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41 college bowl games will be played between December 14, 2024, and January 21, 2025. This tight schedule makes it hard to know which ones are worth watching and which are just for unlucky teams to close out their season with dignity. But don't despair, as we have a quick map for you to navigate the NCAA bowl season.
Although it is not a bowl per se, the traditional game between Army and Navy is a good start to the bowl season. This year, the game will be played on Dec. 14 at Northwest Stadium at 3:00 p.m. EST.
After that, it's more than two weeks to get to the College Football Playoff games, where the ticket to the national title will be at play. But that doesn't mean there aren't any games worth watching in these 17 days.
For example, the Pop-Tarts Bowl will pit Miami and Iowa State on Dec. 28, while Michigan and Alabama will play the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31. On Dec. 27, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech will play the Birmingham Bowl, satisfying the needs of the thirsty college football fan.
The College Football Playoff
The new CFP format went into effect this season, allowing the top 12 teams in 2024 to fight for a ticket to the championship game to be played on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This should be the best game of the bowl season, but it will all depend on which teams make it.
The first round of the CFP will not be played in traditional bowl games. The real action begins in the quarterfinals, specifically the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, where third-seeded Boise State awaits the winner of the first-round game between SMU and Penn State.
The bulk of the quarterfinals will be played on Jan. 1. Peach Bowl will see Arizona State (4) face the winner of the Clemson or Texas duel. Sugar Bowl will pit Georgia (2) against Indiana or Notre Dame, and Oregon (1) awaits the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
Best of the rest
Head coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes will look to shake off the sting of missing out on the CFP when they face the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. This will be fans' last chance to see Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in college uniforms before they jump to the NFL.
If you still have room in your schedule, it's also worth setting aside a few hours for the Holiday Bowl between Syracuse and Washington State on Dec. 27, as well as the Citrus Bowl, which South Carolina and Illinois will play on the final day of the year.