Bowl Games Schedule 2021-22: Dates, Times and Best Potential CFP Matchups

Very few FBS defenses in college football can brag about being close to the same stratosphere as the Georgia Bulldogs. 

They carry the top-rated defense into the SEC Championship Game on Saturday and hope to lock in the top seed in the College Football Playoff. If that happens, Georgia's offense could be in line to face one of the toughest Power Five defenses in the nation. 

Oklahoma State surged up to No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25 thanks to their incredible defensive unit. 

The Cowboys rank fifth in points allowed per game and third in total yards conceded per contest. If they make the playoff, Oklahoma State would provide an intriguing matchup against a Georgia team that has not been pushed to its limits yet. 

2021-22 Bowl Game Schedule

Tony Ding/Associated Press

College Football Playoff

Orange Bowl (December 31)

Cotton Bowl (December 31)

National Championship (January 10)

New Year's 6

Peach Bowl (December 30, 7 p.m. ET)

Fiesta Bowl (January 1, 1 p.m. ET)

Rose Bowl (January 1, 5 p.m. ET)

Sugar Bowl (January 1, 8:45 p.m. ET)

Other Bowls

Friday, December 17

Bahamas Bowl (noon ET, ESPN)

Cure Bowl (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Saturday, December 18

Boca Raton Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN)

New Mexico Bowl (2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Independence Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

LendingTree Bowl (5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Los Angeles Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

New Orleans Bowl (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Monday, December 20

Myrtle Beach Bowl (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Tuesday, December 21

Idaho Potato Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Frisco Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Wednesday, December 22

Armed Forces Bowl (TBD, ESPN)

Thursday, December 23

Gasparilla Bowl (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

Friday, December 24

Hawai'i Bowl (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Saturday, December 25

Camellia Bowl (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Monday, December 27

QuickLane Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Military Bowl (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Tuesday, December 28

Birmingham Bowl (noon ET, ESPN)

First Responder Bowl (3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Holiday Bowl (5 p.m. ET, Fox)

Liberty Bowl (6:45 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Guaranteed Rate Bowl (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Wednesday, December 29

Fenway Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Pinstripe Bowl (2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Cheez-It Bowl (5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Alamo Bowl (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Thursday, December 30 

Duke's Mayo Bowl (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Music City Bowl (3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Las Vegas Bowl (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)   

Friday, December 31

Gator Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Sun Bowl (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Arizona Bowl (4:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, January 1

Outback Bowl (noon ET, ESPN2)

Citrus Bowl (1 p.m. ET, ABC) 

Tuesday, January 4

Texas Bowl (TBD, ESPN)

Georgia vs. Oklahoma State

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Georgia vs. Oklahoma State could be the best defensive battle we see all season. 

The Bulldogs and Cowboys both boast top-five defenses that have consistently held opponents under 20 points. 

Georgia has not allowed a single opponent to score more than 17 points, while Oklahoma State limited three of its last five foes to single digits. 

Oklahoma State allowed a season-high 33 points to Oklahoma on Saturday, but its defense was still impressive since it held the Sooners to zero offensive points in the second half. 

A potential stalemate between the Big 12 and SEC sides could break the trend of high-scoring games in the College Football Playoff. 

Only two playoff semifinals in the past four years featured teams that recorded a single-digit point total. Last season's semifinal games produced 122 total points. 

Michigan vs. Notre Dame

Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

If certain results happen, the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish could renew their rivalry in the playoff. 

Michigan is expected to be No. 2 in Tuesday's rankings after its win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The lowest the Wolverines would be is No. 3 behind the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats, who could be second. 

Notre Dame entered the playoff picture a few weeks ago and could be fourth in the latest CFP rankings. 

The Fighting Irish's resume will be debated alongside Oklahoma State's as long as Cincinnati wins the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. 

If Cincinnati loses, it opens up the possibility for No. 2 Michigan to play No. 3 Notre Dame. Cincinnati is favored to beat the Houston Cougars, so it would take a major upset for this scenario to play out. 

The all-Ohio semifinal is out of the picture with Ohio State's loss, and if Alabama loses the SEC Championship Game, an all-SEC clash will not happen either. 

That leaves one of the sport's longest rivalries as one of the most intriguing matchups still in play for the playoff.