College Football Bowl Season: 2023-2024 Schedule and Matchups

With the regular season and conference championships complete, college football turns its attention to the 42 bowls scheduled throughout December and into the new year.

Headlining the bowls are two games that constitute the College Football Playoff, both played on Jan. 1, 2024. In the first game, Alabama will face Michigan in the Rose Bowl, followed by Texas vs. Washington in the Sugar Bowl.

The two winners will face off in the national championship game Jan. 8.

This year will be the last time the playoff format features four teams. Beginning in 2024, the field will expand to 12.

Choosing only four teams for the playoff has often proven controversial for the selection committee, and this year's decision to exclude unbeaten Florida State, champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, in favor of 12-1 Alabama, which defeated Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game, has drawn considerable criticism.

Here's the full slate of bowl games that will conclude the 2023-24 season. All times listed are Eastern Time.

College Football Playoff

Monday, Jan. 1

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan

Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC title game; Michigan (13-0) won the Big Ten championship.

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)

5 p.m.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington

Texas (12-1) won the Big 12 title; Washington (13-0) won the Pac-12 title, which could be the conference's swan song.

Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

8:45 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 8

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T

TBD vs. TBD

NRG Stadium (Houston)

7:30 p.m.

‘New Year's Six’ Bowls

Friday, Dec. 29

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State

Missouri (10-2) finished second in the SEC East division; Ohio State (11-1) finished second in the Big Ten East

AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 30

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 11 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Penn State

Ole Miss (10-2) finished tied for second in the SEC West; Penn State (10-2) finished third in the Big Ten East

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Noon

Capital One Orange Bowl

No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State

Defending champ Georgia (12-1) lost to Alabama in the SEC title game; Florida State (13-0) won the ACC title (and, some say, got hosed)

Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)

4 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 1

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon

Liberty (13-0) won the Conference USA title and is the highest-ranked school from the "Group of 5" (conferences outside the Power 5), earning a New Year's Six berth; Oregon (11-2) lost in the Pac-12 title game.

State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

1 p.m.

Additional Bowl Games

Saturday, Dec. 16

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Georgia Southern vs. Ohio

Georgia Southern (6-6) finished tied for fifth in the Sun Belt East; Ohio (9-3) finished second in the Mid-American Conference East.

Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)

11 a.m.

Cricket Celebration Bowl

Howard vs. Florida A&M

This bowl features representatives from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences. Howard (6-5) finished tied atop the MEAC, while Florida A&M (11-1) won the SWAC title.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Noon

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana

As a newcomer to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Jacksonville State (8-4) circumvented the two-year bowl ineligibility period because not enough teams qualified as bowl-eligible. The team finished third in Conference USA. Louisiana (6-6) finished fifth in the Sun Belt West.

Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

2:15 p.m.

Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl

Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State

Miami (11-2) won the MAC title game; App State (8-5) lost in the Sun Belt conference championship.

FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

3:30 p.m.

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico State vs. Fresno State

New Mexico State (10-4) lost in the Conference USA title game; Fresno State (8-4) finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West Conference.

University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

5:45 p.m.

LA Bowl

UCLA vs. Boise State

UCLA (7-5) finished tied for seventh in the Pac-12; Boise State (8-5) finished atop the Mountain West.

SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)

7:30 p.m.

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Cal-Berkeley vs. Texas Tech

Cal (6-6) finished tied for seventh in the Pac-12; Texas Tech (6-6) finished tied for seventh in the Big 12.

Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)

9:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 18

Famous Toastery Bowl

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion

Western Kentucky (7-5) finished fourth in Conference USA; Old Dominion finished tied for third in the Sun Belt East

Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)

2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl

Texas at San Antonio vs. Marshall

UTSA (8-4) finished third in the American Athletic Conference; Marshall (6-6) finished tied for fifth in the Sun Belt East

Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)

9 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 21

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

South Florida vs. Syracuse

South Florida (6-6) finished tied for fifth in the American Athletic Conference; Syracuse (6-6) finished tied for 11th in the ACC.

FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)

8 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 22

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

Georgia Tech vs. Central Florida

Georgia Tech (6-6) finished tied for fourth in the ACC; UCF (6-6) finished tied for ninth in the Big 12.

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 23

Birmingham Bowl

Troy vs. Duke

Troy (11-2) won the Sun Belt Conference title game; Duke (7-5) finished tied for sixth in the ACC.

Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)

Noon

Camellia Bowl

Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois

Arkansas State (6-6) finished tied for second in the Sun Belt West; Northern Illinois (6-6) finished second in the Mid-American West.

Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)

Noon

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

James Madison vs. Air Force

James Madison (11-1), an FBS newcomer, became bowl-eligible because not enough teams qualified; the Dukes finished atop the Sun Belt East. Air Force (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Mountain West.

Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)

3:30 p.m.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Georgia State vs. Utah State

Georgia State (6-6) finished tied for fifth in the Sun Belt East; Utah State (6-6) finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West.

Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)

3:30 p.m.

68 Ventures Bowl

South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan

South Alabama (6-6) finished tied for second in the Sun Belt West; Eastern Michigan (6-6) finished third in the MAC West.

Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)

7 p.m.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Utah vs. Northwestern

Utah (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12; Northwestern (7-5) finished tied for second in the Big Ten West.

Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)

7:30 p.m.

EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl

Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State

Coastal Carolina (7-5) finished tied for third in the Sun Belt East; San Jose State (7-5) finished tied atop the Mountain West

Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)

10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Quick Lane Bowl

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota

Bowling Green (7-5) finished third in the MAC; Minnesota (5-7) finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten West and became bowl-eligible when not enough teams qualified.

Ford Field (Detroit)

2 p.m.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Texas State vs. Rice

Texas State (7-5) finished tied for second in the Sun Belt West; Rice (6-6) finished tied for fifth in the American Athletic Conference.

Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)

5:30 p.m.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Kansas vs. Nevada-Las Vegas

Kansas (8-4) finished tied for seventh in the Big 12; UNLV (9-4) lost in the Mountain West title game.

Chase Field (Phoenix)

9 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com

Virginia Tech vs. Tulane

Virginia Tech (6-6) finished tied for fourth in the ACC; Tulane (11-2) lost in the American Athletic Conference title game.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)

2 p.m.

Duke's Mayo Bowl

North Carolina vs. West Virginia

North Carolina (8-4) finished tied for sixth in the ACC; West Virginia (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Big 12.

Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)

5:30 p.m.

DirecTV Holiday Bowl

Louisville vs. USC

Louisville (10-3) finished second in the ACC; USC (7-5) finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12.

Petco Park (San Diego)

8 p.m.

TaxAct Texas Bowl

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State

Texas A&M (7-5) finished fourth in the SEC West; Oklahoma State (9-4) lost in the Big 12 title game.

NRG Stadium (Houston)

9 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 28

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Southern Methodist vs. Boston College

SMU (11-2) won the American Athletic Conference title game; Boston College (6-6) finished tied for ninth in the ACC.

Fenway Park (Boston)

11 a.m.

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

Rutgers vs. Miami

Rutgers (6-6) finished fifth in the Big Ten East; Miami (7-5) finished tied for ninth in the ACC.

Yankee Stadium (New York)

2:15 p.m.

Pop-Tarts Bowl

NC State vs. Kansas State

NC State (9-3) finished third in the ACC; Kansas State (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Big 12.

Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

5:45 p.m.

Valero Alamo Bowl

Arizona vs. Oklahoma

Arizona (9-3) finished third in the Pac-12; Oklahoma (10-2) finished tied for second in the Big 12.

Alamodome (San Antonio)

9:15 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 29

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Clemson vs. Kentucky

Clemson (8-4) finished tied for sixth in the ACC; Kentucky (7-5) finished tied for fourth in the SEC East.

EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)

Noon

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Oregon State vs. Notre Dame

Oregon State (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12; Notre Dame, an independent, finished 9-3.

Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)

2 p.m.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Memphis vs. Iowa State

Memphis (9-3) finished fourth in the American Athletic Conference; Iowa State (7-5) finished tied for fourth in the Big 12.

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)

3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 30

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Auburn vs. Maryland

Auburn (6-6) finished fifth in the SEC West; Maryland (7-5) finished fourth in the Big Ten East.

Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)

2 p.m.

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Toledo vs. Wyoming

Toledo (11-2) lost in the MAC title game; Wyoming (8-4) finished tied for fourth in the Mountain West.

Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)

4:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 1

ReliaQuest Bowl

Wisconsin vs. LSU

Wisconsin (7-5) finished tied for second in the Big Ten West; LSU (9-3) finished tied for second in the SEC West.

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

Noon

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

Iowa vs. Tennessee

Iowa (10-3) lost in the Big Ten championship game; Tennessee (8-4) finished third in the SEC East.

Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

1 p.m.

RELATED LINKS:

https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/college-football-playoff-2023-2024/

https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/college-football-playoff-2022-2023/

https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/who-has-the-most-national-championships-in-college-football/