ESPN Events has unveiled its 2026‑27 college football bowl slate, a 17‑game schedule that spans 10 FBS conferences and two FCS leagues, promising a packed postseason across the United States.
A jam‑packed bowl season ahead
The action kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 12 with the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, where the champions of the Mid‑Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference will meet in a showcase for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
A week later, the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff will open the early‑season slate on Sunday, Sept. 6, featuring a high‑profile matchup between Louisville and Ole Miss, alongside the FCS Kickoff, the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Red Tails Classic.
The schedule then moves into a Christmas Eve doubleheader on Dec. 24, headlined by the Isleta New Mexico Bowl and the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl, before the JLab Birmingham Bowl celebrates its 20th anniversary on Dec. 29.
New Year’s Eve will bring a doubleheader in Las Vegas and Texas, with the Las Vegas Bowl and Kinder’s Texas Bowl concluding the regular bowl season, and the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl set to close out the postseason on Jan. 2.
Across the slate, venues range from Mercedes‑Benz Stadium in Atlanta to the iconic settings of the Las Vegas Bowl and the historic Birmingham Bowl, underscoring the geographic diversity of the games.