{"id":3342,"date":"2026-11-10T09:14:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T07:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ticketmaster.com\/?p=58837"},"modified":"2026-11-10T09:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T07:14:57","slug":"college-football-bowl-games-explained-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/college-football-bowl-games-explained-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"College Football Bowl Games Explained: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update (November 6):<\/b> The article contains the most updated information on the 2026-27 college football bowl game schedule.<\/p>\n

Every regular season must end, and for many college football teams, that means postseason bowl games. One of college athletics\u2019 longest traditions, the pool of bowl games has only gotten larger and more complex with the introduction of the College Football Playoff (CFP) in 2014. Here\u2019s how NCAA bowl games work, how teams are selected and the full 2026-27 bowl schedule, plus where to find bowl game tickets<\/a> and College Football Playoff tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What Are College Football Bowl Games?<\/h2>\n

College football bowl games traditionally close a winning team\u2019s season. Aptly nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl inspired the term \u201cbowl game\u201d after the Tournament East-West game, first played in 1902, moved to the new bowl-shaped stadium in Pasadena, California, in 1923. However, the meaning of a bowl game quickly shifted from the shape of the attendance-shattering stadium to the high stakes and marquee matchups that form college football\u2019s postseason play.<\/p>\n

In the previous era when the media voted on the National Championship, bowl game wins were crucial to a team\u2019s final ranking. Nowadays, however, a bowl game appearance comes with perks like nationwide notoriety, financial rewards to the school and conference and additional practice time. Since 2024, select bowl games also determine which teams advance to the national championship game.<\/p>\n

How Do Bowl Games Work?<\/h2>\n

In college football\u2019s current format, over 40 bowl games are played primarily within the NCAA\u2019s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), though teams can be invited from the lower-tier Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III. Running from mid-December to early January, the bowl season usually consists of Group of Six matchups in the first week, the Power Four conferences in the second and the concluding New Year\u2019s Six games: the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. The 2026-27 bowl season kicks off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, December 12.<\/p>\n

Since the introduction of the CFP in 2014, bowl games have been followed by the College Football Playoff National Championship. Although the two were largely separate at the start, new CFP rules applied for the 2024 season required a bowl game victory on the path to the National Championship. In its updated format, the New Year\u2019s Six bowl games host the tournament\u2019s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on a rotating basis, with three bowls maintaining the historic January 1 date and three taking place at a later date.<\/p>\n

In 2026-27, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl<\/a> hosts a quarterfinal on Wednesday, December 30, while the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic<\/a>, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl<\/a> and Rose Bowl Game<\/a> host quarterfinals on Friday, January 1. Two weeks later, the Capital One Orange Bowl<\/a> and Allstate Sugar Bowl<\/a> host the semifinals on Thursday, January 14 and Friday, January 15, respectively.<\/p>\n

For the 2026 season, winners of the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl semifinals will face each other in the 2027 CFP National Championship<\/a> on Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. To learn more about the recent changes in the postseason format, check out our guide to the College Football Playoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n