The 2025-26 bowl season will kickoff this Saturday night, and college football fans will be treated to full month of college football action, running through the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 19, 2026.
This year’s bowl schedule features a few notable absences, as Notre Dame, Kansas State and Iowa State all opted out of bowls due to the Irish’s CFP snub and coaching changes in Manhattan and Ames. The result was a bit of a scramble to fill out the bowl schedule, and for all the consternation about the future of bowl games amid an ever-expanding playoff, we still have 35 non-playoff bowl games to look forward to over the next month.
The CFP, which begins on Dec. 19, will take up most of the oxygen in the college football discussion, but part of the joy of bowl season is the sheer volume of college football action available over the coming weeks.
Betting on bowl games always requires a bit of a deeper dive into who is playing in this current era of opt outs and the transfer portal, and the constant question about which team in any given matchup is motivated to be there. Still, there are opportunities abound throughout December and into early January to get a little more action, and the early lines provide some edge potential if you have a good initial read on a matchup.
This year, there are some marquee bowl matchups outside the playoff games, with Michigan vs. Texas in the Citrus Bowl, Georgia Tech vs. BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Penn State vs. Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl all featuring major programs and intriguing matchups.
Below you can find the schedule and betting lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook) for every bowl game and first-round Playoff game.
All times Eastern
Saturday, Dec. 13
LA Bowl — 8 p.m., TV: ABC
Boise State vs. Washington (-8.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 16
Veterans Bowl — 9 p.m., TV: ESPN
Jacksonville State vs. Troy (-3.5)
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Cure Bowl — 5 p.m., TV: ESPN
Old Dominion vs. South Florida (-6.5)
68 Ventures Bowl — 8:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 18
Xbox Bowl — 9 p.m., TV: ESPN2
Missouri State vs. Arkansas State (-2.5)
Friday, Dec. 19
Myrtle Beach Bowl — 11 a.m., TV: ESPN
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan (-4.5)
Gasparilla Bowl — 2:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
College Football Playoff first-round game — 8 p.m., TV: ABC
No. 8 seed Oklahoma vs. No. 9 seed Alabama (-1.5)
Saturday, Dec. 20
College Football Playoff first-round game — 12 p.m., TV: ABC
No. 10 seed Miami (FL) vs. No. 7 seed Texas A&M (-3.5)
College Football Playoff first-round game — 3:30 p.m., TV: TNT
No. 11 seed Tulane vs. No. 6 seed Ole Miss (-16.5)
College Football Playoff first-round game — 7:30 p.m., TV: TNT
No. 12 seed James Madison vs. No. 5 seed Oregon (-21.5)
Monday, Dec. 22
Potato Bowl — 2 p.m., TV: ESPN
Washington State vs. Utah State (-3.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 23
Boca Raton Bowl — 2 p.m., TV: ESPN
Toledo vs. Louisville (-8.5)
New Orleans Bowl — 5:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky (-4.5)
Frisco Bowl — 9 p.m., TV: ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii vs. Cal (-2.5)
Friday, Dec. 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl — 1 p.m., TV: ESPN
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern (-13.5)
Rate Bowl — 4:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
New Mexico vs. Minnesota (-3.5)
First Responder Bowl — 8 p.m., TV: ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl — 11 a.m., TV: ESPN
East Carolina vs. Pittsburgh (-5.5)
Pinstripe Bowl — 12 p.m., TV: ABC
Penn State vs. Clemson (-2.5)
Fenway Bowl — 2:15 p.m., TV: ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl — 3:30 p.m., TV: ABC
Georgia Tech vs. BYU (-2.5)
Arizona Bowl — 4:30 p.m., TV: CW
Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State (-3.5)
New Mexico Bowl — 5:45 p.m., TV: ESPN
San Diego State vs. North Texas (-4.5)
Gator Bowl — 7:30 p.m., TV: ABC
Texas Bowl — 9:15 p.m., TV: ESPN
Monday, Dec. 29
Birmingham Bowl — 2 p.m., TV: ESPN
Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern (-2.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Independence Bowl — 2 p.m., TV: ESPN
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech (-8.5)
Music City Bowl — 5:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
Alamo Bowl — 9 p.m., TV: ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl — 12 p.m., TV: ESPN
Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (-4.5)
Sun Bowl — 2 p.m., TV: CBS
Arizona State vs. Duke (-1.5)
Citrus Bowl — 3 p.m., TV: ABC
Michigan vs. Texas (-5.5)
Las Vegas Bowl — 3:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
Friday, Jan. 2
Armed Forces Bowl — 1 p.m., TV: ESPN
Rice vs. Texas State (-9.5)
Liberty Bowl — 4:30 p.m., TV: ESPN
Navy vs. Cincinnati (-1.5)
Holiday Bowl — 8 p.m., TV: FOX
SMU vs. Arizona (-2.5)
Duke’s Mayo Bowl — 8 p.m., TV: ESPN
Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State (-3.5)
