Bowl Game Viewing Guide

While the CFP has taken up most of our attention, bowl season is in full swing. Notable results for Oregon fans so far include a meteor failing to hit the LA Bowl and the WSU Cougars defeating future Pac-St8 conference peer Utah State on the blue turf. Despite losing their quarterback to Ole Miss, of all places, in the Division II bracket Ferris State (MI) repeated as national champions.

If the outcome hasn’t been spoiled for you, I would highly recommend viewing a replay of the 2025 Celebration Bowl. It will definitely go down as a highlight of the post season.

Here is a brief look at other upcoming games before the CFP resumes on New Year’s Eve.

Hawai’i Bowl 12/24 at 5PM on ESPN: Hawai’i vs Cal

Coach Timmy Chang has rebuilt the Rainbow Warriors from the ground up and has them back in the post season. Given the mess of the Aloha Stadium situation, Cal’s reward for a 7-5 year in the ACC is a trip to the 15,000 seat grand stands on the UH campus. It will still be a warm winter’s evening in Honolulu for quarterbacks Micah Alejado and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to put on an air show. Mele kalikimaka!

GameAbove Sports Bowl 12/26 at 10AM on ESPN: Central Michigan vs Northwestern

MAC teams love nothing better than earning bragging rights over the Big Ten. Expect a low scoring slug fest played by “tough nosed” football teams.

Rate Bowl 12/26 at 1:30PM on ESPN: New Mexico vs Minnesota

The Lobos missed out on the MWC championship game due to tie breakers, but greatly exceeded expectations. The Golden Gophers are still rowing the boat with another 7-5 record. UNM has the edge in per play and per game performance. Is most of the Big Ten that much better than the teams in this year’s Mountain West?

First Responders Bowl 12/26 at 5PM on ESPN: Florida International vs Texas San Antonio

Tune in to see if any players/coordinators might be worth keeping an eye on in the portal.

Military Bowl 12/27 at 8AM on ESPN: Pitt vs East Carolina

As an Oregon fan I never like purple uniforms but I have to be clear: Pitt’s brown/yellow colors are by far the ugliest shade I’ve ever seen in a team’s kit.

Pinstripe Bowl 12/27 at 9AM on ABC: Clemson vs Penn State

Can “little ‘ole Clemson” beat a Nittany Lions squad with an interim coach and a backup QB? Watch these pre-season national title contenders play in a baseball stadium for the schadenfreude.

Fenway Bowl 12/27 at 11:15AM on ESPN: UCONN vs Army

It’s difficult to root against a service academy, but these Huskies are a nice story having found just enough success in the independent wilderness to have their coach hired away by Colorado State.

Pop-Tarts Bowl 12/27 at 12:30PM on ABC: Georgia Tech vs BYU

This could have been a playoff game had a few things broken differently. A dynamic Yellow Jackets dual threat quarterback, 25 year old married college players in their last game, and ritualized cannibalism. What’s not to love?

Arizona Bowl 12/27 at 1:30PM on The CW: Miami (OH) vs Fresno State

These Bulldogs are not the BCS-busters of yore, but MAC teams often struggle against other mid-majors in the post season. Still, the spread is less than a touchdown as of the time of this writing. I don’t bet on games and don’t encourage it, but perhaps this will be a more competitive match than it seems at first.

New Mexico Bowl 12/27 at 2:45PM on ESPN: North Texas vs San Diego State

This could be an under the radar gem. The Mean Green’s high flying offense had them a game away from the CFP, while the Aztecs defense led them toa 9-3 record including a shutout victory over Cal. Opt-outs and transfers may have a deleterious effect, but this matchup has all the makings of an unstoppable force meeting and immovable object.

Gator Bowl 12/27 at 4:30PM on ABC: Virginia vs Missouri

The Cavs had their chance at the CFP but let it slip away in overtime of the ACC championship game against Duke. Missouri’s QB was injured in a loss to Vanderbilt and has stated he intends to enter the transfer portal. Which team actually wants to play this game?

Texas Bowl 12/27 at 6:15PM on ESPN: LSU vs Houston

This is the team you have to work with Lane Kiffin. Look at your life, look at your choices.

Birmingham Bowl 12/29 at 11AM on ESPN: Georgia Southern vs Appalachian State

The Mountaineers only snuck into the post-season at 5-7 due to opt-outs from other teams. Still, these are two passionate programs and the game is a reasonable distance south of each campus. It should be a good atmosphere if nothing else.

Independence Bowl 12/30 at 11AM on ESPN: Coastal Carolina vs Louisiana Tech

Don’t act like you’ll actually be getting any work done on the 30th. Be honest; we’ll be watching because it is college football.

Music City Bowl 12/30 at 2:30PM on ESPN: Tennessee vs Illinois

The Illini had a good season, but didn’t have as much luck as in their previous campaign. The Vols were expected to be in a rebuild and generally exceeded expectations. Can one team use this as an opportunity to train up their younger players as a head start on 2026?

Alamo Bowl 12/30 at 6PM on ESPN: USC vs TCU

Pray to whatever power(s) you believe in that the Trojans are up by 31 at halftime, because you know what happens then…

ReliaQuest Bowl 12/31 at 9AM on ESPN: Iowa vs Vanderbilt

SEC teams typically don’t let Iowa’s defense lull them into the trap that B1G teams constantly fall for. The Commodore’s have had one of the best season’s in their history and do not want to end with a dud. Personally, I think this could turn into a blowout pretty quickly.

Sun Bowl 12/31 at 11AM on CBS: Arizona State vs Duke

A classic game that has lost some luster over the decades, but an intriguing matchup. The Blue Devils are ACC champions and the Sun Devils are looking to finish strong after securing their head coach for the foreseeable future. Which group of devils will triumph in this sinfully scintillating showdown? No doubt both staffs will be getting their teams the heck out of El-Paso before the new year’s eave festivities kick into high gear.

Citrus Bowl 12/31 at 12PM on ABC: Michigan vs Texas

I’m not talking about Michigan football, and Arch is returning next year so we’ll hear plenty about Texas all off season.

Las Vegas Bowl 12/31 at 12:30PM on ESPN: Nebraska vs Utah

The Cornhuskers don’t have their star QB (injured and going into the portal). Enjoy this one Coach Whittingham, your teams were always honorable opponents on the field.