Bowl games are pretty cool. You get to see all of the regional rivalries in one place, in one continuous matchup. You get to see teams like the Florida Gators, Oklahoma Sooners and others go head-to-head in a game that can potentially impact the overall postseason picture.
While it’s always fun to follow a sport like college football, it can be a little more hectic when there are so many games going on at one time. You have to keep track of all of the scores, which can be difficult. Luckily for you, we’re here to help! In this article, we will tell you the exact dates for all of the major bowl games, so you can keep track of everything.
The Biggest Bowl Games
“The” as in “the college football season” is a mouthful. Let’s shorten it to simply “the bowls.” The Biggest Bowls are:
- The Rose Bowl
- The Sugar Bowl
- The Orange Bowl
- The Cotton Bowl
- The Fiesta Bowl
- The Peach Bowl
- The National Championship
The Rose Bowl is one of the greatest college football classics. It’s considered one of the grand traditions of the sport. The last edition was in 2019, but it will most likely be played in 2020 as well. It’s always the grand finale to the college football season. Teams from the Big 12 and the Pac 12, as well as other conferences, have played in this bowl game. The field is officially named the Donald Trump Rose Garden, but it more commonly goes by its old name of The Rose Bowl. This year will mark its 100th anniversary. The biggest game of the year.
The Sugar Bowl is one of the other big bowl games. It’s another one of the classic collegiate football match-ups, pitting the Big 12’s Oklahoma Sooners against the SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide. The game is named after the original Bob Hope Sugar Bowl, which was first played in 1935. Since then, the game that follows the Big 12/SEC match-up has been given the name of the defunct Sugar Bowl. This year’s edition of the Sugar Bowl will take place on New Year’s Eve, with the victor earning a spot in the upcoming Peach Bowl (discussed below).
The Orange Bowl is one of the other big matchups, pitting the ACC’s Clemson Tigers against the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys. This game is named after the original Orange Bowl, first played in 1935. Since then, the Orange Bowl has become one of the more prominent bowl games. This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Orange Bowl. Last year’s game was decided by a field goal, with the Tigers squeaking out a 26-24 victory.
The Cotton Bowl is one of the other big bowl games, pitting the Big 12’s Oklahoma Sooners against the SEC’s Auburn Tigers. The game is named after the original Cotton Bowl, first played in 1934. Since then, the Cotton Bowl has become one of the more prominent bowl games. This year’s edition of the Cotton Bowl will be played on New Year’s Eve, with the victor earning a spot in the upcoming Rose Bowl.
The Fiesta Bowl is yet another big bowl game, pitting a Big 12 team against an SEC team. This year it’s the Oklahoma Sooners battling the Auburn Tigers. The biggest game of the year is played at the end of the year, so fans can celebrate the holidays with a game.
The Peach Bowl is yet another big bowl game, pitting the ACC’s Clemson Tigers against the SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s named after the original “Peach Bowl,” which was first played in 1930. Since then, the game that follows the Big 12/SEC match-up has been given the name of the defunct “Peach Bowl.” This year’s edition of the Peach Bowl will take place on Christmas Eve, with the victor earning a spot in the upcoming Fiesta Bowl.
The Minor Bowl Games
“The” as in “the college football season” is a mouthful. Let’s shorten it to simply “the bowls.” The Minor Bowls are:
- The Holiday Bowl
- The Birmingham Bowl
- The New Mexico Bowl
- The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
- The Utah Bowl
- The Red River Showdown
- The Capital One Bowl
- The Dollar General Bowl
The Holiday Bowl pits the Pac 12’s Stanford Cardinal against the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys. This game is played around the holidays, so it doesn’t draw as many fans as the other games. Still, it’s a nice event. Plus, it gives you a bit of a breather after all the excitement of the big games.
The New Mexico Bowl is yet another big bowl game, pitting the Sun Belt’s New Mexico State Aggies against an NCAA team. Since its inception in 2014, the New Mexico Bowl has quickly become one of the more prominent bowls. The Aggies won last year’s game by a field goal, as New Mexico State upset the heavily favored Oklahoma Sooners.
The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl is one of the other big games played during the holidays. The Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers take on the ACC’s North Carolina Tar Heels in this exhibition game. The Mountaineers won last year’s edition by a field goal, 28-27.
The Utah Bowl is yet another big bowl game. This year it’s Stanford playing Oklahoma State. Since its inception in 2014, the Utah Bowl has quickly become one of the more prominent bowls. The Aggies won last year’s edition by a field goal, as the Cardinal had to fend off the Hurricanes to secure a spot in the CFP.
The Red River Showdown is another big game played around the holidays. It pits the Big 12’s Oklahoma State against the SEC’s Texas A&M. The game is named after the Red River which flows through both of these states. Last year’s edition of these two teams’ clash was named the John Lynch Game after the Oklahoma State head coach of the 1980s. Since then, the game has taken on a life of its own, becoming one of the more prominent bowl games. The last time these two teams met was in 2018, with the Aggies coming out on top 17-14.
The Capital One Bowl is yet another big bowl game, pitting the ACC’s Clemson Tigers against the SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s named after the Capital One Bowl, which was founded in 1991. Since then, the game which follows the Big 12/SEC match-up has been named after the Capital One Bowl. This year’s edition will take place on New Year’s Eve, with the victor earning a spot in the upcoming Orange Bowl.
The Dollar General Bowl is another big bowl game played around the holidays. It pits the SEC’s Kentucky Wildcats against the Big 12’s Iowa State Cyclones. Since its inception in 2014, the Dollar General Bowl has quickly become one of the more prominent bowls. The last time these two teams met was in 2015, with the Wildcats securing a 30-27 victory.
Keep in mind that not all of these games are necessarily played in December. Many are, but it’s not always the case. The Holiday Bowl is played in early December, while the other games are typically later in the month.
When Do The Biggest Bowl Games Post?
“The” as in “the college football season” is a mouthful. Let’s shorten it to simply “the post-season.” The Biggest Bowl Games post after the conclusion of the regular season, so they can be played during the holidays or right after the season.
The post-season begins with the bowl games, so let’s take a look at their dates: