Saturday is the busiest day of college football bowl season. With eight games in total, including the highly-anticipated Pop-Tarts Bowl and a Colorado team not ravaged by opt-outs, you’ll want to clear your schedule. Bowl season culminates with the College Football Playoff National Championship, which will crown the first champion of the new 12-team playoff on Monday, January 20. While the next round won’t take place until New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the non-CFP slate between now and then is loaded.
For the full schedule/scores of bowl games through January, including the CFP first round, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the national championship game, click here. Keep reading for the rundown of what college football action is on tap for today.
What college football bowl games are on today?
Saturday, December 28
11 a.m. – Wasabi Fenway Bowl (ESPN)
North Carolina vs. UConn
Quick hit: The 6-6 Tar Heels face the 8-4 Huskies at the iconic Fenway Park. North Carolina is transitioning head coaches from Mack Brown to Bill Belichick and will be coached by Freddie Kitchens for the bowl, but the team is still favored in this matchup. UConn is looking for that elusive Power Four win after going 0-4 against those opponents in the regular season.
12 p.m. – Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe bowl (ABC)
Boston College vs. Nebraska
Quick hit: Nebraska is making its first bowl appearance since 2016 after a 6-6 season under head coach Matt Rhule and with freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. First-year Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien is looking to cap a 7-5 season with a win.
2:15 p.m. – Isleta New Mexico Bowl (ESPN)
TCU vs. Louisiana
Quick hit: Louisiana has the chance to redeem itself after a blowout loss to Marshall in the Sun Belt Championship. The 10-3 Ragin’ Cajuns will face an 8-4 TCU team that is looking for its ninth win in a rebound season. Of note: Watch the quarterback situation for Louisiana. The team was down to its third-string quarterback, Daniel Beale, in the conference title game after its backup, Chandler Fields, was carted off the field.
3:30 p.m. – Pop-Tarts Bowl (ABC)
#18 Iowa State vs. #13 Miami
Quick hit: The iconic Pop-Tarts Bowl is back and expected to be better than ever, including multiple mascots (with the game MVP getting to choose which flavor the winning team eats) and a working toaster trophy. It’s sure to be one of the can’t miss moments of bowl season once again. Not to mention the matchup this year features two top 20 teams who narrowly missed the CFP.
4:30 p.m. – Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop (CW Network)
Miami (OH) vs. Colorado State
Quick hit: Both Miami teams will play Saturday as Miami (Ohio) takes on Colorado State. The Redhawks are looking to bounce back after failing to defend their MAC Championship title when they lost to Ohio in early December. This is the tale of two different offenses, with Colorado State emphasizing the run behind Avery Morrow and Miami focused on the pass with Brett Gabbert. Colorado State hasn’t had much success on putting pressure on quarterbacks all season, and Miami’s defense, for all its strengths, is better against the pass than the run, leaving both susceptible and making this a potentially high-scoring matchup.
5:45 p.m. – Go Bowling Military Bowl (ESPN)
East Carolina vs. NC State
Quick hit: The 7-5 East Carolina Pirates will look to get a bowl win for head coach Blake Harrell after Harrell was promoted from interim to full-time in November. NC State earned bowl eligibility in the final game of the season when the Wolfpack beat in-state rival North Carolina, 35-30.
7:30 p.m. – Valero Alamo Bowl (ABC)
#17 BYU vs. #23 Colorado
Quick hit: Deion Sanders’ team enters this game as the favorite despite being ranked lower than the Cougars. That’s likely due in large part to Sanders minimizing opt-outs, with his star players – quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star and Heisman winner Travis Hunter – planning to play their final college game before heading to the NFL. BYU has one of the best pass defenses in the country this season; whether the Cougars can stop Shedeur will be a key matchup of this game.
9:15 p.m. – Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (ESPN)
Louisiana Tech vs. #22 Army
Quick hit: Yes, this game was originally Marshall vs. Army, but the Thundering Herd withdrew from the matchup after the team’s head coach left and a transfer exodus followed. Louisiana Tech replaces Marshall against Army. The 11-2 Black Knights are coming off a loss to Navy after a season that saw them try to make a case for the CFP. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are 5-7 and will look to pull off the upset in this seemingly lopsided matchup.
When is the College Football Playoff?
The College Football Playoff continues New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with the quarterfinals (see below for the full schedule). The semifinals will be January 9 and 10, and the national championship will be January 20.
2024-25 College Football Playoff full bracket and scores, schedule, matchups