In some parts of the country, college football is arguably more important than pro football — and it isn’t just because of the NFL’s continual issues. Folks love college sports, and, apart from basketball’s March Madness, nothing highlights that better than the annual NCAA college football bowl games.
For the 2021–22 NCAA college football bowl season, games will be played from December 17, 2021 through January 10, 2022. With sometimes-wacky names and plenty to tune into, college football bowl season is a must-watch for football fans. Here, we’ll go over the basics from why teams participate to where you can watch your favorite team play this year.
What Are the NCAA College Football Bowl Games?
The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the top flight of NCAA Division 1 football. The players on these collegiate teams are the premier non-professional football players in the nation, and many of them are often scouted by NFL teams by their senior year.
At the end of the regular season for college football, FBS teams that have had good performances throughout the season have the opportunity to participate in bowl games, which are played throughout December and January. Teams often play opponents that are from different conferences, and matchups see teams with similar records facing off. Traditionally, there are 40 or more bowl games in a single year. While only some bowls have a special meaning, all of them have unique names and locations.
How Do Football Bowls Work?
Bowls are one-off games, so there’s no advancing to another round — the winner simply claims that bowl’s title. In some themed or more regional bowls, the teams that face-off are determined differently, but, for the most part, bowl opponents are generally teams from divisions that normally wouldn’t play each other during the regular season.
And that’s what makes bowls so fun for fans. You see, college football is divided into conferences, so some teams may only play against regional rivals for most of the season. It can be especially exciting to see your local college team play a team from a different conference during a bowl. It adds variety — and a dose of regional pride.
To qualify to play in a bowl, a team must have had a winning record through its regular season. The official rule for getting into a bowl is to win as many games as were lost against FBS opponents in the regular season. A team that won five games and lost five games, for example, may qualify; a team that won eight games and lost five may also be eligible.
Ties, as well as games that were forfeited, don’t count in a team’s win-loss tally. Any FBS team that’s won as many games as they lost — or won more games than they lost — is eligible to compete in a bowl. When several teams have lost more than they won, the standards for that particular year can be lowered by the NCAA.
Why Are College Bowl Names So Weird?
Bowls can be named for a variety of reasons, and after a number of big-name corporate sponsors who’ll pay to get their brand name or product out there. But some of the classics that are now represented in the New Year’s Six Games — like the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl,and Peach Bowl — are a little more well-known and meaningful.
Some of our favorites from the past include the Raisin Bowl, which was played in Fresno, California from 1946–1949, and the Refrigerator Bowl, which was played in Evansville, Indiana, known for its fridge manufacturing, from 1948–1956. In the late ‘90s and into the early 2000s, a long line of bowls included “.com” in their name, including the galleryfurniture.com Bowl and the papajohns.com Bowl. These days, the wildest corporate-named bowls are a bit tamer, like the Cheez-It Bowl and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
2021–22 Season NCAA Football Bowl Schedule
Here’s an easy-to-reference guide for the 2021–22 NCAA college football bowl season. You’re going to want to bookmark this page:
Bahamas Bowl
- Opponents: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo
- Date: Friday, December 17th, 2021
- Time: 12 pm
- Stadium: Thomas Robinson Stadium
- City: Nassau, Bahamas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Cure Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 17th, 2021
- Time: 6 pm
- Stadium: Camping World Stadium
- City: Orlando, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN 2
Boca Raton Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 11 am
- Stadium: FAU Stadium
- City: Boca Raton, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Celebration Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 12 pm
- Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- City: Atlanta, Georgia
- Where to Watch: ABC
New Mexico Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 2:15 pm
- Stadium: Dreamstyle Stadium
- City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Independence Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Stadium: Independence Stadium
- City: Shreveport, Louisiana
- Where to Watch: ABC
LendingTree Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 5:45 pm
- Stadium: Ladd-Peebles Stadium
- City: Mobile, Alabama Central
- Where to Watch: ESPN
LA Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 7:30 pm
- Stadium: SoFi Stadium
- City: Inglewood, California
- Where to Watch: ABC
New Orleans Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 18th, 2021
- Time: 9:15 pm
- Stadium: Caesars Superdome
- City: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Myrtle Beach Bowl
- Date: Monday, December 20th, 2021
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Stadium: Brooks Stadium
- City: Conway, South Carolina
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 21st, 2021
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Stadium: Albertsons Stadium
- City: Boise, Idaho
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Armed Forces Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021
- Time: 8 pm
- Stadium: Amon G. Carter Stadium
- City: Fort Worth, Texas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Gasparilla Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 23rd, 2021
- Time: 7 pm
- Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
- City: Tampa, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Hawai’i Bowl
- Opponents: Memphis vs. TBS
- Date: Friday, December 24th, 2021
- Time: 8 pm
- Stadium: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex
- City: Honolulu, Hawai’i
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Camellia Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 25th, 2021
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Stadium: Cramton Bowl
- City: Montgomery, Alabama
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl
- Date: Monday, December 27th, 2021
- Time: 11 am
- Stadium: Ford Field
- City: Detroit, Michigan
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Military Bowl
- Opponents: East Carolina vs. TBD
- Date: Monday, December 27th
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
- City: Annapolis, Maryland
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Birmingham Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
- Time: 12 pm
- Stadium: Protective Stadium
- City: Birmingham, Alabama
- Where to Watch: ESPN
First Responder Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
- Time: 3:15 pm
- Stadium: Gerald J. Ford Stadium
- City: Dallas, Texas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Liberty Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
- Time: 6:45 pm
- Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
- City: Memphis, Tennessee
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Holiday Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
- Time: 8 pm
- Stadium: Petco Park
- City: San Diego, California
- Where to Watch: FOX
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
- Time: 10:15 pm
- Stadium: Chase Field
- City: Phoenix, Arizona
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Fenway Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 29th, 2021
- Time: 11 am
- Stadium: Fenway Park
- City: Boston, Massachusetts
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 29th, 2021
- Time: 2:15 pm
- Stadium: Yankee Stadium
- City: New York, New York
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Cheez-It Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 29th, 2021
- Time: 5:45 pm
- Stadium: Camping World Stadium
- City: Orlando, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Alamo Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 29th, 2021
- Time: 9:15 pm
- Stadium: Alamodome
- City: San Antonio, Texas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 30th, 2021
- Time: 11:30 am
- Stadium: Bank of America Stadium
- City: Charlotte, North Carolina
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Music City Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 30th, 2021
- Time: 3 pm
- Stadium: Nissan Stadium
- City: Nashville, Tennessee
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Peach Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 30th, 2021
- Time: 7 pm
- Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- City: Atlanta, Georgia
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 30th, 2021
- Time: 10:30 pm
- Stadium: Allegiant Stadium
- City: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Orange Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 31st, 2021
- Time: TBD
- Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
- City: Miami Gardens, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Cotton Bowl Classic
- Date: Friday, December 31st, 2021
- Time: TBD
- Stadium: AT&T Stadium
- City: Arlington, Texas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Gator Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 31st, 2021
- Time: 11 am
- Stadium: TIAA Bank Stadium
- City: Jacksonville, Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Sun Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 31st, 2021
- Time: 12 pm
- Stadium: Sun Bowl
- City: El Paso, Texas
- Where to Watch: CBS
Arizona Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 31st, 2021
- Time: 2 pm
- Stadium: Arizona Stadium
- City: Tucson, Arizona
- Where to Watch: Barstool Sports
Outback Bowl
- Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
- Time: 12 pm
- Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
- City: Tampa Florida
- Where to Watch: ESPN2
Citrus Bowl
- Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
- Time: 1 pm
- Stadium: Camping World Stadium
- City: Orlando, Florida
- Where to Watch: ABC
Fiesta Bowl
- Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
- Time: 1 pm
- Stadium: State Farm Stadium
- City: Glendale, Arizona
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Rose Bowl
- Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
- Time: 5 pm
- Stadium: Rose Bowl
- City: Pasadena, California
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Sugar Bowl
- Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
- Time: 8:45 pm
- Stadium: Caesars Superdome
- City: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Texas Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, January 4th, 2022
- Time: 9 pm
- Stadium: NRG Stadium
- City: Houston, Texas
- Where to Watch: ESPN
All game times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST). With few exceptions, you’re going to be in the right place if you tune into ESPN — of subsets, like ESPNU and ESPN+ — for your favorite NCAA college football bowl game. Happy watching!
