Ranking every college football bowl game from worst to best

Bowl season is almost upon us.

The first game kicks off on Dec. 13 with the LA Bowl and the last non-playoff games take place on Jan. 2. Overall, there are 39 bowl games counting the four first-round playoff games … and it took some finagling to get all the spots filled.

Notre Dame (10-2) declined a spot in a bowl game after getting bumped from the College Football Playoff in Sunday’s final rankings. Iowa State (8-4) refused a bowl bid after coach Matt Campbell went to Penn State and Kansas State (6-6) declined a bowl game after coach Chris Klieman retired. Both Big 12 schools were fined $500,000 by the conference for not going to a postseason game.

The three teams’ decisions meant that three sub-.500 teams were needed to fill the bowl field. And that wasn’t easy. Multiple teams declined bowl bids before the Birmingham Bowl was finally filled.

Here’s our ranking from No. 41 through No. 1 of the bowl games this season. All times are Eastern and the quarterfinal and semifinal games of the College Football Playoff are not included since we do not know the participants in those games.

39. Armed Forces Bowl (Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN)

Rice (5-7) vs. Texas State (6-6)

The Owls are bowling thanks to their Academic Progress Rate. Rice won just two games after the first four weeks of the season. Those victories came over UConn and UAB. The Bobcats won three straight games to get bowl eligible after a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season.

38. Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29, 2 p.m., ESPN)

Appalachian State (5-7) vs. Georgia Southern (6-6)

The Mountaineers were the final team in the field after the opt outs. App State lost five of its last six games —four were by one possession and the other was a 58-10 loss to James Madison — and a one-point loss to Arkansas State denied them a sixth win in Week 14. The Eagles are heading to a bowl game for a fourth straight season. They’ve lost the previous three. Can they reverse the trend this year?

37. Independence Bowl (Dec. 30, 2 p.m., ESPN)

Coastal Carolina (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)

The Chanticleers are playing in this game after firing coach Tim Beck and scoring just 23 points per game. Coastal also gave up 34 points per game. Only eight teams allowed more. The Bulldogs don’t have a long trip from Ruston after winning their final two games of the season to guarantee a winning record.

36. First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26, 8 p.m., ESPN)

Florida International (7-5) vs. UTSA (6-6)

Coach Willie Simmons led FIU to its first bowl game since 2019 in his first season. RB Kejon Owens leads the team with 1,298 yards and 11 TDs. UTSA can be really good and really bad. The Roadrunners blew out Tulane and East Carolina and got blown out by North Texas and South Florida.

35. 68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)

Louisiana (6-6) vs. Delaware (6-6)

The Ragin’ Cajuns were 2-6 after a loss to Troy on Oct. 25. They’ve won four straight since and the last three came by one score. Louisiana got bowl eligible in Week 14 with a 30-27 overtime win against Louisiana-Monroe. QB Lunch Winfield has a fantastic name and leads the team with nine rushing TDs. The Blue Hens are in their first season at the top level of college football and were able to go to a bowl game because there were not enough bowl-eligible teams who were eligible for bowl games.

34. Xbox Bowl (Dec. 18, 9 p.m., ESPN2)

Missouri State (7-5) vs. Arkansas State (6-6)

The Bears posted a winning season in their first year at the top level of college football. QB Jacob Clark has 27 total touchdowns and leads an offense that averages nearly 275 yards passing per game. Arkansas State is coached by former Tennessee coach Butch Jones and snuck into a bowl game with a 30-29 win over App State in the final week of the season.

Nick Bromberg ranks all the bowl games from worst to best. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)

33. Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 p.m., ESPN)

Mississippi State (5-7) vs. Wake Forest (8-4)

The Bulldogs are going to a bowl game for the first time since 2022 thanks to teams opting out. It was a season of improvement in Starkville, as Jeff Lebby’s team went from 2-10 in 2024 to 5-7. Freshman QB Kamario Taylor should be fun to watch. The Demon Deacons took down Virginia and SMU in ACC play and lost by one to Georgia Tech in September.

32. New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23, 5:30 p.m., ESPN)

Western Kentucky (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (7-5)

The Hilltoppers are making their seventh straight bowl appearance under coach Tyson Helton but lost their last two games of the regular season. Both were by three points, though a 13-10 loss to LSU was a bit closer than it actually was thanks to a late fumble return TD. The Eagles lost coach Charles Huff to Memphis after a six-win improvement in 2025 before three straight losses to end the season.

31. GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26, 1 p.m., ESPN)

Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Northwestern (6-6)

The Chippewas are back in a bowl game for the first time since 2021. It was a rough last three seasons under former coach Jim McElwain. CMU rushes the ball over 40 times a game yet no player has more than 105 carries or 540 rushing yards. Northwestern scraped its way to a bowl game after standing at 5-2 following a win over Purdue on Oct. 18. The Wildcats lost three straight before getting that elusive sixth win against Minnesota in Week 13.

30. Potato Bowl (Dec. 22, 2 p.m., ESPN)

Washington State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

The Cougars just lost coach Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State after Matt Campbell went to Penn State. It was a weird season for Wazzu. They got blown out by North Texas and lost to Oregon State, but only lost to Ole Miss by three, Virginia by two and James Madison by four. The Aggies have alternated wins and losses over their final six games and nearly took down Boise State at home to end the regular season.

29. Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m., CW)

Miami (Ohio) (7-6) vs. Fresno State (8-4)

The RedHawks are making consecutive trips to the Arizona Bowl. Miami won this game a year ago. WR Kamryn Perry has 966 receiving yards on just 42 catches. That’s 23 yards a reception. The Bulldogs are making their fifth consecutive bowl appearance and have wins over Boise State and Hawaii in 2025.

28. Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Nebraska (7-5) vs. No. 15 Utah (10-2)

This looks like a mismatch. Utah has been on the margins of the playoff discussion for most of November while Nebraska has just been existing in the Big Ten. Especially as QB Dylan Raiola is out for the season. Will he be back in 2026? More pressing for Nebraska is a chance for the Cornhuskers to win eight games in a season for the first time since 2016. It’s hard to overstate just how bad things have been for the Cornhuskers recently after their decades of dominance.

27. Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m., ESPN)

NC State (7-5) vs. Memphis (8-4)

The Wolfpack won three of their last four games to ensure a winning record and a sixth straight bowl appearance under coach Dave Doeren. But NC State would really like a bowl win more than most schools. The Wolfpack have lost their last five bowl games — the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled — and haven’t scored a bowl victory since 2017. Memphis lost coach Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas and ended the season on a three-game losing streak to fall out of College Football Playoff contention.

26. Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23, 2 p.m., ESPN

Louisville (8-4) vs. Toledo (8-4)

Louisville went on a there-game losing streak in November to lose any chance at the ACC title. The Cardinals’ first three ACC losses came by a combined seven points … and then SMU blew them out 38-6 before the Cardinals got their mojo back with a 41-0 win over Kentucky. The Rockets lost coach Jason Candle to UConn this week and defensive coordinator Vince Kehres went to Syracuse. That’s massive. The Rockets allow just 12 points per game.

25. Military Bowl (Dec. 27, 11 a.m., ESPN)

Pitt (8-4) vs. East Carolina (8-4)

Pitt beat Georgia Tech to end the Yellow Jackets’ ACC title hopes but that win was sandwiched around blowout losses at home to both Miami and Notre Dame. Did you know the Panthers average over 35 points per game? Now you do. The Pirates won five of their last six games and are in the Military Bowl for the second straight season.

24. Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27, Noon, ABC)

Penn State (6-6) vs. Clemson (7-5)

A Penn State-Clemson bowl game would have been an enticing proposition before the season. Now, notsomuch. Both teams had incredibly underwhelming seasons after they were ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 to start the season. It’ll be the final game in charge for Penn State interim coach Terry Smith, though he’s staying on new coach Matt Campbell’s staff for 2026 and beyond.

23. Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27, 2:15 p.m., ESPN)

Army (6-5) vs. UConn (9-3)

Remember, Army still has one more game to go as Navy looms on Dec. 13. The Black Knights lost to FCS Tarleton State to open the season before beating Kansas State in Week 2 and then losing back-to-back games to North Texas and East Carolina. Army’s triple-option offense will look to grind UConn’s defense to dust. UConn coach Jim Mora Jr. is now at Colorado State. Hopefully QB Joe Fagnano keeps throwing. The seventh-year QB has thrown for nearly 3,500 yards and 28 TDs with just one interception in 2025.

22. IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 16, 9 p.m., ESPN)

Troy (8-5) vs. Jacksonville State (9-4)

It’s a game between two teams who can stay in their home state after losing their respective conference title games. Troy lost to James Madison in the Sun Belt championship game while Jacksonville State’s comeback fell short against Kennesaw State in the Conference USA title game.

21. Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24, 8 p.m., ESPN)

Cal (7-5) vs. Hawaii (8-4)

It’s a return to the islands for former Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich. He’s the interim at Cal following Justin Wilcox’s firing and the Bears beat SMU in their regular-season finale in his first game in charge. It’s also a chance for Cal freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to play in his home state. He’s staying with Cal for 2026 under new coach Tosh Lupoi. This has been the best season for Hawaii since the Rainbow Warriors went 10-5 in 2019. That was Rolovich’s final season before leaving for Washington State.

20. Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 19, 11 a.m., ESPN)

Kennesaw State (10-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-4)

The Owls are one of the best stories of the season. In just their second season at the FBS level, Kennesaw State has made an eight-win improvement and won Conference USA by avenging a regular-season loss to Jacksonville State. Western Michigan took down Miami (Ohio) in the MAC title game and allows just 18 points per game.

19. Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23, 9 p.m., ESPN)

UNLV (10-3) vs. Ohio (8-4)

The Rebels have back-to-back 10-win seasons and back-to-back seasons that ended with a loss to Boise State in the Mountain West title game. It’s been a fun first season for former Florida coach Dan Mullen at UNLV. Ohio has an interim coach for the game after Brian Smith was placed on leave at the start of the month. No reason has been given for Smith’s absence and Smith’s attorney said on Dec. 4 that Smith had not been provided a formal reason why he was placed on leave.

18. Cure Bowl (Dec. 17, 5 p.m., ESPN)

Old Dominion (9-3) vs. South Florida (9-3)

This is one of the most fun Group of Five matchups on the bowl calendar. ODU ripped off five straight wins to end the season and blew out Troy 33-0 in that stretch. The Trojans made it to the Sun Belt title game. South Florida beat Florida in Week 2 but lost to Memphis and Navy to miss out on a shot in the College Football Playoff. Coach Alex Golesh was hired at Auburn and the Bulls have hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline as his replacement.

17. Rate Bowl (Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m., ESPN)

New Mexico (9-3) vs. Minnesota (7-5)

It’s been an incredible season for the Lobos under first-year coach Jason Eck. New Mexico is making its first bowl appearance since 2016 under coach Bob Davie. It’s also the first bowl game outside the state of New Mexico for the Lobos since an appearance in the 2004 Emerald Bowl. Minnesota is a program that just wins bowl games. Especially under PJ Fleck. The Gophers are 6-0 in bowls during Fleck’s tenure and haven’t lost since a Citrus Bowl defeat to Missouri in 2014.

16. Texas Bowl (Dec. 27, 9:15 p.m., ESPN)

LSU (7-5) vs. No. 21 Houston (9-3)

The chances of a senior sendoff for QB Garrett Nussmeier seem slim after Michael Van Buren has taken over as LSU’s quarterback. If you’re going to watch this game, be prepared for a lot of talk about Lane Kiffin and maybe even a Kiffin appearance in the booth. You’ve been warned. The potential Kiffin talk shouldn’t distract from how good of a season Houston had. The Cougars made a five-win improvement and further cemented Willie Fritz’s status as one of the most underrated college football coaches.

15. Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m., ESPN)

Navy (9-2) vs. Cincinnati (7-5)

The Midshipmen earned a second trip to Memphis in three games. Navy spent Thanksgiving in Memphis with a 28-17 win over the Tigers. Now it’ll spend New Year’s there too. The Bearcats just collapsed in November. Cincinnati was 7-1 after beating Baylor but went 0-4 to end the season against Utah, Arizona, BYU and TCU.

14. New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 27, 5:45 p.m., ESPN)

San Diego State (9-3) vs. North Texas (11-2)

The Aztecs are allowing opponents to average just 4.1 yards a play and 12.6 points per game. SDSU opponents scored seven or fewer points in seven games this season. Both Hawaii and Washington State topped 35, however, and North Texas’ explosive offense will hope to be the third team. The Mean Green average 7.3 yards a play as QB Drew Mestemaker has completed over 70% of his passes.

13. Holiday Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 p.m., Fox)

No. 17 Arizona (9-3) vs. SMU (8-4)

The Wildcats have won their last five games following back-to-back losses to BYU and Houston. It’s just the second bowl game in eight seasons for Arizona and the Wildcats have the chance to win 10 games in each of those seasons. The Mustangs were in the ACC title game with a win over Cal in Week 14, but went down early and threw away a late comeback as Cal scored with 43 seconds to go in a 38-35 win.

12. LA Bowl (Dec. 13, 8 p.m., ABC)

Boise State (9-4) vs. Washington (8-4)

The Broncos won the Mountain West on Friday night over UNLV after getting into the title game via tiebreakers in a four-way tie. Washington’s losses came to Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and … Wisconsin. That latter game ruined any chance the Huskies had of sneaking into the Big Ten title game. QB Demond Williams Jr. is a fun watch. He just needs 150 passing yards to get to 3,000.

11. Sun Bowl (Dec. 31, 2 p.m., CBS)

Arizona State (8-4) vs. Duke (8-5)

The Blue Devils won the ACC and got a trip to El Paso in one of the best under-the-radar bowls every year. Arizona State seems unlikely to have QB Sam Leavitt as he’s only played seven games this season. But the career resurgence of Jeff Sims has been fun to watch after his struggles at Nebraska. Duke QB Darian Mensah was worth it for the Blue Devils as he immediately was one of the best QBs in the ACC after his transfer from Tulane.

10. Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30, 9 p.m., ESPN)

No. 16 USC (9-3) vs. TCU (8-4)

It’s USC’s first trip to the Alamo Bowl as the Trojans look for just their fourth 10-win season over the past decade. With both teams averaging over 30 points per game and outside the top 40 in scoring defense, this could easily have the highest over/under of any bowl game. The Horned Frogs’ offense sputtered down the stretch, however. Before scoring 45 against Cincinnati in the regular-season finale, TCU hadn’t scored more than 17 points since October.

9. Music City Bowl (Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m., ESPN)

Illinois (8-4) vs. Tennessee (8-4)

A team coached by Bret Bielema vs. a team coached by Josh Heupel is a contrast that could make for a very intriguing game. The Illini won three of their final four games while Tennessee lost two of its last four games. The Vols gave up more than 30 points in seven games this season. Can Illinois take advantage? QB Luke Altmyer was very efficient and WR Hank Beatty had a big first half of the season before slowing down in conference play.

8. Gator Bowl (Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m., ABC)

Missouri (8-4) vs. No. 19 Virginia (10-3)

The Tigers have another chance for a win over a ranked opponent. Mizzou is 8-0 against unranked teams and 0-4 against ranked teams in 2025. RB Ahmad Hardy has rushed for 1,560 yards and 16 TDs after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. Virginia missed out on a fourth overtime win in the ACC title game against Duke but still has one more chance to win 11 games for the first time in school history.

7. Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. BYU (11-2)

Had Notre Dame not opted out of a bowl game, we would have gotten the Fighting Irish against the Cougars. Georgia Tech is an adequate replacement. This will be a fun game between two offenses committed to running the football with quarterbacks who can run over defenders. Georgia Tech lost three of its last four games while BYU’s only losses came to Texas Tech.

6. ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN)

No. 14 Vanderbilt (10-2) vs. No. 23 Iowa (8-4)

There’s a small chance Diego Pavia could enter this game as a Heisman winner. He should be a Heisman finalist regardless and he’ll want to cap his Vanderbilt career with a big win. Iowa’s defense will present a tough test and Mark Gronowski needs two passing touchdowns to become the first Iowa QB since Spencer Petras in 2021 to have 10 passing touchdowns. Three TD passes will give Gronowski 11 for the season and make him the most productive Iowa QB since Nathan Stanley threw 16 scores in 2019.

5. Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31, 3 p.m., ABC)

No. 18 Michigan (9-3) vs. No. 13 Texas (9-3)

These two teams met a season ago in the regular season with the Longhorns getting a road win. They both look a lot different now and it should be the best non-playoff bowl game of the season. Texas QB Arch Manning has gotten better as the season has progressed and a few weeks of bowl practices for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood should be a real asset for the former five-star recruit’s development.

4. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., TNT)

No. 12 James Madison (12-1) at No. 5 Oregon (11-1)

This game has the biggest spread of any first-round game for a good reason. Oregon can put up points in a hurry and James Madison played just one power conference opponent all season. That was JMU’s only loss as the Dukes fell 28-14 to Louisville in Week 2. Let’s hope that this game is better than the last time Oregon played a non-power conference opponent in a major bowl game. Two seasons ago, the Ducks obliterated Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl to spoil the Flames’ unbeaten season.

3. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m., TNT)

No. 11 Tulane (11-2) at No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1)

It’s hard to get too excited about a rematch of a game that was 45-10. But there’s the added stakes of the College Football Playoff and the coaching situations surrounding each team. It’s the first game in charge for former Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin left for LSU. And it could be the last game with the Green Wave for Tulane coach Jon Sumrall as he takes over at Florida in 2026.

2. CFP first-round game (Dec. 19, 8 p.m., ABC)

No. 9 Alabama (10-3) at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2)

It was hard to justify putting a rematch at No. 1 even if the first game was exceptionally close. Alabama turned the ball over three times in its home loss to the Sooners in November. Those turnovers gave Oklahoma great field position. The Sooners had just 212 yards of total offense in the upset win. Can they count on forcing turnovers again? Alabama has committed half of its 12 turnovers over the past four games.

1. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, Noon, ABC)

No. 10 Miami (10-2) at No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)

Does the winner of this game get the ultimate bragging rights over Notre Dame? The Fighting Irish’s losses to both the Hurricanes and Aggies in the first two weeks of the season kept them out and got Miami in. The Aggies had eyes on a first-round bye before losing to Texas on Black Friday and Miami has won five straight games after losing to Louisville. Carson Beck never faced Texas A&M while at Georgia and a win against the Aggies would give him the chance to start against his former team.

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