The New Year’s Eve bowl games 2021 schedule features four contests, including the two College Football Playoff Semifinal matchups.
The college football bowl schedule on New Year’s Eve kicks off at 11:00am ET on ESPN with the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The contest features the 17th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons of the ACC taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights of the Big Ten.
The Texas A&M Aggies were originally scheduled to play Wake Forest in the Gator Bowl, but they dropped out of the game due to COVID-19 issues and were replaced by Rutgers.
At 12:00pm ET on CBS, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, kicks off. The Washington State Cougars from the Pac-12 take on the Central Michigan Chippewas from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in that matchup.
The Sun Bowl matchup originally featured Washington State against the Miami Hurricanes. However, Miami dropped out due to COVID-19 issues while Central Michigan’s opponent in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, the Boise State Broncos, also dropped out. Central Michigan then received an invitation to play in the Sun Bowl and the Arizona Bowl was canceled.
At 3:30pm ET on ESPN, the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinals begin with the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC taking on the fourth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats from the American. The two teams will square off in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The fourth and final New Year’s Eve bowl game is the second College Football Playoff Semifinal. The second-ranked Michigan Wolverines from the Big Ten face the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC in that contest in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:30pm ET on ESPN.
New Year’s Day 2022 includes five bowl games, beginning with the Outback Bowl at 12:00pm ET. Other games slated for Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 include the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Vrbo Citrus Bowl, Rose Bowl Game, and Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The college football season concludes on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, with the two semifinal game winners squaring off in the College Football Playoff National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
NEW YEAR’S EVE BOWL GAMES 2021
Friday, Dec. 31, 2021
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
(17) Wake Forest 38, Rutgers 10
11:00am ET | ESPN
TIAA Bank Field – Jacksonville, FL
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Central Michigan 24, Washington State 21
12:00pm ET | CBS
Sun Bowl Stadium – El Paso, TX
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
(1) Alabama 27, (4) Cincinnati 6
3:30pm ET | ESPN
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
Capital One Orange Bowl
(3) Georgia 34, (2) Michigan 11
7:30pm ET | ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
Football Schedules
