In case you’re suffering from the cold weather doldrums, the college football bowl season begins its holiday marathon on Saturday. Its endless schedule goes until the first week of January with games being played in stadiums from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the sleepy Texas village of Frisco.
Bowls have become made-for-TV events pushing aside the Hallmark holiday movies so fans who are hooked on college football can get a momentary fix even though many of the teams that are playing are regular season leftovers that would be forgotten in the back of the fridge were it not for the 41 bowl games we must endure.
Games begin with a match-up of North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State this weekend in the Air Force Celebration Bowl. This thriller will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with kickoff at noon on Saturday. And yes, it’s on network television.
Fans from the area must wait until later to see their favorite teams. Auburn doesn’t play until Dec. 28 when the Tigers meet Purdue in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville. This delay will give Coach Gus Malzahn some additional time to draw up more trick plays — maybe even some that work.
Georgia Tech will throw a going away party for departing Coach Paul Johnson when they play Minnesota at the Quick Lane Bowl. This will also give new head coach Geoff Collins a chance to watch the team practice before spring football workouts begin. Problem is, if fans want to say goodbye to Johnson and his option offense, they’ll have to endure a few days in Detroit touring abandoned automobile plants and driving through Eminem’s old neighborhood.
Georgia plays on New Year’s Day in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Bulldogs, who finished regular season play a touchdown away from the championship playoffs, meet No. 15 Texas, hoping to preserve a spot in the Top 5.
As usual, Alabama is in College Football Playoff Semifinals. The top-ranked Crimson Tide meets No. 4 Oklahoma and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Kyler Murray in the Capitol One Orange Bowl in the nightcap. That follows a duel between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas.
If you’re curious, and if you care, here’s the complete bowl lineup:
Saturday, Dec 15, 2018
Bowl
|
Location
|
Time (ET) / TV
|
Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State
|
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
|
12:00pm ET
ABC
|
New Mexico Bowl
North Texas vs. Utah State
|
Dreamstyle Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
|
2:00pm ET
ESPN
|
AutoNation Cure Bowl
Louisiana vs. Tulane
|
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
|
2:30pm ET
CBSSN
|
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
21 Fresno State vs. Arizona State
|
Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, NV
|
3:30pm ET
ABC
|
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan
|
Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, AL
|
5:30pm ET
ESPN
|
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee
|
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
|
9:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Tuesday, Dec 18, 2018
|
|
|
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
UAB vs. Northern Illinois
|
FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, FL
|
7:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2018
|
|
|
DXL Frisco Bowl
Ohio vs. San Diego State
|
Toyota Stadium
Frisco, TX
|
8:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Thursday, Dec 20, 2018
|
|
|
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Marshall vs. USF
|
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
|
8:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Friday, Dec 21, 2018
|
|
|
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
FIU vs. Toledo
|
Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
|
12:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
BYU vs. Western Michigan
|
Albertson’s Stadium
Boise, ID
|
4:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Saturday, Dec 22, 2018
|
|
|
Birmingham Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Memphis
|
Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
|
12:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Houston vs. Army
|
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
|
3:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Dollar General Bowl
Troy vs. Buffalo
|
Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
|
7:00pm ET
ESPN
|
SoFi Hawai’i Bowl
Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
|
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
|
10:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Wednesday, Dec 26, 2018
|
|
|
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Boston College vs. 25 Boise State
|
Cotton Bowl Stadium
Dallas, TX
|
1:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Quick Lane Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Minnesota
|
Ford Field
Detroit, MI
|
5:15pm ET
ESPN
|
Cheez-It Bowl
California vs. TCU
|
Chase Field
Phoenix, AZ
|
9:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Thursday, Dec 27, 2018
|
|
|
Walk On’s Independence Bowl
Temple vs. Duke
|
Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
|
1:30pm ET
ESPN
|
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Miami (FL) vs. Wisconsin
|
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
|
5:15pm ET
ESPN
|
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Baylor vs. Vanderbilt
|
NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
|
9:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Friday, Dec 28, 2018
|
|
|
Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City Bowl
Purdue vs. Auburn
|
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, TN
|
1:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Camping World Bowl
20 Syracuse vs. 16 West Virginia
|
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
|
5:15pm ET
ESPN
|
Valero Alamo Bowl
13 Washington State vs. 24 Iowa State
|
Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
|
9:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Saturday, Dec 29, 2018
|
|
|
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
10 Florida vs. 7 Michigan
|
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
|
12:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Belk Bowl
Virginia vs. South Carolina
|
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
|
12:30pm ET
ABC
|
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Nevada
|
Arizona Stadium
Tucson, AZ
|
1:00pm ET
CBSSN
|
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
3 Notre Dame vs. 2 Clemson
|
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
|
4:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Capital One Orange Bowl
4 Oklahoma vs. 1 Alabama
|
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
|
8:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Monday, Dec 31, 2018
|
|
|
Military Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati
|
Navy-Marine Corps Mem. Stadium
Annapolis, MD
|
12:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Stanford vs. Pitt
|
Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX
|
2:00pm ET
CBS
|
Redbox Bowl
Oregon vs. Michigan State
|
Levi’s Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
|
3:00pm ET
FOX
|
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
23 Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
|
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
|
3:45pm ET
ESPN
|
SDCCU Holiday Bowl
17 Utah vs. 22 Northwestern
|
Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, CA
|
7:00pm ET
FS1
|
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
19 Texas A&M vs. NC State
|
TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, FL
|
7:30pm ET
ESPN
|
Tuesday, Jan 1, 2019
|
|
|
Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. 18 Mississippi State
|
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
|
12:00pm ET
ESPN2
|
VRBO Citrus Bowl
14 Kentucky vs. 12 Penn State
|
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
|
1:00pm ET
ABC
|
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
11 LSU vs. 8 UCF
|
State Farm Stadium
Glendale, AZ
|
1:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Rose Bowl Game
6 Ohio State vs. 9 Washington
|
Rose Bowl Stadium
Pasadena, CA
|
5:00pm ET
ESPN
|
Allstate Sugar Bowl
15 Texas vs. 5 Georgia
|
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
|
8:45pm ET
ESPN
|
Monday, Jan 7, 2019
|
|
|
CFP National Championship
Semifinal Winners
|
Levi’s Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
|
8:00pm ET
ESPN
|
