2021 Bowl Games: Schedule, College Football Playoff teams, kickoff times, dates, NCAA top 25 rankings

The 2021-22 bowl season was set Sunday from the College Football Playoff on down

The College Football Playoff bracket, New Year's Six slate and entire 2021-22 bowl schedule are officially set as the sport moves its attention to the postseason and its much-anticipated conclusion. Cincinnati made history as the first Group of Five school to make the CFP, and it's fitting that the Bearcats' debut comes against the playoff's most familiar returning face in Alabama. They will meet in the Cotton Bowl.

Michigan, also making its first playoff appearance, will square off with Georgia in the other national semifinal. Jim Harbaugh and Kirby Smart enter this New Year's Eve showdown in the Orange Bowl coming off extremely different results in their respective conference championship games. 

But bowl season's excitement extends far beyond the playoff with interesting matchups up and down the busy schedule. Everything from Ohio State and Utah in the Rose Bowl to Oregon and Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl packs plenty of intrigue, as does Marcus Freeman making his Notre Dame head coaching debut against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. 

CBS Sports was with you all throughout Sunday as the College Football Playoff and bowl schedule was announced. Check out the full slate in the table below and catch up on the analysis in the live blog. 

College Football Playoff

Date	Game / Loc.	Time (TV)	Matchup
Jan. 10	National Championship Indianapolis	8 p.m. (ESPN)	Semifinal winners
Dec. 31	Cotton Bowl Arlington, Texas	3:30 p.m. (ESPN)	(1) Alabama vs. (4) Cincinnati
Dec. 31	Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, Fla.	7:30 p.m. (ESPN)	(2) Michigan vs. (3) Georgia

New Year's Six bowl games

Date	Bowl	Time (TV)	Matchup
Dec. 30	Peach Atlanta	7 p.m. (ESPN)	(10) Michigan State vs. (12) Pittsburgh
Jan. 1	Fiesta Glendale, Ariz.	1 p.m. (ESPN)	(5) Notre Dame vs. (9) Oklahoma State
Jan. 1	Rose Pasadena, Calif.	5 p.m. (ESPN)	(6) Ohio State vs. (11) Utah
Jan. 1	Sugar New Orleans	8:45 p.m. (ESPN)	(7) Baylor vs. (8) Ole Miss

Other 2021 bowl games

Date	Bowl	Time (TV)	Matchup
Jan. 4	Texas Houston	9 p.m. (ESPN)	Kansas State (7-5) vs. LSU (6-6)
Jan. 1	Citrus Orlando, Fla.	1 p.m. (ABC)	Iowa (10-3) vs. Kentucky (9-3)
Jan. 1	Outback Tampa, Fla.	Noon (ESPN2)	Penn State (7-5) vs. Arkansas (8-4)
Dec. 31	Arizona Tucson, Ariz.	4:30 p.m. (Barstool)	C. Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise State (7-5)
Dec. 31	Tony the Tiger Sun El Paso, Tex.	12:30 p.m. (CBS)	Miami (FL) (7-5) vs. Wash. State (7-5)
Dec. 31	TaxSlayer Jacksonville, Fla.	11 a.m. (ESPN)	Wake Forest (10-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4)
Dec. 30	Las Vegas Las Vegas	10:30 p.m. (ESPN)	Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4)
Dec. 30	Music City Nashville	3 p.m. (ESPN)	Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5)
Dec. 30	Duke's Mayo Charlotte	11:30 a.m. (ESPN)	N. Carolina (6-6) vs. S. Carolina (6-6)
Dec. 29	Alamo San Antonio	9:15 p.m. (ESPN)	Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-3)
Dec. 29	Cheez-It Orlando, Fla.	5:45 p.m. (ESPN)	Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5)
Dec. 29	Pinstripe New York	2:15 p.m. (ESPN)	Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6)
Dec. 29	Fenway Boston	11 a.m. (ESPN)	Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4)
Dec. 28	Guaranteed Rate Phoenix	10:15 p.m. (ESPN)	Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6)
Dec. 28	Liberty Memphis	6:45 p.m. (ESPN)	Texas Tech (6-6) vs. Miss. State (7-5)
Dec. 28	Holiday San Diego	5 p.m. (FOX)	UCLA (8-4) vs. NC State (9-3)
Dec. 28	First Responder University Park, Tex.	3:15 p.m. (ESPN)	Louisville (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3)
Dec. 28	Birmingham Birmingham, Ala.	Noon (ESPN)	Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn 6-6)
Dec. 27	Military Annapolis, Md.	2:30 p.m. (ESPN)	ECU (7-5) vs. Boston College (6-6)
Dec. 27	Quick Lane Detroit	11 a.m. (ESPN)	W. Michigan (7-5) vs. Nevada (8-4)
Dec. 25	Camellia Montgomery, Ala.	2:30 p.m. (ESPN)	Ball State (6-6) vs. Georgia State (7-5)
Dec. 24	Hawai'i Honolulu, Hawai'i	8 p.m. (ESPN)	Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7)
Dec. 23	Gasparilla Tampa	7:30 p.m. (ABC)	Florida (6-6) vs. UCF (8-4)
Dec. 23	Frisco Classic Frisco, Tex.	3:30 p.m. (ESPN)	Miami (OH) (6-6) vs. North Texas (6-6)
Dec. 22	Armed Forces Fort Worth, Tex.	8 p.m. (ESPN)	Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6)
Dec. 21	Frisco Frisco, Tex.	7:30 p.m. (ESPN)	UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego State (11-2)
Dec. 21	Famous Idaho Potato Boise, Idaho	3:30 p.m. (ESPN)	Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6)
Dec. 20	Myrtle Beach Conway, S.C.	2:30 p.m. (ESPN)	Tulsa (6-6) vs. Old Dominion (6-6)
Dec. 18	New Orleans New Orleans	9:15 p.m. (ESPN)	Marshall (7-5) vs. Louisiana (12-1)
Dec. 18	L.A. Los Angeles	7:30 p.m. (ABC)	Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5)
Dec. 18	LendingTree Mobile, Ala.	5:45 p.m. (ESPN)	E. Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5)
Dec. 18	Independence Shreveport, La.	3:30 p.m. (ABC)	BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4)
Dec. 18	New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M.	2:15 p.m. (ESPN)	UTEP (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-3)
Dec. 18	Boca Raton Boca Raton, Fla.	11 a.m. (ESPN)	W. Kentucky (8-5) vs. App. State (10-3)
Dec. 17	Cure Orlando, Fla.	6 p.m. (ESPN2)	N. Illinois (9-4) vs. C. Carolina (10-2)
Dec. 17	Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas	Noon (ESPN)	Middle Tenn. (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5)

[Dec 5, 2021 at 4:08 pm ET · Chip Patterson]

Right now it seems the SEC has a couple of games that it wants to confirm officially before we can finalize their matchups. These are, of course, some of the premiere games in the bowl calendar scheduled within a few days of the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

[Dec 5, 2021 at 4:01 pm ET · Chip Patterson]

Virginia-SMU in Fenway Park at 11 a.m. is a bowl game 

[Dec 5, 2021 at 3:46 pm ET · Chip Patterson]

We're close to having the entire bowl picture filled out. The ACC just announced its entire slate and I think we're just waiting on a few SEC and Big Ten decisions before the pieces fall into place. 

Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest in the Gator Bowl is a rematch of a Belk Bowl showdown between these two teams that saw the Demon Deacons win 55-52 against an Aggies team that was led by then-interim coach Jeff Banks. I've frequently pointed to that win against an SEC opponent as one of the great pieces of evidence that Dave Clawson was building something special in Winston-Salem. The Aggies has an interim coach, sure, but the once the game got going the level of compete from both teams was high. And Wake Forest found a way to win. 

[Dec 5, 2021 at 3:35 pm ET · @BowlSeason via Twitter]

Bully ball

This will be a fun matchup -- at least for those who appreciate teams that have overachieved by playing with ruthless defense. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops played at Iowa back when Kirk Ferentz was the offensive line coach. But these teams have never met before. Would imagine both fan bases appreciate the warm weather location as well. Could be a really fun game.

[Dec 5, 2021 at 3:31 pm ET · @BowlSeason via Twitter]

Fighting to meet expectations

UCLA can get to nine wins for the first time since 2014 with a win, and NC State can get to 10 wins for the first time since 2002. Both teams have had their moments this season, but there's been some disappointment as well considering the expectations entering the season. Feels kind of like the winner of this one will end the season having met expectations, whereas the loser will look back with a bunch of "what ifs."

[Dec 5, 2021 at 3:25 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

NC State and UCLA in the Holiday Bowl feels like it could be a top-five bowl by the time Tom Fornelli ranks each game at the end of the postseason. Gut says that one could go off the rails.