We are entering the business end of proceedings of the college football season. Are you ready for five non-stop weeks of bowl action?
Tis the season to be jolly. College campuses all over the nation are in the midst of a football frenzy. There are a total of 47 games taking place over a 38-day period, starting with the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on Saturday, December 14 and finishing in Atlanta on Monday, January 20, with the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Whatever awaits over the coming weeks, one thing that’s guaranteed is that there’ll be non-stop thrills and spills from start to finish.
To add to the excitement this time around, the College Football Playoff schedule has been revamped, so 11 of those 47 total games are CFP-related. Under the new 12-team format, the College Football Playoffs will begin with first-round games in late December, followed by quarter-final action on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The semi-final match-ups and the National Championship game will then be held during January. All of the former New Year’s Six bowls will be used for the College Football Playoff this year. The quarter-finals will be played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl and the semi-finals at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl on January 9 and 10, respectively. The top five college football regular season conference champions, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams, will secure positions in the CFP 12-team bracket. There are no restrictions on the number of teams from a single conference that can qualify, and there are no guaranteed spots for any specific conferences.
Bowl season is one of the greatest and longest-running traditions in American sports and has been an annual celebration of college football for over 100 years. The history of the bowl game began with the 1902 Tournament East-West football game, sponsored by the Tournament of Roses Association, between Michigan and Stanford. This Tournament East-West Football Game would become an annual event from 1916 onwards. The 1923 edition took place at the newly completed Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, and the clash became known as the Rose Bowl from then on.
Other cities saw the positive effect that the Rose Bowl brought to the California area on tourism and business, and they began to develop their own regional festivals, which included college football games. The Rose Bowl may have been the only major college bowl game in 1930; however, by 1940, there would be four further standout games: the Sugar Bowl (established in 1935), the Orange Bowl (1935), the Sun Bowl (1935) and the Cotton Bowl Classic (1937). This further galvanised interest in the college game, and the expansion and spread of bowl games continued.
Yale have won the most college football national championship crowns, 18 in total. However, that was in the distant past, with the last of those successes occurring way back in 1927. Alabama's college football greatness has been more recent and relevant. The Crimson Tide have collected 16 national titles in total and have been one of the dominant forces since the College Football Playoffs system was introduced, being crowned FBS national champions on three occasions since 2014 and finishing as runners-up in three other seasons. Alabama also holds the record for most bowl games played and most bowl wins, as they've featured in 76 encounters, winning 45 of them.
Let GOAL bring you everything you need to know about the college football bowl season and playoffs, including the full schedule and how you can watch and stream every single game.
Oregon heads into the College Football Playoffs as the No.1 overall seed. The Ducks are the only side of the twelve remaining in the race for the National Championship crown, and they are still unbeaten this season, having won 13 games on the spin. That 13th straight success came in the Big 10 championship game against Penn State, with Oregon coming out top 45-37 in an absorbing clash. As well as Oregon and Penn State, two other Big 10 outfits, Indiana and Ohio State, still have their eyes on the main prize.
Another conference with multiple sides still in the hunt for honours is the SEC, with Georgia, Texas and Tennessee dreaming of glory. It was Georgia who grabbed the No.2 overall seed spot when they knocked off Texas 22-19 in overtime for the SEC championship title. Georgia and Oregon and the two highest-ranked conference champions, Boise State and Arizona State have been rewarded with first-round byes in the College Football Playoff format shake-up.
The biggest debate following the College Football Playoff committee's final-12 selections on Sunday, December 8, surrounded Alabama missing out on the CFP party. SEC side Alabama are one of the most honoured college football sides in history, but had dropped three games this season and SMU got the vote ahead of them. Despite losing a nail-biting ACC championship thriller against Clemson, the Mustangs were unbeaten during league play, and they got the nod due to their overall season performance.
All 47 bowl (and College Football Playoff) games will be available to watch and stream live across a multitude of channels. Those shown on ABC, CBS and FOX can be watched for free.
ESPN are screening the largest amount of games over the thrilling 38-day period. Streaming is available via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Smart TV and many others. One month of ESPN+ is $10.99 (1 month (disney+/hulu) of ESPN+ is $14.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu no ads) of ESPN+ is $24.99), and 1 year costs $109.99.
Another great streaming service where you can view the college football postseason action is Fubo. Fubo packages start at $79.99 a month ($30 off your first month right now), and they offer all-inclusive free 7-day trials before you pay. Fubo’s massive streaming plans carry up to 200+ channels, and you can get even more depending on your location. For avid sports fans, Fubo is the ultimate choice as it provides access to the most popular sports, including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL & MLS. Additionally, international soccer fans can enjoy some of the world’s most popular leagues, such as the Premier League and La Liga. Most Fubo plans allow you to stream on up to 10 devices simultaneously.
If you aren't able to watch the college football postseason games live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
The bowl season and the College Football Playoffs serve as the postseason for FBS college football teams. This postseason encompasses 47 games scheduled from Saturday, December 14, to Monday, January 20. Out of these, 43 are bowl games, with the remaining four being the College Football Playoff first-round games.
Teams gain bowl eligibility by securing at least six wins during the regular season, achieving a .500 record. The college football postseason has 43 bowl games, accommodating 84 teams in total. The top five college football regular season conference champions, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams, will secure positions in the CFP 12-team bracket. There are no restrictions on the number of teams from a single conference that can qualify, and there are no guaranteed spots for any specific conferences.
All 47 bowl (and College Football Playoff) games will be available to watch and stream live across a multitude of channels. Those shown on ABC, CBS and FOX can be watched for free. ESPN are screening the largest amount of games over the thrilling 38-day period. Streaming is available via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Smart TV and many others. One month of ESPN+ is $10.99 (1 month (disney+/hulu) of ESPN+ is $14.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu no ads) of ESPN+ is $24.99), and 1 year costs $109.99.
Another great streaming service where you can view the college football postseason action is Fubo. Fubo packages start at $79.99 a month ($30 off your first month right now), and they offer all-inclusive free 7-day trials before you pay. Fubo’s massive streaming plans carry up to 200+ channels, and you can get even more depending on your location. For avid sports fans, Fubo is the ultimate choice as it provides access to the most popular sports, including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL & MLS. Additionally, international soccer fans can enjoy some of the world’s most popular leagues, such as the Premier League and La Liga. Most Fubo plans allow you to stream on up to 10 devices simultaneously.
