Poinsettia Bowl, new Pac-12’s first bowl tie-in, receives kickoff time

Bowl game to feature new Pac-12 against old Pac-12

Poinsettia Bowl trophy. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Boise State is unable to reach the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons, the Broncos hope to be the new Pac-12’s representative in the reborn Poinsettia Bowl.

The Poinsettia Bowl, which began in 2005 and ceased operations in 2016, is returning this season and will pit the Pac-12 champion—assuming the team doesn’t qualify for the CFP—against a Pac-12 legacy team. The 10 Pac-12 legacy teams are Arizona (Big 12), Arizona State (Big 12), California (ACC), Colorado (Big 12), Oregon (Big Ten), Stanford (ACC), UCLA (Big Ten), USC (Big Ten), Utah (Big 12) and Washington (Big Ten).

On Thursday, the Poinsettia Bowl announced that the 13th edition of the bowl game will be held at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The game will air live on The CW. 

The CW will also broadcast the 2026 Holiday Bowl and Arizona Bowl. The Holiday Bowl is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium while the Arizona Bowl will be played on a to-be-announced date. 

“The CW continues to build on our biggest college football season ever with the addition of the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl and the Holiday Bowl,” vice president of CW Sports Mike Perman said in a press release. “Our broadcast of the Arizona Bowl has been a huge success over the last three seasons, and we look forward to collaborating alongside Sports San Diego to bring two more premier college football bowl games to a national audience.”

The new Pac-12 agreed to a five-year media rights deal for the 2026-30 seasons with The CW last August. The CW also has deals with the ACC and MWC. 

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State all left the MWC for the Pac-12 on July 1. The eight-team football conference also features Oregon State and Washington State and former Sun Belt member Texas State. Gonzaga, which does not have a football program, is the conference’s ninth full member. 

A new six-year bowl cycle was supposed to begin this season, but all bowl tie-ins were extended for an additional year due to uncertainty about CFP expansion. The CFP could expand to 16 or 24 teams for the 2027 season, which would impact the bowl schedule. 

The Poinsettia Bowl is the new Pac-12’s first bowl tie-in for the upcoming bowl cycle. The Pac-12 and MWC previously had a deal with the LA Bowl, which folded after the 2025 season. 

The 2026 Holiday Bowl will feature an ACC team against a Pac-12 legacy program. Of the current members, only Oregon State and Washington State will be eligible for the Holiday Bowl in 2026. 

The Arizona Bowl has tie-ins with the MWC and Mid-American Conference. 

Boise State holds a 1-1 record in the Poinsettia Bowl with a 17-16 loss to TCU in 2008 and a 55-7 drubbing of Northern Illinois in 2015.