The New Year’s Eve bowl games 2025 schedule features five contests, including one College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchup.
The New Year’s Eve college football bowl slate kicks off at noon ET on ESPN with the ReliaQuest Bowl, where the 23rd‑ranked Iowa Hawkeyes meet the 14th‑ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
At 2:00pm ET, CBS and Paramount+ carry the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl from Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, featuring the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Duke Blue Devils.
ABC joins the action at 3:00pm ET with the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, as the 18th‑ranked Michigan Wolverines square off with the 13th‑ranked Texas Longhorns at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Just thirty minutes later, at 3:30pm ET, the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl gets underway at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN will televise the matchup between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the 15th‑ranked Utah Utes.
The fifth and final game on New Year’s Eve is also the first College Football Playoff Quarterfinal. The 10‑seed Miami Hurricanes of the ACC take on the 2‑seed Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm ET on ESPN.
New Year’s Day 2026 features three more games, all College Football Playoff Quarterfinals beginning at noon ET: the Orange Bowl with (5) Oregon vs. (4) Texas Tech, the Rose Bowl with (9) Alabama vs. (1) Indiana, and the Sugar Bowl with (6) Ole Miss vs. (3) Georgia.
Winners of the Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl will meet in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, while the Orange and Rose winners will face off in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.
The college football season concludes on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, with the two semifinal game winners squaring off in the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
New Year’s Eve Bowl Games: 2025 schedule
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, 2025
ReliaQuest Bowl
(23) Iowa vs. (14) Vanderbilt
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
12:00pm ET | ESPN
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Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
Sun Bowl Stadium – El Paso, TX
2:00pm ET | CBS/Paramount+
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Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
(18) Michigan vs. (13) Texas
Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
3:00pm ET | ABC
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SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Nebraska vs. (15) Utah
Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
3:30pm ET | ESPN
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CFP Quarterfinal – Goodyear Cotton Bowl
(10) Miami vs. (2) Ohio State
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
7:30pm ET | ESPN
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Football Schedules
