2025–26 College Football Bowl Schedule & Heisman Preview

2025–26 College Football Bowl Games — Full Schedule

This year's College Football Bowl season consists of 36 non playoff games and 11 playoff games stretched across 38 days in December and January.

Saturday 12/13

Cricket Celebration Bowl - Atlanta, GA

South Carolina State 9-3 vs Prairie View 10-3

Bucked Up LA Bowl - Los Angeles, CA

Boise State 9-4 vs Washington 8-4

Tuesday 12/16

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl - Montgomery, AL

Troy 8-5 at Jacksonville State 8-5

Wednesday 12/17

StaffDNA Cure Bowl - Orlando, FL

Old Dominion 9-3 vs South Florida 9-3

68 Ventures Bowl - Mobile, AL

Louisiana 6-6 vs Delaware 6-6

Thursday 12/18

Xbox Bowl - Frisco, TX

Missouri State 7-5 vs Arkansas State 6-6

Friday 12/19

Myrtle Beach Bowl - Conway, SC

Kennesaw State 10-3 vs Western Michigan 9-4

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl - Tampa, FL

Memphis 8-4 vs North Carolina State 7-5

College Football Playoff Frist Round * - Norman, OK

Alabama 10-3 vs Oklahoma 10-2

Saturday 12/20

College Football Playoff Frist Round * - College Station, TX

Miami 10-2 vs Texas A&M 11-1

College Football Playoff Frist Round * - Oxford, MS

Tulane11-2 vs Ole Miss 11-1

College Football Playoff Frist Round * - Eugene, OR

James Madison 12-1 vs Oregon 11-1

Monday 12/22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Boise, ID

Washington State 6-6 vs Utah State 6-6

Tuesday 12/23

Bush's Boca Raton Bowl - Boca Raton, FL

Toledo 8-4 vs Louisville 8-4

New Orleans Bowl - New Orleans, LA

Western Kentucky 8-4 vs Southern Miss 7-5

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl - Frisco, TX

UNLV 10-3 vs Ohio 8-4

Wednesday 12/24

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Honolulu, HI

California 7-5 vs Hawaii 8-4

Friday 12/26

GameAbove Sports Bowl - Detroit, MI

Central Michigan 7-5 vs Northwestern 6-6

Rate Bowl - Phoenix, AZ

New Mexico 9-3 vs Minnesota 7-5

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl - Dallas, TX

FIU 7-5 vs UTSA 6-6

Saturday 12/27

Go Bowling Military Bowl - Annapolis, MD

Pitt 8-4 vs East Carolina 8-4

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl - Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Penn State 6-6 vs Clemson 7-5

Wasabi Fenway Bowl - Fenway Park, Boston MA

UConn 9-3 vs Army 6-5

Pop-Tarts Bowl - Orlando, FL

Georgia Tech 9-3 vs BYU 11-2

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl - Tucson, AZ

Miami Ohio 7-6 vs Fresno State 8-4

Isleta New Mexico Bowl - Albuquerque, NM

North Texas 11-2 vs San Diego State 9-3

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, FL

Virginia 10-3 vs Missouri 8-4

Kinder's Texas Bowl - Houston, TX

LSU 7-5 vs Houston 9-3

Monday 12/29

JLab Birmingham Bowl - Birmingham, AL

Georgia Southern 6-6 vs Appalachian State 5-7

Tuesday 12/30

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl - Shreveport, LA

Coastal Carolina 6-6 vs Louisiana Tech 7-5

Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl - Nashville, TN

Tennessee 8-4 vs Illinois 8-4

Valero Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX

USC 9-3 vs TCU 8-4

Wednesday 12/31

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl - Las Vegas, NV

Nebraska 7-5 vs Utah 10-2

ReliaQuest Bowl - Tampa, FL

Iowa 8-4 vs Vanderbilt 10-2

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl - El Paso, TX

Arizona State 8-4 vs Duke 8-5

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl - Orlando, FL

Michigan 9-3 vs Texas 9-3

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal * Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Arlington, TX

TBD (winner of Miami and Texas A&M) vs Ohio State 12-1

Thursday 1/1

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal * Capitol One Orange Bowl - Miami, FL

TBD (winner of James Madison and Oregon) vs Texas Tech 12-1

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal * Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential - Pasadena, CA

TBD (winner of Alabama and Oklahoma) vs Indiana 13-0

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal * Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA

TBD (winner of Tulane and Ole Miss) vs Georgia 12-1

Friday 1/2

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - Fort Worth, TX

Rice 5-7 vs Texas State 6-6

AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN

Navy 9-2 vs Cincinnati 7-5

Trust & Will Holiday Bowl - San Diego, CA

Arizona 9-3 vs SMU 8-4

Duke's Mayo Bowl - Charlotte, NC

Wake Forest 8-4 vs Mississippi State 5-7

Thursday 1/8

College Football Playoff Semifinal * Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ

TBD vs TBD

Friday 1/9

College Football Playoff Semifinal *Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Atlanta, GA

TBD vs TBD

Monday 1/19

College Football Playoff National Championship * Presented by AT&T - Miami, FL

TBD vs TBD

2025 Heisman Trophy Ceremony

• The annual Heisman Trophy presentation is set for Saturday, December 13, 2025.

• Finalists this year include: Fernendo Mendoza (Indiana), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame), and Julian Sayin (Ohio State).

• Ohio State and Notre Dame currently have had 7 Heismans while both Indiana and Vanderbilt are both searching for their first award winner.

Expect plenty of debate after this one as no one has been the clear cut stand out this year.

Bowl Season Notes

• The first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff begins December 19–20, with several games at campus sites. Quarterfinals continue with New Year’s Bowl games, leading into semifinals (Jan 8–9) and the national title game on Jan 19, 2026.

• There were multiple bowl eligible schools (won the required 6 games) that turned down invites with two experiencing coaching changes (Iowa State and Kansas State) and one just taking their ball and going home (Notre Dame). Now the spots are filled with teams that won 5 games.

• For fans of non-playoff schools, there are plenty of compelling bowl matchups, watch for potential breakout performances, NFL draft candidates, and new heroes emerging on the big stage.

Pregame Sports Bar Crawl: Las Vegas Edition

Experience the excitement of the game like never before with our Pregame Sports pub crawl in Las Vegas! Join fellow sports fans for exclusive drink specials at some of the city's best sports bars. It's the ultimate way to gear up for game night, whether you're repping your squad or just in it for the fun. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and exclusive deals!