Football
College football bowl schedule announced around expanded CFP
The college football postseason will look very different in 2024-25 with the expansion of the Playoff to 12 games, including the first-round matchups at campus sites on Dec. 20 and 21. Now, we know how the Playoff schedule will impact the timing of the rest of the bowl games, as dates, kickoff times and TV networks were announced Thursday for the non-CFP bowls, with the exception of the Holiday Bowl.
The slate includes a pair of bowl games on the same day as Army-Navy and the Heisman ceremony, eight bowls on Dec. 28, and just three bowls on New Year’s Day — all CFP quarterfinals. Plus, four non-CFP bowl games will be played Jan. 2-4.
| Date | Bowl | Location | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dec. 14 |
Celebration |
Atlanta |
Noon |
ABC |
|
Dec. 14 |
Camellia |
Montgomery, Ala. |
9 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 17 |
Boca Raton |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
5:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 17 |
Frisco |
Frisco, Texas |
9 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 18 |
LA |
Inglewood, Calif. |
9 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 19 |
New Orleans |
New Orleans |
7 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
|
Dec. 20 |
Cure |
Orlando, Fla. |
Noon |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 20 |
Gasparilla |
Tampa, Fla. |
3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 23 |
Myrtle Beach |
Conway, S.C. |
11 a.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 23 |
Famous Idaho Potato |
Boise, Idaho |
2:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 24 |
Hawaii |
Honolulu |
8 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 26 |
Detroit |
Detroit |
2 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 26 |
Guaranteed Rate |
Phoenix |
5:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 26 |
68 Ventures |
Mobile, Ala. |
9 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 27 |
Armed Forces |
Fort Worth, Texas |
Noon or 3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 27 |
Birmingham |
Birmingham, Ala. |
Noon or 3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 27 |
Liberty |
Memphis, Tenn. |
7 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 27 |
Las Vegas |
Las Vegas |
10:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 28 |
Fenway |
Boston |
11 a.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 28 |
Pinstripe |
New York |
Noon |
ABC |
|
Dec. 28 |
New Mexico |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
2:15 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 28 |
Pop-Tarts |
Orlando, Fla. |
3:30 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Dec. 28 |
Arizona |
Tucson, Ariz. |
4:30 p.m. |
CW |
|
Dec. 28 |
Military |
Annapolis, Md. |
5:45 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 28 |
Alamo |
San Antonio |
7:30 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Dec. 28 |
Independence |
Shreveport, La. |
9:15 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 30 |
Music City |
Nashville, Tenn. |
2:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 31 |
ReliaQuest |
Tampa, Fla. |
Noon |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 31 |
Sun |
El Paso, Texas |
2 p.m. |
CBS |
|
Dec. 31 |
Citrus |
Orlando, Fla. |
3 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Dec. 31 |
Texas |
Houston |
3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Dec. 31 |
Fiesta |
Glendale, Ariz. |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 1 |
Peach |
Atlanta |
1 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 1 |
Rose |
Pasadena, Calif. |
5 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 1 |
Sugar |
New Orleans |
8:45 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 2 |
Gator |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 3 |
First Responder |
Dallas |
4 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 3 |
Duke’s Mayo |
Charlotte, N.C. |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 4 |
Bahamas |
Nassau, Bahamas |
11 a.m. |
ESPN2 |
|
TBD |
Holiday |
San Diego |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Jan. 9 |
Orange |
Miami |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 10 |
Cotton |
Arlington, Texas |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Jan. 20 |
National championship |
Atlanta |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
How is the bowl schedule impacted by the expanded CFP?
I was curious to see how the 12-team Playoff calendar might impact the way ESPN schedules the other bowls, and the answer is … not much.
More than half of this season’s bowls will be played over an eight-day span between the Dec. 20-21 first-round games and the Dec. 31-Jan. 1 quarterfinals. But there will be a pair of bowls (Celebration and Camellia) airing on Dec. 14 — one before Army-Navy and the other after the Heisman Trophy presentation. The Citrus Bowl, played on Jan. 1 or 2 all but once since 1987, moves to 3 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve to serve as a lead-in to the first quarterfinal that night at the Fiesta Bowl, with the three other quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl owning New Year’s Day.
One other notable twist: Four non-CFP bowls — the Gator (Jan. 2), First Responder (Jan. 3), Duke’s Mayo (Jan. 3) and Bahamas (Jan. 4) — will be played AFTER the quarterfinals. There’s then a break in the action before the semifinals on Jan. 9 (Orange) and Jan. 10 (Cotton).
Beyond the schedule, Thursday’s release was a reminder of a few new wacky bowl sponsors. None more so this year than the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin and Juice by Dre and Snoop. Yes, that’s really the name. — Stewart Mandel, senior college football columnist
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(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
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