The 2026–27 college football bowl schedule runs from December 12, 2026, through January 25, 2027, with the College Football Playoff deciding the national champion. The CFP first round begins December 18, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game in Las Vegas.
The 2026–27 college football bowl season features a packed postseason beginning with the Cricket Celebration Bowl on December 12 and continuing through the CFP National Championship on January 25, 2027. The CFP itself includes four first-round games, four quarterfinals, two semifinals and the championship game.
- If you’re looking for the dates worth circling, December 18–19 are the CFP first-round dates, December 30 and January 1 host the quarterfinals, January 14–15 host the semifinals, and January 25 is championship night.
2026–27 College Football Bowl Schedule at a Glance
| Date | Bowl / Round | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 12 | Cricket Celebration Bowl | Atlanta, GA |
| Dec. 15 | Salute to Veterans Bowl | Montgomery, AL |
| Dec. 15 | Frisco Football Classic | Frisco, TX |
| Dec. 18 | Boca Raton Bowl | Boca Raton, FL |
| Dec. 18 | Gasparilla Bowl | Tampa, FL |
| Dec. 18 | CFP First Round | Campus site |
| Dec. 19 | CFP First Round | Campus sites |
| Dec. 21 | Myrtle Beach Bowl | Conway, SC |
| Dec. 21 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Boise, ID |
| Dec. 22 | Puerto Rico Bowl | Bayamón, PR |
| Dec. 22 | Cure Bowl | Orlando, FL |
| Dec. 22 | Independence Bowl | Shreveport, LA |
| Dec. 23 | New Orleans Bowl | New Orleans, LA |
| Dec. 23 | Armed Forces Bowl | Fort Worth, TX |
| Dec. 23 | Poinsettia Bowl | San Diego, CA |
| Dec. 23 | Frisco Bowl | Frisco, TX |
| Dec. 24 | New Mexico Bowl | Albuquerque, NM |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaiʻi Bowl | Honolulu, HI |
| Dec. 26 | Pinstripe Bowl | Bronx, NY |
| Dec. 26 | Fenway Bowl | Boston, MA |
| Dec. 26 | Duke’s Mayo Bowl | Charlotte, NC |
| Dec. 26 | 68 Ventures Bowl | Mobile, AL |
| Dec. 26 | Cactus Bowl | Tempe, AZ |
| Dec. 28 | Military Bowl | Annapolis, MD |
| Dec. 28 | Holiday Bowl | San Diego, CA |
| Dec. 29 | Birmingham Bowl | Birmingham, AL |
| Dec. 29 | Pop-Tarts Bowl | Orlando, FL |
| Dec. 29 | Alamo Bowl | San Antonio, TX |
| Dec. 30 | Gator Bowl | Jacksonville, FL |
| Dec. 30 | Music City Bowl | Nashville, TN |
| Dec. 30 | CFP Quarterfinal — Fiesta Bowl | Glendale, AZ |
| Dec. 31 | ReliaQuest Bowl | Tampa, FL |
| Dec. 31 | Sun Bowl | El Paso, TX |
| Dec. 31 | Las Vegas Bowl | Las Vegas, NV |
| Dec. 31 | Texas Bowl | Houston, TX |
| Jan. 1 | CFP Quarterfinals | Atlanta, Arlington & Pasadena |
| Jan. 2 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, FL |
| Jan. 2 | First Responder Bowl | Dallas, TX |
| Jan. 2 | Liberty Bowl | Memphis, TN |
| Jan. 14 | CFP Semifinal — Orange Bowl | Miami Gardens, FL |
| Jan. 15 | CFP Semifinal — Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, LA |
| Jan. 25 | CFP National Championship | Las Vegas, NV |
Times and some television details can change; CFP quarterfinal matchups are determined after Selection Day.
When Does the College Football Bowl Season Start?
The 2026–27 postseason gets underway on Saturday, December 12, with the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.
The traditional FBS bowl schedule then begins on December 15, when the Salute to Veterans Bowl and Frisco Football Classic are scheduled.
The postseason becomes especially important on December 18, when the first CFP game is played at a campus site. Three more first-round playoff games follow on December 19.
That means fans don’t have to wait until New Year’s Day for playoff football. The expanded CFP gives the postseason a much bigger runway.
2026–27 College Football Playoff Schedule
The College Football Playoff remains the centerpiece of the bowl season.
The 12-team format gives the top four seeds first-round byes, while seeds 5 through 12 compete in four opening-round games hosted by higher-seeded teams.
CFP First Round
December 18–19, 2026
Four first-round games will be played at campus sites.
The exact teams and locations will be determined after the CFP Selection Committee releases the bracket on December 6.
This is where the bowl season starts feeling different from the old four-team playoff. Instead of waiting for neutral-site semifinal games, fans get meaningful postseason football on campus.
CFP Quarterfinal Schedule
The quarterfinals move into the traditional New Year’s Six bowl environment.
Fiesta Bowl
December 30, 2026
State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona
The Fiesta Bowl hosts one CFP quarterfinal.
New Year’s Day Quarterfinals
January 1, 2027
Three more quarterfinals will be played at:
- Peach Bowl — Atlanta, Georgia
- Cotton Bowl — Arlington, Texas
- Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California
The specific matchups and game windows are determined following Selection Day.
CFP Semifinal Schedule
After the quarterfinals, only four teams remain.
Orange Bowl
January 14, 2027
Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida
The Orange Bowl will host one CFP semifinal.
Sugar Bowl
January 15, 2027
Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, Louisiana
The Sugar Bowl hosts the second semifinal.
The semifinal winners advance to the biggest game of the entire college football season.
2027 College Football National Championship
January 25, 2027
Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, Nevada
The 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship will crown the winner of the 2026 college football season.
The championship is scheduled for January 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with ABC and ESPN carrying the game.
For fans planning a postseason trip, this is the date to remember.
Biggest Bowl Dates to Watch
Not every bowl game carries the same national championship implications, but several dates stand out.
December 18–19
CFP First Round
The playoff officially begins, with four games determining which teams advance to the quarterfinals.
December 30
Fiesta Bowl + Major Bowl Action
The Fiesta Bowl hosts the first CFP quarterfinal, while other major bowl games are also scheduled.
January 1
New Year’s Day Quarterfinals
This is one of the biggest days on the entire college football calendar, featuring the Peach, Cotton and Rose Bowl quarterfinals.
January 14–15
CFP Semifinals
Only four teams remain, and two games separate them from the national championship.
January 25
National Championship
Two teams enter. One leaves as national champion.
New Bowl Games and Changes for 2026–27
The 2026–27 bowl season has some notable changes compared with previous seasons.
The Poinsettia Bowl returns, while the Puerto Rico Bowl is introduced to the postseason lineup. The former Xbox Bowl has also been renamed the Frisco Football Classic, and the Rate Bowl has been renamed the Cactus Bowl.
Meanwhile, the LA Bowl and GameAbove Sports Bowl are not part of the 2026–27 lineup.
These changes make it particularly important for fans searching for an older bowl schedule to check the current season rather than relying on last year’s list.
How Many College Football Bowl Games Are There in 2026–27?
The exact count can look different depending on whether a source includes the Cricket Celebration Bowl and how it categorizes the CFP games.
The current schedule includes 35 non-CFP bowl games plus the 11 games of the 12-team College Football Playoff, according to a schedule updated October 14, 2026.
That gives fans a postseason packed with opportunities to watch college football from mid-December through the national championship in late January.
When Is College Football Bowl Selection Day?
CFP Selection Day is scheduled for Sunday, December 6, 2026.
That’s when the 12-team playoff field and seeds become known, turning many of the “TBD” matchups into actual games.
The bowl matchups for the non-playoff games are also finalized around this period.
This is an important date for anyone tracking potential bowl destinations, matchups, travel plans, or betting markets.
Are Bowl Game Matchups Known Yet?
Not all of them.
Because the 2026 regular season is still underway, the teams that will participate in most bowl games cannot be confirmed yet. The schedule establishes dates, bowl names and locations, while the actual matchups are determined later.
That’s why a reliable bowl schedule should separate confirmed game information from projections.
Projected matchups published months before Selection Day are predictions not official bowl pairings.
College Football Bowl Schedule: What Fans Should Know
The easiest way to follow bowl season is to think of it in three stages:
Stage 1 — Bowl Season Begins
Mid-December brings the first non-CFP bowl games.
Stage 2 — CFP Takes Over
December 18–19 begins the 12-team playoff, followed by quarterfinals around New Year’s.
Stage 3 — Championship Chase
- The Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl determine the finalists before the January 25 championship in Las Vegas.
- This structure gives the postseason a natural build-up rather than putting all the attention on a single New Year’s Day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the college football bowl schedule for 2026–27?
The 2026–27 college football bowl season begins December 12 with the Cricket Celebration Bowl and runs through January 25, 2027, when the CFP National Championship is played in Las Vegas.
When is the first College Football Playoff game?
The first CFP game is scheduled for December 18, 2026, with three additional first-round games on December 19. The first round is played at campus sites.
When are the CFP quarterfinals?
The first quarterfinal is scheduled for December 30, 2026, at the Fiesta Bowl. Three additional quarterfinals take place January 1, 2027, at the Peach, Cotton and Rose Bowls.
When are the College Football Playoff semifinals?
The semifinals are scheduled for January 14 and January 15, 2027, at the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
When is the 2027 college football national championship?
The 2027 CFP National Championship is scheduled for January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
When will bowl matchups be announced?
Most bowl matchups will be determined after the regular season and conference championships, with CFP Selection Day scheduled for December 6, 2026.
Where can I find the latest college football bowl schedule?
The NCAA’s official college football schedule is the best place to verify current dates, times and postseason information because schedules and broadcast details can change.
Final Thoughts
The 2026–27 college football bowl schedule is more than a list of postseason games it’s the road to a national championship.
From the first bowl games in December to the CFP first round on December 18–19, the quarterfinals on December 30 and January 1, the Orange and Sugar Bowl semifinals, and finally the January 25 championship in Las Vegas, the postseason gives fans nearly six weeks of high-stakes college football.
For the best experience, bookmark the schedule and check it again after December 6 Selection Day, when the playoff bracket and bowl matchups become much clearer. Times, networks and other details remain subject to change.
