New Mexico and First Responder Bowls Throw it Back to 2020

It is difficult to believe the whirlwind of 2020 is over half a decade behind us. The college football season followed suit with some oddities of its own. Six seasons later, the 2026-27 Bowl Season schedule has multiple broadcast quirks that hearken to that unprecedented season.

Like in 2020, the New Mexico Bowl will take place on Christmas Eve, and ABC will broadcast the First Responder Bowl. This year’s New Mexico Bowl will precede the longtime Christmas Eve anchor, Hawai’i, with a 2:30 PM ET kickoff.

On January 2nd, the First Responder Bowl will air on ABC for the second time ever and first time since 2020, kicking off at 3:30 PM ET and sandwiched between the historic Citrus and Liberty Bowls.

The moves represent a constant state of trial and error among bowls as they continue to adjust to the College Football Playoff’s 12-team field. Nonetheless, the results of both bowls’ 2020 experiments show that ESPN Events may have made wise choices for both bowls.

According to Sports Media Watch, the 2020 New Mexico and First Responder Bowls hit ratings highs. The 2020 New Mexico Bowl between Hawai’i and Houston in Frisco, Texas, had the highest TV viewership since 2014, with 1.9 million viewers and a 1.1 rating. The 1.9 million viewers were a 190 percent increase from 2019.

The New Mexico Bowl should once again benefit from a standalone slot. The game has been a staple of the first Saturday of Bowl season since its inception. Since 2015, the bowl has struggled head-to-head against the Celebration Bowl on ABC before that bowl moved to the second Saturday of December.

Additionally, ESPN may be banking on the New Mexico Lobos replicating last year’s success. Giving the Lobos a de facto home game eliminates attendance concerns associated with Christmas Eve.

The 2020 First Responder Bowl between UTSA and Louisiana benefited from an “ABC bump”, with its highest viewership and ratings since the 2017 edition featuring Utah and West Virginia. 2.08 million viewers watched Louisiana cap a 10-1 season with a 31-24 win, good for a 1.2 rating.

Although UTSA’s viewership count differs from Sports Media Watch’s, the 2020 First Responder Bowl remains the second-most-watched broadcast in program history. The 2020 First Responder Bowl had the highest viewership in Roadrunner history until the 2025 First Responder Bowl.

Despite the proven results, both bowls will have tough acts to follow in terms of viewership. The First Responder Bowl and New Mexico Bowl both experienced viewership milestones. Last year’s New Mexico Bowl had its highest viewership since 2022, while the First Responder Bowl had its highest viewership ever.

Nonetheless, what is old is new again, as with many things in college sports. The New Mexico and First Responder Bowls bring some memories of one of the most bizarre seasons in college football history with their Bowl Season placements.