College football bowl game season is upon us.
The top football teams and their rowdy fans are revving up to display their school pride and vie for the coveted College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.
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College football bowl games boast some of the most intriguing names, sparking curiosity about their origins and creators among fans.
Before the action kicks off, let’s dive into where these names originate and more background information on their locations:
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Where do the college football bowl game names originate?
Many times, bowl games are named after their geographic locations. For instance, the Rose Bowl is named after the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
Certain bowl games have names that are linked to tradition or historical significance. The Sugar Bowl and the Cotton Bowl are examples where the names are associated with regional products or historical agricultural roots.
A few bowl games have names that reflect particular themes or concepts, such as the Citrus Bowl or the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Lastly, many bowl games are named after corporate sponsors which provide a significant source of funding for the showdown. Examples include the Capital One Orange Bowl or the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
What is the 2024-2025 college football bowl game schedule?
The schedule is as follows:
| Date | Time (ET) | Bowl Game | Location |
| Dec. 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Cricket Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA |
| Dec. 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 9 p.m. | IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Bowl | Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL |
| Dec. 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 9 p.m. | Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX |
| Dec. 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL |
| Dec. 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 9 p.m. | La Bowl Hosted By Gronk | SoFi Stadium Inglewood, CA |
| Dec. 19, 2024 (Thursday) | 7 p.m. | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Caesars Superdome New Orleans, LA |
| Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday) | 12 p.m. | Staffdna Cure Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
| Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday) | 3:30 p.m. | Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL |
| Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday) | 8 p.m. | CFP First Round Game | TBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team |
| Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | CFP First Round Game | TBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team |
| Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | CFP First Round Game | TBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team |
| Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday) | 8 p.m. | CFP First Round Game | TBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team |
| Dec. 23, 2024 (Monday) | 11 p.m. | Myrtle Beach Bowl | Brooks Stadium Conway, SC |
| Dec. 23, 2024 (Monday) | 2 p.m. | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID |
| Dec. 24, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Hawai'i Bowl | Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, HI |
| Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday) | 2 p.m. | GameAbove Sports Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, MI |
| Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday) | 5 p.m. | Rate Bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, AZ |
| Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday) | 9 p.m. | 68 Ventures Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL |
| Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday) | 12 or 3:30 p.m. | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX |
| Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday) | 12:00 or 3:30 PM | Birmingham Bowl | Protective Stadium Birmingham, AL |
| Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Autozone Liberty Bowl | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Memphis, TN |
| Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday) | 8 p.m. | Autozone Liberty Bowl | Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, CA |
| Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday) | 10 p.m. | SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl | Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 p.m. | Wasabi Fenway Bowl | Fenway Park Boston, MA |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Isleta New Mexico Bowl | University Stadium Albuquerque, NM |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Pop-Tarts Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 4:30 p.m. | Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented By Gin & Juice By Dre And Snoop | Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 5:45 p.m. | Go Bowling Military Bowl | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Valero Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 9:15 p.m. | Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA |
| Dec. 30, 2024 (Monday) | 2:30 p.m. | TransPerfect Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN |
| Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 12 p.m. | Reliaquest Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL |
| Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 2 p.m. | Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX |
| Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 p.m. | Cheez-It Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
| Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3:30 p.m. | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, TX |
| Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7:30 p.m. | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal) | State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ |
| Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday) | 1 p.m. | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal) | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA |
| Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Rose Bowl Game Presented By Prudential (CFP Quarterfinal) | Rose Bowl Stadium Pasadena, CA |
| Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8:45 p.m. | Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal) | Caesars Superdome New Orleans, LA |
| Jan. 2, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | TaxSlayer Gator Bowl | EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan. 3, 2025 (Friday) | 4 p.m. | SERVPRO First Responder Bowl | Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX |
| Jan. 3, 2025 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Duke's Mayo Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC |
| Jan. 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 p.m. | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium Nassau, Bahamas |
| Jan. 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | Hard Rock Stadium Miami, FL |
| Jan. 10, 2025 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP Semifinal) | AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX |
| Jan. 20, 2025 (Monday) | 7:30 p.m. | College Football Playoff National Championship | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA |
| Jan. 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 8 p.m. | East-West Shrine Bowl | AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX |
| Feb. 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Reese's Senior Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL |
What was the first college football bowl game?
The Rose Bowl was the first and only bowl game in 1930.
A decade later, there were five other major college bowl games: the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Orange Bowl and the Sun Bowl.
In 1950, the number of games continued to steadily increase yearly.
In the 2024-25 season, 44 college football bowl games will be played with the national championship game taking place on Jan. 20, 2025.
