Bowl Games Schedule 2014-15: Dates and TV Info for Every Contest
It's bowl season—not just holiday cheer—that makes this the most wonderful time of the year.
Maybe that doesn't apply to all of us, but the mystique and magnificence of the postseason in college football can't be overstated. A plethora of bowl games means high-quality action is on national television all throughout the season, and the matchups only get better as 2015 approaches.
Throw in the added wrinkle of the brand-new College Football Playoff, and anticipation for this bowl season should be the highest yet. Not only are four of college football's biggest brand names in the playoff, but some of those who narrowly missed out will battle in exciting New Year's Six contests.
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Although the season won't be in the books until Jan. 12 at the national title game, we're just a few days away from the action beginning. Let's take a look at the entire 2014-15 bowl schedule.
| Dec. 20 | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | 11 a.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 20 | Gildan New Mexico Bowl | UTEP vs. Utah State | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 20 | Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | Colorado St. vs. Utah | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Dec. 20 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 20 | Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | Bowling Green vs. South Alabama | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 22 | Miami Beach Bowl | BYU vs. Memphis | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 23 | Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall vs. Northern Illinois | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 23 | San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl | Navy vs. San Diego State | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Sheraton Hawaii Bowl | Rice vs. Fresno State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | Military Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. Arizona State | 2 p.m. | CBS |
| Dec. 27 | Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Fl.) vs. South Carolina | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Dec. 27 | New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. USC | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia vs. Texas A&M | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | AdvoCare Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. LSU | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Belk Bowl | Louisville vs. Georgia | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Ole Miss vs. TCU | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Vizio Fiesta Bowl | Boise State vs. Arizona | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Wisconsin vs. Auburn | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Jan. 1 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Michigan State vs. Baylor | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | Minnesota vs. Missouri | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game | Oregon vs. Florida State | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl | Alabama vs. Ohio State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Valero Alamo Bowl | Kansas State vs. UCLA | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma St. vs. Washington | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 3 | Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Jan. 4 | GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo vs. Arkansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 12 | College Football Championship Game | TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Best Bowl Games on Tap
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Head coaches Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are used to facing off in games practically pegged as national semifinals. Only this time, it's official.
Top-ranked Alabama will face No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, with the victor advancing to the national championship game. It's a new wrinkle to an old coaching rivalry that began with the Crimson Tide's battles against Meyer's Florida squad in SEC Championship Games of years past.
They don't hail from the same conference this time around, but the Buckeyes resemble an SEC foe—physical, hard-nosed defense with a wealth of skill players on offense.
Defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Joshua Perry headline a hard-hitting defense, while rusher Ezekiel Elliott (1,402 yards) and receivers Devin Smith and Jalin Marshall rack up the points on offense.
Team speed is one thing that stood out to Saban in watching Ohio State, per Patrick Maks of ElevenWarriors.com:
Of course, the Crimson Tide are used to speedy opponents from playing in the SEC but have struggled against that team trait as well. Auburn racked up more than 600 yards of offense, and Alabama struggled to contain the strong passing attacks of West Virginia and Ole Miss this season.
That will put the onus on Cardale Jones to step up. The Ohio State quarterback dazzled in his first start against Wisconsin but will face the beast that is the Alabama defense.
Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will play to their advantage, which is attacking the backfield and forcing Jones to make big plays with his arm.
Jones will have to do what Marshall did and then some in this one, taking the top off the Alabama defense early and often. That's what it will take to outscore an offense with Blake Sims, Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon sure to rack up the points against a susceptible Buckeyes defense.
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Florida State
The CFP committee just so happened to make the holiday season simple for NFL scouts and personnel scouring the games for potential franchise quarterbacks.
The last two Heisman Trophy winners and the top two quarterbacks on Bleacher Report's Matt Miller's draft board—Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota—will go at it with everything on the line.
There's no denying the greatness both Mariota and Winston have shown for their respective teams throughout the last two seasons. ESPN Stats & Info showed how similar their Heisman campaigns were:
But when these two Heisman victors trot onto the field at the Rose Bowl, it will be solely about surviving and advancing. One team has shown a mastery of doing just that—for more than just 2014.
Florida State takes an incredible 29-game winning streak into Pasadena, but one that has been tested over and over. Seven of the Seminoles' games this season have been decided by six or fewer points, including lethargic wins over Florida and Boston College late in the year.
Despite one loss to Arizona, the Ducks have been the exact opposite, absolutely dismantling every team they've faced since that defeat. Mariota's offense has hung 42 or more points on its last eight opponents, including a revenge victory over the Wildcats.
Anything can happen in a game with this much preparation time and this much on the line, but it should be expected to go one of two ways.
Oregon will either put on another offensive display and blow out Florida State or the Seminoles will find a way to stick around and win it the only way they know how.
Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. Georgia
If you're looking for a marquee bowl matchup taking place before the madness of New Year's Eve, look no further than the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30 between No. 13 Georgia and No. 21 Louisville.
The Bulldogs had much higher sights for the season than finishing in Charlotte, North Carolina two days before the New Year, but they lost an outside shot at the CFP with a midseason loss to Florida.
They overcame the loss—and return, and subsequent loss—of Todd Gurley and notched a big win over Auburn in November, but it was negated by a season-ending loss to Georgia Tech.
While Georgia's morale has been shot in the leg every time it gets sky-high, Louisville has remained dangerous in Bobby Petrino's first season back with the Cardinals. After coming oh so close to an upset of Florida State, Louisville closed the season hanging 31 or more on Boston College, Notre Dame and Kentucky—all wins.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt has come off impressed by Louisville, per the school's official athletics Twitter:
If there's a game on the bowl slate that the SEC should be expected to lose, this may be it.
On top of the spirits being high for one team and low for another, Georgia has struggled mightily on the ground, which should continue against Louisville.
The Bulldogs allowed 399 or more rushing yards in each of their last two defeats, and Louisville's passing prowess will keep space open for Michael Dyer and Brandon Radcliff to make their impact on the ground.
Plus, Louisville will be somewhat ready for the SEC foe after finishing its season with a win over Kentucky. Facing an ACC opponent won't be high on Georgia's to-do list after Georgia Tech stunned the Bulldogs in Week 15.
If both teams play up to scratch, the Belk Bowl should be one of the most exciting matchups of the bowl season.
Bowl schedule and TV information courtesy of ESPN.com.
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