00pm ET, airing on CBS and Paramount+.
- Date and Time: Saturday, December 13, 3:00pm ET
- TV Channels: CBS, Paramount+
The Army-Navy Game used to have a Saturday all to itself, but now it’s sharing the day with other bowls. Still, it’s one of those matchups you don’t want to miss—full of rivalry, pageantry, and that hard-to-describe sense of pride between the academies.
Bucked Up LA Bowl: A Prime Time Clash
The evening wraps up with the Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. This time it’s Boise State Broncos (9-4) from the Mountain West up against the Washington Huskies (8-4) out of the Big Ten.
Kickoff is set for 8:00pm ET and you’ll find it on ABC.
- Teams: Boise State Broncos vs. Washington Huskies
- Date and Time: Saturday, December 13, 8:00pm ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
- TV Channel: ABC
- Commentators: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor
This one should be a blast. Boise State’s offense is always worth watching, but Washington’s defense isn’t going to make it easy for them. And with Rob Gronkowski hosting, you can bet there’ll be a bit of extra flair.
Looking Ahead: College Football Playoff and More Bowls
No bowl games are happening on Sunday, December 14, or Monday, December 15, because the NFL’s got those days locked down. Bowl season picks back up on Tuesday, December 16, with the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at the old Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Troy takes on Jacksonville State at 9:00pm ET on ESPN.
- Teams: Troy vs. Jacksonville State
- Date and Time: Tuesday, December 16, 9:00pm ET
- Location: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.
- TV Channel: ESPN
The expanded College Football Playoff begins Friday, December 19, with one first-round game. Three more first-round games follow on Saturday, December 20. Twelve teams, one big trophy, and a whole lot of drama—should be something to see.
Conclusion: A Thrilling Start to Bowl Season
The 2025 college football bowl season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. An early kickoff and a bigger playoff field? That’s something fans can get behind.
December 13 is going to be wild. There’s the HBCU spotlight in the Celebration Bowl, the classic Army-Navy Game, and a prime-time showdown in the LA Bowl.
If you want the full rundown of games and TV channels, here’s the full college football bowl schedule. More updates and maybe a few surprises are on the way as the bowl season gets rolling.
