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In all, more than 40 end season football subdivision games will be played in a month-long football marathon airing live (see the full college bowl TV schedule below) with ESPN once again the major broadcaster. .
This year, first round games on December 19 -20 will determine who plays in the quarterfinal games which will be hosted by the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl from December 31-January 1. The Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl will act as the semifinals on January 8-9. Semifinal winners will then go on to meet up at the College Football Championship which airs this year on ESPN on Monday, January 19, 2026 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET live from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
• The most famous use of the Statue of Liberty play happened at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl -- when the Boise State Broncos pulled the play for the win in "one of the most exciting college football games of all time". The move not only clinched Boise State a two-point conversion but a thrilling overtime victory. • On New Year’s Day 1979, Notre Dame and Houston met in the 43rd Cotton Bowl when future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana helped the Fighting Irish defeat Houston 35-34. Recovering from the flu, Montana was sidelined in blankets and ate chicken soup for most of the matchup, later dubbed "The Chicken Soup Game". • On December 31, 2012 the Peach Bowl boasted its highest TV ratings ever, averaging 557,000 viewers. It was ESPN's most-viewed non-chanpionship bowl game ever. The New Year's Eve telecast saw Clemson beat LSU in a razor-thin 25-24 victory. • The first Orange Bowl night game ever occurred on January 1, 1965 when Texas upset top-ranked Alabama 21-17. A young Alabama quarterback named Joe Namath played despite a knee injury, but nevertheless won the game's Most Valuable Player award after battling to complete 18 of 37 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. • In addition to college football, the Rose Bowl stadium has been the site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, and five Super Bowls.
Just up ahead, check out the schedule of dates, times, and TV channels
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December ushers in a college bowl season with top ranked teams heading into the playoffs with a countdown to the final championship game in January. 
