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Celebration Bowl, Atlanta, GA (MEAC Champion vs. SWAC Champion), December 13th, 12 PM ET, ABC
Delaware State vs. Jackson State
LA Bowl, Inglewood, CA (Mountain West vs. Former PAC-12 Member), December 13th, 9 PM ET, ESPN
San Diego State vs. Arizona
This is an awkward situation. While I expect either Boise State or UNLV to win the Mountain West, I think that if San Diego State is bowl-eligible, the LA Bowl would take them. UNLV appeared last year, and Boise State played in 2023. Seems like an ideal situation to bypass the conference champion and choose geography.
Salute to Veterans Bowl, Montgomery, AL: (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 16th, 9 PM ET ESPN
Liberty vs. Miami (OH)
Cure Bowl, Orlando, FL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 17th, 5:30 PM ET ESPN
Old Dominion vs. Buffalo
In 1958, Buffalo received an invite to Orlando’s Tangerine Bowl. Unfortunately, the Bulls never played after the bowl demanded Buffalo leave their Black players home. In 2025, I have Buffalo finally making its Orlando bowl debut.
This marks Old Dominion's first appearance in a bowl located in Florida.
68 Ventures Bowl, Mobile, AL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 17th, 9 PM ET ESPN
UConn vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl, Conway, SC (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 19th, 12 PM ET, ESPN
Western Michigan vs. Appalachian State
Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa, FL (At-large vs. At-Large), December 19th, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN
USF vs. Virginia
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, ID (MAC vs. Mountain West), December 22nd, 2 PM ET, ESPN
Ohio vs. Air Force
Air Force lands in this bowl due to having played in Dallas-Fort Worth area bowls in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The New Mexico Bowl seems logical with Kirkland Air Force Base in the heart of Albuquerque (I got my haircut there on leave once), but New Mexico's resurgent season figures to land them in their home stadium.
Thus, Idaho it is for the Falcons!
Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, FL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 23rd, 2 PM ET, ESPN
Bowling Green vs. Georgia Southern
New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA (Conference USA vs. Sun Belt), December 23rd, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN
Louisiana Tech vs. James Madison
Frisco Bowl, Frisco, TX (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 23rd, 9 PM ET, ESPN
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu, HI (Mountain West vs. Conference USA), December 24th, 8 or 9 PM ET, ESPN
Hawaii vs. FIU
FIU gets a taste of a different beach in this one.
GameAboveSports Bowl, Detroit, MI (MAC vs. Big Ten), December 26th, 1 PM ET, ESPN
Central Michigan vs. Rutgers
Rate Bowl, Phoenix, AZ (Big 12 vs. Big 10), December 26th, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN
Baylor vs. Maryland
First Responder Bowl, College Park, TX, (At-large vs. At-large), December 26th, 8 PM ET, ESPN
San Jose State vs. East Carolina
Military Bowl, Annapolis, MD, (AAC vs. ACC), December 27th, 11 AM ET, ESPN
Memphis vs. Syracuse
Pinstripe Bowl, Bronx, NY, (ACC vs. Big 10), December 27th, 12 PM ET, ABC
Louisville vs. Iowa
Fenway Bowl, Boston, MA (AAC vs. ACC), December 27th, 2:15 PM ET, ESPN
Tulane vs. Pitt
Pop-Tarts Bowl, Orlando, FL (ACC vs. Big 12), December 27th, 3:30 PM ET, ABC
Notre Dame vs. UCF
Arizona Bowl, Tucson, AZ, (MAC vs. Mountain West), December 27th, 4:30 PM ET, The CW
UNLV vs. Northern Illinois
New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM, (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 27th, 5:45 PM ET
New Mexico vs. Texas State
Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL, (ACC vs. SEC), December 27th, 7:30 PM ET, ABC
Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State
These two schools were in the SEC together from 1932-1964. The number of meetings in that time period? Zero. These two have met just five times: 1908, 1929, 2008, 2009, and in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Rotating conference schedules don't seem bad now do they?
Texas Bowl, Houston, TX, (SEC vs. Big 12), December 27th, 9:15 PM ET, ESPN
Oklahoma vs. TCU
Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, AL (At-Large vs. At-Large), December 29th, 2 PM ET, ESPN
Auburn vs. North Texas
Auburn would be North Texas' first Power Four/Power Five bowl opponent ever.
Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA (Conference USA vs. Big 12), December 30th, 2 PM ET, ESPN
Western Kentucky vs. Kansas
This is Conference USA’s lone guaranteed tie-in against a Power Four conference (thanks to BYU forfeiting its tie-in after joining the Big 12) so I expect the league to reward its champion with this coveted matchup.
Kansas would be Western Kentucky's first Power Four/Power Five bowl opponent.
Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN, (SEC vs. Big Ten), December 30th, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN
Illinois vs. Ole Miss
Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX, (Former PAC-12 member vs. Big 12), December 30th, 9 PM ET, ESPN
Texas Tech vs. USC
Texas Tech and USC last met in a bowl game on New Year's Day 1995, when 6-5 Texas Tech won a five-way tiebreaker to represent the Southwest Conference as champion in the Cotton Bowl. They lost to 7-3-1 USC 55-14.
ReliaQuest Bowl, Tampa, FL, (SEC vs. Big Ten), December 31st, 12 PM ET, ESPN
Tennessee vs. Minnesota
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX, (ACC vs. Former PAC-12 member), 2 PM ET, CBS
Clemson vs. Utah
Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL, (SEC vs. Big Ten), 3 PM ET, ABC
Nebraska vs. Alabama
A matchup like this would be a dream for the Citrus Bowl. These two have not met since 1978, and have had three prior meetings in bowls, none since the 1972 Orange Bowl.
Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV, (Former PAC-12 member vs. Big Ten), 3:30 PM ET, ESPN
Michigan vs. California
Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX (At-Large vs. At-Large), January 2nd, 1 PM ET, ESPN
Boise State vs. Colorado
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN, (SEC vs. Big 12), January 2nd, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vanderbilt vs. West Virginia
Surprisingly, Vanderbilt has not appeared in the Liberty Bowl since 2011.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Charlotte, NC (ACC vs. SEC), January 2nd, 8 PM ET, ESPN
Duke vs. South Carolina
Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA, (ACC vs. Former PAC-12 school), Date TBA
SMU vs. Arizona State
Bahamas Bowl Replacement Bowl, TBD
Utah State vs. Southern Miss
First Round
#5 Penn State vs. #12 Navy
#6 LSU vs. #11 BYU
#7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Iowa State
#8 Oregon vs. #9 Florida State
Quarterfinals
Cotton Bowl, Arlington, TX, December 31st
#3 Miami vs. #6 LSU
Orange Bowl, Miami, FL, January 1st, 12 PM ET
#4 Georgia vs. #5 Penn State
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA, January 1st, 4 PM ET
#1 Ohio State vs. #10 Iowa State
Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA, January 1st , 8 PM ET
#2 Texas vs. #9 Oregon
Semifinals
Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ, January 8th, 7:30 PM ET
#1 Ohio State vs. #5 Penn State
Peach Bowl, Atlanta, GA, January 8th, 7:30 PM ET
#3 Miami vs. #2 Texas
National Championship Game, January 19th, Miami, FL, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN
#1 Ohio State vs. #2 Texas
