2026-27 NCAA College Football Bowl Schedule: TV Channels, Scores and Kickoff Times

College football's bowl season will be back before we know it, and this year it starts earlier and ends later than most fans expect.

Here is the full 2026-27 calendar, plus a few extra details worth knowing before you plan your December around it.

2026-27 bowl season key dates

• First game: Celebration Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 12, noon ET on ABC
• Last game: CFP National Championship, Monday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
• Bowl season length: 45 days
• Total games: 46
• Teams playing: 80, or 58% of the Football Bowl Subdivision
• Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 6

What the numbers say about bowl season

• More than half the sport reaches the postseason. A team can finish 6-6 and still fly somewhere warm in late December.

• ESPN and its family of networks carry 38 of the 46 games.

• CBS has one game. TNT has five playoff games.

• The Arizona Bowl goes to The CW. The Holiday Bowl network is still being determined.

• The Army-Navy Game shares the Dec. 12 opening date at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. Bowl season now starts on top of the sport's oldest rivalry game instead of after it.

National anthem before the game between Navy and Army — National anthem before the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army West Point Black Knights at M&T Bank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

College Football Playoff schedule, TV channels

First round

• Friday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m. on ESPN
• Saturday, Dec. 19, noon on ABC/ESPN
• Saturday, Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max
• Saturday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max

• All four games are at the home stadium of the higher seed

Quarterfinals

• Fiesta Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max
• Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl, Friday, Jan. 1, times announced on Selection Day

Semifinals

• Orange Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max
• Sugar Bowl, Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN

Championship

• Monday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m. on ABC, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

Quarterfinals end on Jan. 1, and the semifinals do not start until Jan. 14. That is 13 days off, then 10 more days before the title game. The playoff field plays four games across 39 days.

New bowl games, unusual calendar spots

• Puerto Rico Bowl, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1:30 p.m. on ESPN, is a new entry to the bowl calendar this year.

• Christmas Eve doubleheader returns Thursday, Dec. 24 with the New Mexico Bowl at 2:30 p.m. and the Hawai'i Bowl at 7 p.m., both on ESPN.

• ABC runs tripleheaders on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

• The Frisco Football Classic on Dec. 15 and the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23 use the same building, Ford Center at The Star.

• Raymond James Stadium in Tampa hosts two games, the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 18 and the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31.

general view of the stadium before the Gasparilla Bowl — General view of the stadium before the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Full 2026-27 college football bowl schedule, times, TV channels

Saturday, Dec. 12

• Celebration Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 12 p.m., ABC

Tuesday, Dec. 15

• Salute to Veterans Bowl, Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., 5:30 p.m., ESPN
• Frisco Football Classic, Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN

Friday, Dec. 18

• Boca Raton Bowl, Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla., 11 a.m., ESPN
• Gasparilla Bowl, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., 2:30 p.m., ESPN
• CFP First Round, campus site TBD, 8 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 19

• CFP First Round, campus site TBD, 12 p.m., ABC/ESPN
• CFP First Round, campus site TBD, 3:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max
• CFP First Round, campus site TBD, 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Monday, Dec. 21

• Myrtle Beach Bowl, Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C., 11 a.m., ESPN
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Georgia State Panthers head coach Shawn Elliott hoists the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl trophy | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Tuesday, Dec. 22

• Puerto Rico Bowl, Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
• Cure Bowl, Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla., 5 p.m., ESPN
• Independence Bowl, Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 23

• New Orleans Bowl, Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, 2 p.m., ESPN
• Armed Forces Bowl, Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
• Frisco Bowl, Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 24

• New Mexico Bowl, University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M., 2:30 p.m., ESPN
• Hawai'i Bowl, Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, 7 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 26

• Pinstripe Bowl, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., 12 p.m., ABC
• Fenway Bowl, Fenway Park in Boston, 2 p.m., ESPN
• Duke's Mayo Bowl, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., 3:30 p.m., ABC
• 68 Ventures Bowl, Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., 5:30 p.m., ESPN
• Cactus Bowl, Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., 7:30 p.m., ABC

Monday, Dec. 28

• Military Bowl, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., 2 p.m., ESPN

Tuesday, Dec. 29

• Birmingham Bowl, Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., 2 p.m., ESPN
• Pop-Tarts Bowl, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., 5:30 p.m., ESPN
• Alamo Bowl, Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN

Pop-Tarts mascots celebrate at the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday, Dec. 30

• Gator Bowl, EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., 11:30 a.m., ESPN
• Music City Bowl, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., 3 p.m., ESPN
• CFP Quarterfinal, Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Thursday, Dec. 31

• ReliaQuest Bowl, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., 12 p.m., ESPN
• Sun Bowl, Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, 2 p.m., CBS
• Las Vegas Bowl, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, 3:45 p.m., ESPN
• Texas Bowl, NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Friday, Jan. 1

• CFP Quarterfinal, Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, TBA
• CFP Quarterfinal, Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., TBA
• CFP Quarterfinal, Peach Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., TBA

Saturday, Jan. 2

• Citrus Bowl, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., 12 p.m., ABC
• First Responder Bowl, Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, 3:30 p.m., ABC
• Liberty Bowl, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., 7:30 p.m., ABC

Thursday, Jan. 14

• CFP Semifinal, Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Friday, Jan. 15

• CFP Semifinal, Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, 7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Monday, Jan. 25

• CFP National Championship, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m., ABC

Bowl games still waiting on dates

Two games have not been slotted yet. The Holiday Bowl and the Arizona Bowl are both still being scheduled, and their kickoff times will come later. The Arizona Bowl is set for The CW, and the Holiday Bowl network has not been named.

Matchups for every game are announced after Selection Day on Dec. 6.

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