There is still over a month remaining in the 2025 college football regular season, but it's never too early to start looking ahead to bowl season.
To qualify for a bowl game and the opportunity to compete in the postseason, teams generally must hold at least a .500 record and six wins against Division I opponents. No more than one of those wins can take place against a scholarship-awarding FCS team.
If there aren't enough teams to fill all the bowl-game spots, then teams can be chosen to play in a bowl game if they (in order) were knocked below .500 after losing in the conference championship game, would have been bowl eligible had an FCS opponent gave out enough scholarships, were a 6–7 teams that did not play in a conference championship game, moving from the FCS to FBS, or went 5–7, selected in order of their Academic Progress Rate.
As teams look to secure at least six wins and a winning record to become bowl eligible, here's a look at the college football bowl game schedule this year.
When does bowl season start?
This year's slate of bowl games will once again begin in December, with the first couple games taking place on Dec. 13, a week after the conference championship games. Bowl games will take place from Dec. 13 to Jan. 2, except for the bowl games which are part of the College Football Playoff tournament, which will run from Dec. 31 to Jan. 9.
Full list of bowl game dates and locations
Bowl Game
Date
Time/TV (ET)
Location
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Dec. 13
Noon, ABC
Atlanta, GA
LA Bowl
Dec. 13
9 p.m., ESPN
Inglewood, CA
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Dec. 16
9 p.m., ESPN
Montgomery, AL
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Dec. 17
5 p.m., ESPN
Orlando, FL
68 Ventures Bowl
Dec. 17
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Mobile, AL
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Dec. 19
Noon, ESPN
Conway, SC
Gasparilla Bowl
Dec. 19
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Tampa, FL
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Dec. 22
2 p.m., ESPN
Boise, ID
Boca Raton Bowl
Dec. 23
2 p.m., ESPN
Boca Raton, FL
New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 23
5:30 p.m., ESPN
New Orleans, LA
Frisco Bowl
Dec. 23
9 p.m., ESPN
Frisco, TX
Hawai’i Bowl
Dec. 24
8 p.m., ESPN
Honolulu, HI
Sports Bowl
Dec. 26
1 p.m., ESPN
Detroit MI
Rate Bowl
Dec. 26
4:30 p.m., ESPN
Phoenix, AZ
First Responder Bowl
Dec. 26
8 p.m., ESPN
Dallas, TX
Military Bowl
Dec. 27
11 a.m., ESPN
Annapolis, MD
Pinstripe Bowl
Dec. 27
12 p.m., ABC
Bronx, NY
Fenway Bowl
Dec. 27
2:15 p.m., ESPN
Boston, MA
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Dec. 27
3:30 p.m., ABC
Orlando, FL
Arizona Bowl
Dec. 27
4:30 p.m., CW Network
Tuscon, AZ
New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 27
5:45 p.m., ESPN
Albuquerque, NM
Gator Bowl
Dec. 27
7:30 p.m., ABC
Jacksonville, FL
Texas Bowl
Dec. 27
9:15 p.m., ESPN
Houston, TX
Birmingham Bowl
Dec. 29
2 p.m., ESPN
Birmingham, AL
Independence Bowl
Dec. 30
2 p.m., ESPN
Shrevport, LA
Music City Bowl
Dec. 30
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Nashville, TN
Alamo Bowl
Dec. 30
9 p.m., ESPN
San Antonio, TX
ReliaQuest Bowl
Dec. 31
12 p.m., ESPN
Tampa, FL
Sun Bowl
Dec. 31
2 p.m., CBS
El Paso, TX
Citrus Bowl
Dec. 31
3 p.m., ABC
Orlando, FL
Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 31
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Las Vegas, NV
Armed Forces Bowl
Jan. 2
1 p.m., ESPN
Forth Worth, TX
Liberty Bowl
Jan. 2
4:30 p.m., ESPN
Memphis, TN
Mayo Bowl
Jan. 2
8 p.m., ESPN
Charlotte, NC
Holiday Bowl
Jan. 2
8 p.m., Fox
San Diego, CA
CFP bowl game schedule
Both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the CFP will be bowl games, including three of the iconic New Year's Day bowl games. The first round of the CFP will take place on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 at the host team's stadium, and the national championship game will be held at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19.
Bowl Game
Date
Round
Time/TV (ET)
Location
Cotton Bowl
Dec. 31
Quarterfinals
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Arlington, TX
Orange Bowl
Jan. 1
Quarterfinals
12 p.m., ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1
Quarterfinals
4 p.m., ESPN
Pasadena, CA
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1
Quarterfinals
8 p.m., ESPN
New Orleans, LA
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 8
Semifinals
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Glendale, AZ
Peach Bowl
Jan. 9
Semifinals
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Atlanta, GA
CFP Championship
Jan. 19
Championship
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
