ESPN announced the complete 33-game schedule for the 2025-26 college football Bowl Season, featuring games on ABC and ESPN from December 13, 2025, to January 2, 2026, including key matchups like the Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, and College Football Playoff games, with a record viewership last season.
B/R experts predict outcomes for the 2024 college football bowl season, focusing on non-College Football Playoff games. Key predictions include James Madison and Sam Houston achieving their first bowl wins, the ACC showcasing strong performances, Florida capitalizing on preseason hype, Michael Hawkins Jr. securing the starting QB role at Oklahoma, and the SEC potentially sweeping their bowl games. The article highlights the potential for significant narratives and upsets during the bowl season.
Nebraska football suffered a heartbreaking 13-10 loss to Iowa after a last-second 53-yard field goal. Despite leading 10-0 at halftime, Nebraska's second-half mistakes, including a crucial turnover, allowed Iowa to tie and eventually win the game. Nebraska ends the regular season 6-6, while Iowa finishes 8-4, as both teams look towards bowl season.
The 2023-24 college football season concludes with Michigan winning the national championship. The final 133 rankings take into account bowl game results and preseason expectations, with notable rises for Arizona, Northwestern, and New Mexico State, and falls for Baylor, Pitt, and South Alabama. The top 10 sees minimal change, while LSU, Arizona, and Notre Dame move up after bowl wins. Miami, Virginia Tech, and Fresno State also secure noteworthy bowl victories. The rankings also cover teams in the 26-50, 51-75, 76-100, and 101-133 ranges, with Texas State, Northern Illinois, and Georgia State among the teams ending their seasons on a high note.
Nick Carparelli, the executive director of Bowl Season, proposes solutions to the increasing number of player opt-outs in college football bowl games. His suggestions include eliminating early signing day, closing the fall transfer portal window, and allowing bowl games to compensate players for participation, potentially through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. These changes aim to unclog the busy December schedule and incentivize players to participate in non-playoff bowl games. The future of the bowl system is under discussion, with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next season, which could further impact player participation in the 35 other bowl games. Despite opt-outs, bowl games continue to draw significant television viewership, outperforming other sports broadcasts.
The Orange Bowl debacle, where Georgia trounced a depleted Florida State team 63-3, has sparked discussions on how to fix the college football bowl season. Proposed solutions include providing full insurance policies for draft-eligible players, offering NIL packages, moving non-playoff bowls to spring or Week Zero, adjusting the transfer portal calendar, implementing revenue sharing, giving players contracts, and the radical idea of eliminating the "college" aspect of college athletics. These ideas aim to address the issues of player opt-outs, the transfer portal's impact on team rosters, and the overall relevance of bowl games.
ESPN provides analysis and picks for several college football bowl matchups, including the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl between South Florida and Syracuse, the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl between Georgia Tech and UCF, the 76 Birmingham Bowl between Troy and Duke, the Camellia Bowl between Arkansas State and Northern Illinois, the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl between James Madison and Air Force, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl between Georgia State and Utah State, the 68 Ventures Bowl between South Alabama and Eastern Michigan, the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl between Utah and Northwestern, and the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl between Coastal Carolina and San Jose State. The article discusses factors such as coaching changes, player absences, team performance, and line movement to make betting predictions.
Ohio secures consecutive 10-win seasons and extends their bowl game winning streak to five with a 41-21 victory over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Florida A&M defeats Howard 30-26 to win their first HBCU/FCS national championship since 1998. Jacksonville State edges out Louisiana 34-31 in overtime, taking advantage of their opportunity to play in a bowl game during their FCS to FBS transition. Appalachian State overcomes difficult conditions to defeat Miami (Ohio) 13-9 in the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl. Fresno State defeats New Mexico State 37-10 in the absence of head coach Jeff Tedford. UCLA bounces back from a disappointing regular season to beat Boise State 35-22 in the Starco Brands LA Bowl. Texas Tech dominates Cal 34-14 in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
Texas Tech overcame a rough start to defeat Cal 34-14 in the Independence Bowl, with quarterback Behren Morton throwing three touchdown passes. UCLA pulled away from Boise State in the LA Bowl, winning 35-22 after a big third quarter surge. Fresno State easily won the New Mexico Bowl with a 37-10 victory over New Mexico State. Appalachian State won a wet and fumble-filled Cure Bowl, defeating Miami (Ohio) 13-9. Jacksonville State secured a bowl game win in its first season at the top level of college football, beating Louisiana 34-31 in overtime in the New Orleans Bowl. Ohio jumped to a 27-0 lead and went on to win 41-21 over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
The 2023-24 college football bowl season is set to feature exciting matchups, including No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, and No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. SportsLine's projection model predicts that No. 10 Penn State will have a convincing win over No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, while No. 8 Oregon is expected to cruise to a blowout victory over No. 23 Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl. The model has made picks for every FBS matchup during bowl season, including several underdogs winning outright.
As bowl season approaches, the significance of these games is diminishing with the introduction of the 12-team College Football Playoff next year. Many bowls feature teams without winning records, and the games are primarily for sponsors, TV channels, and sports bettors. This article provides predictions for several upcoming bowl games, including Ohio vs. Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana, Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State, New Mexico State vs. Fresno State, and Boise State vs. UCLA.
College football bowl season is about to begin, with various bowl games scheduled across the country. These games provide an opportunity for companies to sponsor and promote their brands, with sponsorship costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. The income generated from these sponsorships supports local philanthropic endeavors and athletic programs at participating schools. The article also provides a list of the upcoming bowl game matchups.
Bleacher Report's college football writers make bold predictions for the 2023 bowl season. One prediction is that Texas will defeat Washington in the Sugar Bowl, despite a strong performance from Washington's quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Another prediction is that Texas, under coach Steve Sarkisian, will bring the championship back to Austin. Georgia is predicted to fall to Florida State in the Orange Bowl, with FSU's coaching staff motivated to send a message. Oklahoma's true freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold is expected to shine in the Alamo Bowl, leading the Sooners to victory over Arizona. Lastly, Michigan is predicted to lose in the semifinals to Alabama, as they have struggled against top-tier opponents in recent years.
As bowl season kicks off, five intriguing matchups outside the College Football Playoff include USC vs. Louisville in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl, No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl, No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl. These games feature teams with different seasons, quarterback situations, and storylines, making them must-watch for college football fans.
The Athletic staff members have made their predictions for all 41 college football bowl games, with seven unanimous picks including Jacksonville State over Louisiana, Louisville over USC, and LSU over Wisconsin. In the College Football Playoff games, five pickers chose Michigan to beat Alabama, while four picked Texas to beat Washington. The bowl season will feature games over a 17-day span, with matchups between various teams.