2025-2026 College Football Bowl Games Betting
Sunday, December 7, 2025, is a day that will live in college football infamy. On that day, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped bombs on the College Football Playoff and Bowl systems.
After getting bypassed for the 2025 College Football Playoff, Notre Dame, in a petulant huff, stormed off the playground, taking its ball and going home as the entitled, privileged crybabies that they always were. Notre Dame announced that it would categorically refuse to play in a bowl game, sending shockwaves throughout the sport.
But Notre Dame was hardly alone. The Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones told the bowl games to pound sand. With the bowl games and ESPN needing teams to fill the schedule, they begged 5-7 losing programs, Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Baylor, Kansas, Rutgers, and Temple, to fill the slots. All of them refused, preferring to stay home instead.
The bowl game optics are the dawn of a new reality in college football. It’s all about the College Football Playoff instead of making a minor bowl game. As a result of the 2025 opt-outs, the entire bowl system is now in question and may eventually be downsized or eliminated.
Despite the opt-outs, there are still some appealing bowl matchups, especially the closer the schedule gets closer to New Year’s Day.
College Football Betting Lines
Top 2025 2025-26 Bowl Game Matchups and Highlights
First, gamblers must keep in mind that the four top bowl games are tied into the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
On December 31, 2025, the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the winner of the first round CFP game between the Miami-FL Hurricanes and the Texas A&M Aggies in the Cotton Bowl.
On Thursday, January 1, 2026, three bowl games will serve as College Football Playoff quarterfinal games.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will face the winner of the first-round CFP matchup between the Oregon Ducks and James Madison Dukes in the Orange Bowl.
The Rose Bowl will host the Indiana Hoosiers and the winner of the first round game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners.
Finally, the Sugar Bowl features the Georgia Bulldogs and the winner of the first-round game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Tulane Green Wave.
2025-26 College Football Bowl Games
| BOWL |
TIME (ET), VENUE |
| Saturday, December 13 |
| Cricket Celebration Bowl |
| South Carolina State vs. Prairie View |
12:00 PM, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| Bucked Up LA Bowl |
| Boise State vs. Washington |
8:00 PM, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA |
| Tuesday, December 16 |
| IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl |
| Troy vs. Jacksonville State |
9:00 PM, Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL |
| Wednesday, December 17 |
| StaffDNA Cure Bowl |
| Old Dominion vs. USF |
5:00 PM, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 68 Ventures Bowl |
| Louisiana vs. Delaware |
8:30 PM, Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL |
| Thursday, December 18 |
| Xbox Bowl |
| Missouri State vs. Arkansas State |
9:00 PM, Ford Center at the Star, Frisco, TX |
| Friday, December 19 |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl |
| Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan |
11:00 AM, Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC |
| Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl |
| Memphis vs. NC State |
2:30 PM, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL |
| College Football Playoff First Round Game |
| No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma |
8:00 PM, Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK |
| Saturday, December 20 |
| College Football Playoff First Round Game |
| No. 10 Miami-FL vs. No. 7 Texas A&M |
12:00 PM, Kyle Field, College Station, TX |
| College Football Playoff First Round Game |
| No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss |
3:30 PM, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS |
| College Football Playoff First Round Game |
| No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Oregon |
7:30 PM, Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR |
| Monday, December 22 |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl |
| Washington State vs. Utah State |
2:00 PM, Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID |
| Tuesday, December 23 |
| Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans Bowl |
| Toledo vs. Louisville |
2:00 PM, Flagler CU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL |
| New Orleans Bowl |
| WKU vs. Southern Miss |
5:30 PM, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
| Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl |
| UNLV vs. Ohio |
9:00 PM, Ford Center at the Star, Frisco, TX |
| Wednesday, December 24 |
| Sheraton Hawaii Bowl |
| California vs. Hawaii |
8:00 PM, Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI |
| Friday, December 26 |
| Game Above Sports Bowl |
| Central Michigan vs. Northwestern |
1:00 PM, Ford Field, Detroit, MI |
| Rate Bowl |
| New Mexico vs. Minnesota |
4:30 PM, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ |
| SERVPRO First Responder Bowl |
| FIU vs. UTSA |
8:00 PM, Gerald J Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Saturday, December 27 |
| Go Bowling Military Bowl |
| Pitt vs. East Carolina |
11:00 AM, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium |
| Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl |
| Penn State vs. Clemson |
12:00 PM, Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY |
| Wasabi Fenway Bowl |
| UConn vs. Army |
2:15 PM, Fenway Park, Boston, MA |
| Pop-Tarts Bowl |
| Georgia Tech vs. BYU |
3:30 PM, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl |
| Miami-OH vs. Fresno State |
4:30 PM, Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ |
| Isleta New Mexico Bowl |
| North Texas vs. San Diego State |
5:45 PM, University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM |
| TaxSlayer Gator Bowl |
| Virginia vs. Missouri |
7:30 PM, EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL |
| Kinder’s Texas Bowl |
| LSU vs. Houston |
9:15 PM, NRG Stadium, Houston, TX |
| Monday, December 29 |
| JLab Birmingham Bowl |
| Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State |
2:00 PM, Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL |
| Tuesday, December 30 |
| Radiance Tech Independence Bowl |
| Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech |
2:00 PM, Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA |
| Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl |
| Tennessee vs. Illinois |
5:30 PM, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN |
| Valero Alamo Bowl |
| USC vs. TCU |
9:00 PM, Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| Wednesday, December 31 |
| Reliaquest Bowl |
| Iowa vs. Vanderbilt |
12:00 PM, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL |
| Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl |
| Arizona State vs. Duke |
2:00 PM, Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX |
| Cheez-It Citrus Bowl |
| Michigan vs. Texas |
3:00 PM, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl |
| Nebraska vs. Utah |
3:30 PM, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl |
| Miami-FL/Texas A&M vs. Ohio State |
7:30 PM, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| Thursday, January 1 |
| Capital One Orange Bowl |
| JMU/Oregon vs. Texas Tech |
12:00 PM, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
| Rose Bowl Game |
| Alabama/Oklahoma vs. Indiana |
4:00 PM, Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl |
| Ole Miss/Tulane vs. Georgia |
8:00 PM, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
| Friday, January 2 |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl |
| Rice vs. Texas State |
1:00 PM, Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl |
| Navy vs. Cincinnati |
8:00 PM, Bank of America Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| Trust & Will Holiday Bowl |
| Arizona vs. SMU |
8:00 PM, Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA |
| Duke’s Mayo Bowl |
| Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State |
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| Thursday, January 8 |
| Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal) |
| TBD vs. TBD |
7:30 PM, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ |
| Friday, January 9 |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal) |
| TBD vs. TBD |
7:30 PM, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| Monday, January 19 |
| CFP National Championship |
| TBD vs. TBD |
7:30 PM, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
| Tuesday, January 27 |
| East-West Shrine Bowl |
| East All-Stars vs. West All-Stars |
7:00 PM, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX |
| Saturday, January 31 |
| Panini Senior Bowl |
| National Team vs. American Team |
2:30 PM, Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL |
Top Bowl Games of 2025-26
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
One of the most appealing and underrated matchups of the bowl season is the Holiday Bowl between the SMU Mustangs and Arizona Wildcats on Friday, January 2, 2026.
SMU was a legitimate ACC contender but stumbled in its season finale against Cal. That loss cost the Ponies a berth in the ACC championship game and a shot at the CFP.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats were one of the most improved teams in college football this year. Arizona is 9-3 straight up, 8-4 against the spread, and is riding a 5-game winning streak with four covers in that span.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
When it comes to the power of blueblood megabrands, the Citrus Bowl can’t be topped. The Michigan Wolverines will face the Texas Longhorns in a power helmet sticker matchup on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
The Longhorns were among the last cuts for the College Football Playoff. After struggling for two months, QB Arch Manning and the Longhorns finished strong with six wins in their final seven games. Most importantly, Texas routed Texas A&M 27-17 as 2.5-point home dogs in the regular season finale.
On the other hand, Michigan was mauled 27-9 by the Ohio State Buckeyes in its regular season finale, snapping a 4-game winning streak in the series by the Maize and Blue. The Wolverines covered the spread in only 4 of 12 games, and Sherrone Moore is on the clock after 2 years as HC.
Valero Alamo Bowl
Whenever the USC Trojans play, TV eyeballs and betting interest follow. The Men of Troy will face the TCU Horned Frogs in the Alamo Bowl on Monday, December 29, 2025.
USC improved to 9-3 this season, showing that head coach Lincoln Riley is making gains. The Trojans will bring the nation’s 5th-ranked offense to the Alamo Bowl against a leaky TCU defense that ranked 86th overall and 77th for fewest points allowed.
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