The 2025 college football season is almost here, and fans are eagerly anticipating the excitement that comes with it. The highlight of the postseason will be the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP), which features five conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams. For the first time this year, the four highest-ranked teams will receive first-round byes.
The CFP quarterfinals will take place at various locations, including the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The semifinals will be played on January 8th and 9th, with the national championship game scheduled for Monday, January 19th.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are projecting every postseason matchup, including their breakdowns of how the playoff will play out. They predict that top seeds Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State will advance to the semifinals, with Clemson and Texas meeting in the national championship game.
The bowl season schedule is also filled with exciting matchups. Some notable games include the Myrtle Beach Bowl between East Carolina and James Madison, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl featuring Toledo and San Jose State, and the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl between Bowling Green and Colorado State.
In addition to these games, there are numerous other bowl games scheduled for December 2024 and January 2025. The complete schedule can be found below:
– Cricket Celebration Bowl: Southern vs. South Carolina State (Dec 13)
– LA Bowl: Oregon State vs. San Jose State (Dec 16)
– IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky (Dec 16)
– StaffDNA Cure Bowl: UConn vs. Florida Atlantic (Dec 17)
– 68 Ventures Bowl: James Madison vs. Florida International (Dec 18)
– Myrtle Beach Bowl: East Carolina vs. James Madison (Dec 19)
– Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Auburn vs. Boston College (Dec 19)
– Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. San Jose State (Dec 20)
– Boca Raton Bowl: East Carolina vs. Ohio (Dec 23)
– New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Liberty (Dec 24)
– Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Northern Illinois (Dec 25)
– GameAbove Sports Bowl: Maryland vs. Miami (Ohio) (Dec 26)
– Rate Bowl: Baylor vs. Iowa (Dec 27)
– SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Texas State (Dec 28)
– Go Bowling Military Bowl: Duke vs. Army (Dec 29)
– Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: North Carolina vs. Illinois (Dec 30)
– Wasabi Fenway Bowl: NC State vs. Tulane (Dec 31)
– Pop-Tarts Bowl: SMU vs. Texas Tech (Jan 1)
– Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Colorado State (Jan 2)
– Isleta New Mexico Bowl: Hawai’i vs. Cal (Jan 3)
– TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. USC (Jan 4)
– Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Iowa State vs. Tennessee (Jan 5)
– Birmingham Bowl: Arkansas vs. Tulane (Jan 6)
– Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Iowa State vs. Louisiana Tech (Jan 7)
– Music City Bowl: Michigan vs. Ole Miss (Jan 8)
– ReliaQuest Bowl: Indiana vs. South Carolina (Jan 9)
– Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Colorado (Jan 10)
– Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. Texas A&M (Jan 11)
– SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah (Jan 12)
– Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: TCU vs. Army (Jan 13)
– AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Kansas vs. Florida (Jan 14)
– Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Louisville vs. South Carolina (Jan 15)
– Holiday Bowl: SMU vs. Washington (TBD)
Source: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/45939962/2025-preseason-college-football-playoff-bowl-projections