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Bowl Games 2019-20: College Football Schedule, Predictions and Games to Watch
December 20, 2019
The 2019-20 bowl season has officially arrived.
There are 78 FBS teams that will be looking to end the college football season on a winning note. And for four of those schools—LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma—the dream of capturing the national championship is still alive in the College Football Playoff.
The first bowl game of the season takes place Friday afternoon, when Buffalo and Charlotte face off in the Bahamas Bowl. Then, Utah State and Kent State square off in the Frisco Bowl on Friday night.
And that's only the start of the most exciting time of the college football season. Here's a look at the full bowl schedule, along with predictions for each, followed by three non-playoff games to watch.
2019-20 Bowl Schedule
Friday, Dec. 20
Bahamas Bowl (2 p.m., ESPN): Buffalo vs. Charlotte
Frisco Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN2): Utah State vs. Kent State
Saturday, Dec. 21
Celebration Bowl (noon, ABC): North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State
New Mexico Bowl (2 p.m., ESPN): Central Michigan vs. San Diego State
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network): Liberty vs. Georgia Southern
Boca Raton Bowl (3:30 p.m., ABC): SMU vs. Florida Atlantic
Camellia Bowl (5:30 p.m., ESPN): Florida International vs. Arkansas State
Las Vegas Bowl (7:30 p.m., ABC): No. 19 Boise State vs. Washington
New Orleans Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN): No. 20 Appalachian State vs. UAB
Monday, Dec. 23
Gasparilla Bowl (2:30 p.m., ESPN): UCF vs. Marshall
Tuesday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN): Hawaii vs. BYU
Thursday, Dec. 26
Independence Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN): Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (Fla.)
Quick Lane Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN): Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan
Friday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl (noon, ESPN): North Carolina vs. Temple
Pinstripe Bowl (3:20 p.m., ESPN): Michigan State vs. Wake Forest
Texas Bowl (6:45 p.m., ESPN): No. 25 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
Holiday Bowl (8 p.m., Fox Sports 1): No. 22 USC vs. No. 16 Iowa
Cheez-It Bowl (10:15 p.m., ESPN): Air Force vs. Washington State
Saturday, Dec. 28
Camping World Bowl (noon, ABC): No. 15 Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Cotton Bowl (noon, ESPN): No. 17 Memphis vs. No. 10 Penn State
College Football Playoff semifinal: Peach Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 LSU
College Football Playoff semifinal: Fiesta Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN): No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Monday, Dec. 30
First Responder Bowl (12:30 p.m., ESPN): Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan
Music City Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN): Mississippi State vs. Louisville
Redbox Bowl (4 p.m., Fox): California vs. Illinois
Orange Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN): No. 9 Florida vs. No. 24 Virginia
Tuesday, Dec. 31
Belk Bowl (noon, ESPN): Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl (2 p.m., CBS): Florida State vs. Arizona State
Liberty Bowl (3:45 p.m., ESPN): No. 23 Navy vs. Kansas State
Arizona Bowl (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network): Wyoming vs. Georgia State
Alamo Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN): No. 11 Utah vs. Texas
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Citrus Bowl (1 p.m., ABC): No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 13 Alabama
Outback Bowl (1 p.m., ESPN): No. 18 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Auburn
Rose Bowl (5 p.m., ESPN): No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 8 Wisconsin
Sugar Bowl (8:45 p.m., ESPN): No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 7 Baylor
Thursday, Jan. 2
Birmingham Bowl (3 p.m., ESPN): No. 21 Cincinnati vs. Boston College
Gator Bowl (7 p.m., ESPN): Indiana vs. Tennessee
Friday, Jan. 3
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (3:30 p.m., ESPN): Ohio vs. Nevada
Saturday, Jan. 4
Armed Forces Bowl (11:30 a.m., ESPN): Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane
Monday, Jan. 6
LendingTree Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN): UL Lafayette vs. Miami (Ohio)
Monday, Jan. 13
College Football Playoff National Championship (8 p.m., ESPN): Winner of No. 1 LSU-No. 4 Oklahoma vs. Winner of No. 2 Ohio State-No. 3 Clemson
All Times ET. Predictions in bold.
Non-CFP Games to Watch
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Baylor
Both of these teams narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff this season. The Bulldogs lost to LSU in the SEC Championship Game, while the Bears fell to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. However, these are still two of the best teams in the country this season.
Georgia had a difficult regular-season schedule, and it earned victories over Notre Dame, Florida and Auburn on the way to its SEC title game appearance. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 4 in the CFP rankings prior to that loss.
Baylor may have lost to Oklahoma twice, but it won every other game on its schedule. The Bears impressed throughout Big 12 play and had they been able to defeat the Sooners, they could have been in the CFP instead of them.
This should be an exciting matchup as Georgia's strong defense faces Baylor's exciting Big 12-style offense.
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Oregon's season appeared to be taking a bad turn when it lost at Arizona State on Nov. 23. But the Ducks bounced back in a big way by defeating Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, ending the Utes' hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.
Outside of Oregon's loss at Arizona State, its only other loss came against Auburn in the season opener in Dallas. So, the Ducks have an impressive resume entering this game.
Wisconsin also had a strong season, as two of its three losses came against playoff-bound Ohio State. The Badgers notched quality wins over Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa, which helped them reach the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Rose Bowl is a prestigious game and a New Year's Day tradition. This year's matchup should deliver one of the most exciting bowls of the season.
Cotton Bowl: Memphis vs. Penn State
This will be an opportunity for Memphis to prove it can play with a top Power Five team in the country.
The Tigers are 12-1 after winning the AAC championship, earning the berth as the Group of Five team in the Cotton Bowl. They defeated Cincinnati, the AAC's other top team, twice to take the title.
But they haven't faced a team as talented as Penn State, which lost only two games while navigating a difficult Big Ten schedule. The Nittany Lions lost to only Ohio State and Minnesota while notching quality wins over Michigan and Iowa.
The Cotton Bowl matchup could be a closer game than some might expect.