The Holiday Season is also Bowl Season (talk about the most wonderful time of the year). So if you’re looking to watch college football on DISH this December, we’ve got you covered like wrapping paper.
With almost 90 teams playing in a bowl game this year, casual fans might roll their eyes and crack a joke relating to participation trophies. Yet the fact is, this tradition matters, especially with all the changes in college football. Has bowl season taken a hit with more and more players sitting out? Of course, but at its core it’s a celebration and opportunity for a lot of teams (and players) to end the season on a high note. So we’re humbled and honored by the opportunity to help get you excited for each and every bowl game. Read on to learn more about why you should watch every single one of them with DISH. Not a DISH subscriber? Use this link to find the DISH package that’s right for you!
All times Eastern
College Football Playoff – January 1
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
5 p.m., ESPN
Harbaugh. Saban. Michigan. Alabama. What else is there to say?
CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
8:45 p.m., ESPN
A rematch of last year’s Alamo Bowl that yielded an entertaining bout. Now, we get Part II in the Big Easy with Michael Penix Jr. leading the Huskies and Quinn Ewers leading the Longhorns.
CFP National Championship – Jan. 8
NRG Stadium (Houston)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
New Year’s Six Bowls
Fri., Dec. 29
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
8 p.m., ESPN
These two programs are heading into this one with two completely different vibes. Ohio State suffered their third-straight defeat to Michigan to miss out on the Playoff, while also reeling from a number of defections into the transfer portal, including QB Kyle McCord. Missouri, on the other hand, enjoyed their first 10-win season since 2014 and are drooling at a chance to take down an Ohio State team in limbo.
Sat., Dec. 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ESPN
To put it plainly: These two teams are so different. Lane Kiffin, an offensive wiz, goes up against a Penn State team that’s as inconsistent as it gets on that side of the ball but boasts plenty of NFL-bound talent on defense. Should be a fun one to kick off Saturday morning.
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
4 p.m., ESPN
The battle of the rejects. Because of all the drama due to their exclusion from the College Football Playoff, both teams should be hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
Mon., Jan. 1
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
1 p.m., ESPN
Weird things can happen at the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State’s epic game in 2007 vs Oklhaoma, then West Virginia following it up the next year and UCF taking down Baylor in 2014. Liberty is severely outmatched by Oregon and it “shouldn’t” be close, as Bo Nix is going to play for the Ducks. But don’t count out the G5 teams, as they have all the motivation going into this one.
Complete Bowl Schedule
All games available with Sling Orange or Orange + Blue unless otherwise noted.
Sat., Dec. 16
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Ohio
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
11 a.m., ESPN
A battle with the ‘Fun Belt’ vs MACtion? Sign us up for some assured wackiness between Georgia Southern and Ohio, who represent two of the more fun conferences in the G5.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Howard vs. Florida A&M
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ABC/ ESPN3
The annual celebration bowl between the winners of the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) and the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) features two first-timers. The Howard Bison and Florida A&M Rattlers will battle it out in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Just because Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders is not featured in this year’s Celebration Bowl, doesn’t mean you shouldnt watch. FAM quarterback Jeremy Moussa is SWAC player of the year and the Howard offense is top in the MEAC.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2:15 p.m., ESPN
In their first year in FBS and Conference USA, Jacksonville State is going bowling. Who is at the helm for the Gamecocks, leading this resurgence? Former West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona coach, Rich Rodriguez.
Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl
Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State
FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
We have the age-old battle of an elite offense (Appalachian State) vs an elite defense (Miami). Another intriguing Fun Belt vs MACtion matchup.
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico State vs. Fresno State
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN
The player you didn’t know you loved this bowl season? Quarterback Diego Pavia, a 6-foot-nothing, 200-lb wreckingball who threw for 3 touchdowns against the big bad Auburn Tigers, as New Mexico State recently pulled off a 31-10 shocker against the SEC foe.
LA Bowl
UCLA vs. Boise State
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
UCLA has been a mixed-bag this year, while Boise State removed the interim tag off of coach Spencer Danielson. One rule of bowl season: When Boise State is playing, you must watch them. Sorry, we don’t make the rules.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Cal vs. Texas Tech
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN
Two teams that won a combined 6-of-7 to end the season, along with two running backs who average over 114 yards per game. Sign us up.
Mon., Dec. 18
Famous Toastery Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Sad news: this bowl is replacing the Bahamas Bowl (an always windy, always wild affair featuring shirtless fans) as a new stadium down in the islands is under construction. Good news: 11 of Old Dominion’s 13 games have been one possession games, so by that trend, this one should be close. If you need more reasons to watch this bout, how often do you get to say the word ‘Toastery’? (FYI: Today we learned that ‘Famous Toastery’ is a restaurant).
Tue., Dec. 19
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
UTSA vs. Marshall
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
When clicking, UTSA is a fun team to watch. Along with that, you’ll want to watch this one just so you can see two of the finest mascots in the nation, Rowdy the Roadrunner and Marco the Bison.
Thur., Dec. 21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
South Florida vs. Syracuse
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN
Two teams with different head coach vibes. USF was 4-29 in its last three seasons before first-year head coach Alex Golesh took over to lead them to 6-6 this year. On the flip side, the Orange fired Dino Babers.
Fri., Dec. 22
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. UCF
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN
What if I told you that two 6-6 teams could yield one of the more fun bowl games of the holiday season? UCF has been in close games all year and Georgia Tech should change their mascot to “box of chocolates”, as you’ll never know what you’re going to get depending on their competition. We should see points in this one.
Sat., Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl
Troy vs. Duke
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC/ ESPN3
Another instance of a tale of two programs in differing situations. Duke just lost their starting quarterback and coach, while Troy is rolling under Jon Sumrall. With other programs poking around, we wouldn’t be surpised if this is Sumrall’s last game as coach for Troy. Maybe they’re not so different after all.
Camellia Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN
If you can think back three short months ago, Butch Jones got meme’d after showing emotion to his team following a 73-0 season-opening loss to Oklahoma. The next week, they lost 37-3. Despite it all, the Red Wolves are now bowling. Tip of the cap.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
James Madison vs. Air Force
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
3:30 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
This is one for the college football sickos: a battle between two of the best Group of Five teams. Air Force started the year 8-0 before injuries derailed their hopes of making a New Year’s Six bowl, as the Falcons lost their last four games of the year. JMU is in their second year in the FBS and, luckily, were given a shot at a bowl game. JMU coach Curt Cignetti has already left for Indiana, but these two teams should put on a show.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Georgia State vs. Utah State
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m., ESPN
The blue turf: That’s why you watch. And the fact that, at the moment of writing this, we have no idea who will suit up at QB for Utah State. Quarterback Levi Williams took over in the season finale, but has since announced he is forgoing his senior year to train to become a navy seal!
68 Ventures Bowl
South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
7 p.m., ESPN
Not going to lie here, there isn’t much going for his game. Both teams are 6-6, and aside from the epic upset South Alabama had over Oklahoma State, it’s been a lackluster season. This is the first time ‘68 Ventures’ has sponsored a bowl game.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Northwestern
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
After Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald, the job interim coach David Braun pulled off cannot be understated, earning him the full time gig. Northwestern had one of the more shockingly successful seasons of the year, while Utah was on the opposite end, largely due to injuries.
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN
Pac-12 After Dark may be finished, but at least we get the Hawaii Bowl After Dark? The story of this one is San Jose QB Chevan Cordeiro. The former Hawaii QB and Honolulu native is going home to play in front of his home town after winning six-straight games for SJSU.
Tue., Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Minnesota
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN
There is one team with a losing record that is playing in a bowl game: the Minnesota Golden Gophers. So yeah, enjoy this one?
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Texas State vs. Rice
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
A couple of Texas teams in a Texas bowl game. Yeehaw.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Kansas vs. UNLV
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN
Big plays and points are something these two used-to-be-doormats share. Now both are under a renaissance with Lance Liepold at KU and Barry Odom at UNLV. This one, played at the home field of the Arizona Diamondbacks, should be a homerun.
Wed., Dec. 27
Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN
Tulane coach Willie Fritz is off to Houston and there could be a good amount of optouts for the Green Wave. Is this the end of their solid two year run? In their way stands a Hokies team which is in the middle of a rebuild, so a bowl win would go a long way.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
WINNER GETS A BIG JAR OF MAYO DUMPED ON THEM.
DirecTV Holiday Bowl
Louisville vs. USC
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., FOX
FOX is available with Sling Blue in select markets.
TaxAct Texas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN
A couple of old time Big 12 rivals will meet in Houston. Unfortunately, this one has lost it’s pop with A&M’s uncertainty during the coaching transition to Mike Elko.
Thur., Dec. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
No. 24 SMU vs. Boston College
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bowl games played in baseball stadiums are just fun. That’s it.
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Miami vs. Rutgers
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN
Read above. I’m sure Miami fans are excited to go to New York in December.
Pop-Tarts Bowl
NC State vs. Kansas State
Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
5:45 p.m., ESPN
The first ever Pop-Tart bowl arguably asks the most important question of this bowl season: Which team will be the first ever team to take the first bite of the giant toaster pastry mascot? Yes, the first Pop-Tarts Bowl has an edible mascot, catapulting to Duke’s Mayo Bowl status.
Valero Alamo Bowl
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN
The current college football landscape sadly hurt what would have been an electric Alamo Bowl with two teams who score points. Arizona is Fun with a capital F. Jedd Fisch has built a heck of a program in the desert. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel is in the transfer portal, but it will give us a chance to see highly touted QB Jackson Arnold. This is still a must-watch.
Friday, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Clemson vs. Kentucky
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Safe to say both of these schools had weird seasons, so it’s only right they meet for a battle in Jacksonville. Momentum going into the offseason is a real thing, so both teams should be motivated, even after Mark Stoops was allegedly heading to Texas A&M before the public outcry nipped it in the bud.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Since Oregon State still doesn’t have a conference, can they join Notre Dame as unaffiliated next season?
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Memphis vs. Iowa State
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Memphis does not have to travel far for their bowl game in their quest for a 10-win season. A fun matchup to spend the last hours of the work week watching on a Friday afternoon.
Sat., Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Auburn vs. Maryland
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
2 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
The potential of this bowl game is pretty high. Hugh Freeze is one of the best play-scripters in the country, while Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa can throw it all over the yard.
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Toledo vs. Wyoming
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m., The CW
For the third time since 2019, Wyoming will play in the Arizona Bowl. The Cowboys are 1-1 in those games, including a loss to Ohio last year. You can catch this game on The CW.
Mon., Jan. 1
ReliaQuest Bowl
Wisconsin vs. LSU
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN2
Wisconsin is trying to build under their first year under Luke Fickell, and LS is extremely fun to watch (assuming Jaden Daniels is playing). For what it’s worth, LSU’s defense is the exact opposite of Jaden Daniels.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Iowa vs. Tennessee
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC/ ESPN3
Watching Iowa play football isn’t for everyone. Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton has maybe the best arm in the country, but it’s the Vols run game that is their strength. They’ll go up against extremely stout Hawkeyes defense and an offense that, well, is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
