Bowl games have been the centerpiece of collegiate football for their 123-year history. The structure of Bowl Games is bound to shift as of the 2024 season. As there are 12 teams in the College Football Playoff, each New Year's Six bowl game will be a quarterfinal or semifinal.
What are the college playoff bowl games?
The 2014 season saw the start of the College Football Playoff era. For the first ten years, four clubs were chosen to compete in the playoffs, which included two semifinal matches and a national championship match.
For the 2024 season, twelve teams will be chosen to compete in the playoffs, with automatic invitations going to the top five conference winners. Each of the top four conference winners will be given a first-round bye and be seeded 1-4. The higher-ranked team's home ground will host the first-round matchup against teams seeded 5–12.
Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, and Sugar are the six bowls that alternate between the quarterfinals and semifinals. The national title game will take place on a Monday night at least a week after the semifinals, which will take place around the New Year's holiday.
How do the bowl games work in college football?
The selection of bowl games is also heavily influenced by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. A group of former participants of collegiate athletics get together to vote on the Top 25 college football teams during the season. The 12-team CFP bracket, which identifies the teams qualified to compete in the quarterfinal and semifinal bowl games, is the committee's final ranking at the end of each regular season.
When Does Bowl Season Start?
As of the 2024 season, the first two college football bowl games will occur on December 14, one week after the conference championship games.
Full List of Bowl Game Dates and Locations
| BOWL GAME | DATE | TIME/TV | LOCATION |
| Celebration Bowl | Dec. 14 | Noon ET, ABC | Atlanta |
| Camellia Bowl | Dec. 14 | 9 p.m. ET, ESPN | Montgomery, Ala. |
| Frisco Bowl | Dec. 17 | 9 p.m. ET, ESPN | Frisco, Texas |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Dec. 18 | 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| LA Bowl | Dec. 18 | 9 p.m. ET, ESPN | Inglewood, Calif. |
| New Orleans Bowl | Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2 | New Orleans |
| Cure Bowl | Dec. 20 | Noon ET, ESPN | Orlando |
| Gasparilla | Dec. 20 | 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Tampa |
| CFP first-round game | Dec. 20 | 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN | TBD |
| CFP first-round game | Dec. 21 | Noon ET, TNT | TBD |
| CFP first-round game | Dec. 21 | 4 p.m. ET, TNT | TBD |
| CFP first-round game | Dec. 21 | 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN | TBD |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | Dec. 23 | 11 a.m. ET, ESPN | Conway, S.C. |
| Potato Bowl | Dec. 23 | 2:30 ET, ESPN | Boise, Idaho |
| Hawaii Bowl | Dec. 24 | 8 p.m. ET, ESPN | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Detroit Bowl | Dec. 26 | 2 p.m. ET, ESPN | Detroit |
| Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Dec. 26 | 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Phoenix |
| 68 Ventures Bowl | Dec. 26 | 9 p.m. ET, ESPN | Mobile, Ala. |
| Birmingham Bowl | Dec. 27 | Noon or 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Birmingham |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Dec. 27 | Noon or 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Liberty Bowl | Dec. 27 | 7 p.m. ET, ESPN | Memphis |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Dec. 27 | 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Las Vegas |
| Fenway Bowl | Dec. 28 | 11 a.m. ET, ESPN | Boston |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 28 | Noon ET, ABC | Bronx, N.Y. |
| New Mexico Bowl | Dec. 28 | 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN | Albuquerque |
| Pop Tarts Bowl | Dec. 28 | 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC | Orlando |
| Arizona Bowl | Dec. 28 | 4:30 p.m. ET, The CW | Tucson, Ariz. |
| Military Bowl | Dec. 28 | 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN | Annapolis, Md. |
| Alamo Bowl | Dec. 28 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC | San Antonio |
| Independence Bowl | Dec. 28 | 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN | Shreveport, La. |
| Music City Bowl | Dec. 30 | 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Nashville |
| ReliaQuest Bowl | Dec. 31 | Noon ET, ESPN | Tampa |
| Sun Bowl | Dec. 31 | 2 p.m. ET, CBS | El Paso, Texas |
| Citrus Bowl | Dec. 31 | 3 p.m. ET, ABC | Orlando |
| Texas Bowl | Dec. 31 | 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Houston |
| Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Glendale, Ariz. |
| Peach Bowl | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN | Atlanta |
| Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. ET, ESPN | Pasadena, Calif. |
| Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | 8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN | New Orleans |
| Gator Bowl | Jan. 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Jacksonville |
| First Responder Bowl | Jan. 3 | 4 p.m. ET, ESPN | Dallas |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl | Jan. 3 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Charlotte |
| Bahamas Bowl | Jan. 4 | 11 a.m. ET, ESPN2 | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Orange Bowl | Jan. 9 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Miami Gardens, Fla. |
| Cotton Bowl | Jan. 10 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Arlington, Texas |
| National Championship | Jan. 20 | 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | Atlanta |
| Holiday Bowl | TBD | TBD, Fox | San Diego |
FAQ's on Bowl Games
The New Year's Six, sometimes abbreviated as NY6, are the following NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl.
A. The Rose Bowl Game was first played in 1902 as the Tournament East–West football game, and has been played annually since 1916. Since 1945, it has been the highest attended college football bowl game.
A. The Rose Bowl Game is the oldest bowl game and kicked off a myriad college football legacies in 1902.
A. In twelve Rose Bowl appearances, UCLA has won five.
