It's the best time of the year for college football fans as they prepare for a buffet of action that will last throughout the holiday season and into 2026. The college football season gives fans a chance to see their team one last time and look to the future as young players enter the game.
The bowl schedule begins with the HBCU Celebration Bowl on December 13th and runs through January 2nd. The College Football Playoff will take us from there until January 19, when two teams will compete for the national championship in Miami Gardens, Florida.
CBS will once again air Tony the Tiger's Sun Bowl. Kick is set for 2:00 PM on December 31st in El Paso, Texas. Additionally, December 27th is one of the busiest days of the year as there will be eight bowling games on the day, including the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Texas Bowl and the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop (yes, that's its official name).
College Football Playoff Bracket: Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech bye; Miami over Notre Dame
David Cobb
Below is a detailed look at the complete 2025-26 college football season schedule, including dates, locations and TV channels. All times are Eastern.
College football playoffs
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January 19 (Monday) |
College Football Playoff National Championship |
7:30 (ESPN) |
Semi-final winners |
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January 9 (Friday) |
Peach (CFP Semifinals) |
19:30 (ESPN) |
TBA vs TBA |
|
January 8 (Thursday) |
Fiesta (CFP Semifinals) |
19:30 (ESPN) |
TBA vs TBA |
| January 1 (Thursday) | Sugar (CFP Quarterfinals) New Orleans, Louisiana | 20:00 (ESPN) | (3) Georgia vs (11/6) winner |
| January 1 (Thursday) | Rose (CFP Quarterfinals) Pasadena, California | 16:00 (ESPN) | (1) Indiana vs. (8/9) winner |
| January 1 (Thursday) | Orange (CFP Quarterfinals) Miami Gardens, Florida | 12:00 (ESPN) | (3) Texas Tech vs. (12/5) winner |
| December 31 (Wednesday) | Cotton (CFP Quarterfinals) Arlington, Texas | 19:30 (ESPN) | (2) Ohio State vs. Winner (10/7) |
| December 20 (Saturday) | CFP First Round Game | 19:30 (TNT) | (12) James Madison vs. (5) Oregon |
| December 20 (Saturday) | CFP First Round Game | 15:30 (TNT) | (11) Tulane vs. (6) Ole Miss |
| December 20 (Saturday) | CFP First Round Game | 12:00 (ABC) | (10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M |
| December 19 (Friday) | CFP First Round Game | 20:00 (ABC) | (9) Alabama to (82 Oklahoma) |
Other bowl games
|
December 13 (Saturday) |
12:00 ABC |
Festive cricket bowl |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia |
South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M |
|
December 13 (Saturday) |
20:00 ESPN |
LA Bowl hosted by Gronk |
Sophie Stadium Inglewood, California |
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December 16 (Tuesday) |
21:00 ESPN |
Salute to Cup veterans |
Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama |
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December 17 (Wednesday) |
17:00 ESPN |
healing bowl |
Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida |
Old Dominion vs. South Florida |
| December 17 (Wednesday) | 20:30 ESPN | 68 Venture Bowl | Hancock White Stadium Mobile, Alabama | Louisiana vs. Delaware |
| December 18 (Thursday) | 21:00 ESPN2 | Xbox Bowl | Ford Center Frisco, Texas |
State of Arkansas vs. State of Missouri |
| December 19 (Friday) | 11:00 ESPN | Myrtle Beach Bowl | Brooks Stadium Conway, South Carolina | |
| December 19 (Friday) | 14:30 ESPN | Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | |
| December 22 (Monday) | 14:00 ESPN | Idaho's Famous Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho | |
| December 23 (Tuesday) | 14:00 ESPN | Boca Raton Bowl | Flagler Credit Union Stadium Boca Raton, Florida | |
| December 23 (Tuesday) | 17:30 ESPN | New Orleans Bowl | Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| December 23 (Tuesday) | 21:00 ESPN | Frisco Bowl | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
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| December 24 (Wednesday) | 20:00 ESPN | Hawaiian bowl | Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, Hawaii | Cal vs. Hawaii |
| December 26 (Friday) | 13:00 ESPN | Game Above Sports Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan. |
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| December 26 (Friday) | 16:30 ESPN | Rate the bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona. |
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| December 26 (Friday) | 20:00 ESPN | Quick Response Bowl | Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, Texas | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 11:00 ESPN | Military bowl | Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 12:00 ABC | Pinstripe bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 14:15 ESPN | Fenway Bowl | Fenway Park Boston, Massachusetts | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 15:30 ABC | Pop-Tart Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 16:30 CW | Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop | Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 17:45 ESPN | New Mexico Bowl | Field at University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 19:30 ABC | Alligator Bowl | EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | |
| December 27 (Saturday) | 21:15 ESPN | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas | |
| December 29 (Monday) | 14:00 ESPN | Birmingham Bowl | Defensive stadium Birmingham, Alabama | |
| December 30 (Tuesday) | 14:00 ESPN | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| December 30 (Tuesday) | 17:30 ESPN | Musical City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee | |
| December 30 (Tuesday) | 21:00 ESPN | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | |
| December 31 (Wednesday) | 12:00 ESPN | ReliaQuest Chalice | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | |
| December 31 (Wednesday) | 14:00 CBS | Tony Tiger Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas | |
| December 31 (Wednesday) | 15:00 ABC | Citrus bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida | |
| December 31 (Wednesday) | 15:30 ESPN | Las Vegas Bowl | Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| January 2 (Friday) | 13:00 ESPN | Armed Forces Bowl | Amon Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas | |
| January 2 (Friday) | 16:30 ESPN | Freedom Bowl | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Memphis, Tennessee | |
| January 2 (Friday) | 20:00 ESPN | Mayo bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| January 2 (Friday) | 20:00 Fox | Festive bowl | Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California |
