2024-25 College Football Playoff,
Bowl Game Television Schedules
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
Two Atlantic Coast Conference teams will participate in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, and four North Carolina teams will play in 2024 bowl games, with two long-time Old North State rivals drawing a head-to-head postseason matchup with each other.
ACC newcomer SMU (11-2), which lost 34-31 to Clemson on a last-second field goal in the conference championship game in Charlotte on Saturday night, received the final at-large bid to the College Football Playoff. The #11 Mustangs, whose other loss (to 10-2 BYU) also was by just a field goal, will visit #6 Penn State (11-2) in a first-round playoff contest on Dec. 21.
Clemson (10-3), which captured the ACC title for the eighth time in the last 10 years under coach Dabo Swinney, received a bid to the playoff as the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. The #12 Tigers will visit #5 Texas (11-2) in a first-round playoff contest on Dec. 21.
Meanwhile, among North Carolina’s seven Football Bowl Subdivision teams, four earned bowl invitations, and two will play each other.
East Carolina (7-5) and NC State (6-6) will battle on Dec. 28 at the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md. The Pirates and Wolfpack have played each other 20 times over the past 43 years, with each side winning 10 games.
Duke (9-3) has a chance to reach the 10-win mark for just the second time in program history, but it won’t be easy. The Blue Devils will face #14 Ole Miss (9-3) on Jan. 2 at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
North Carolina (6-6), which is playing in its sixth consecutive bowl game, will take on UConn (8-4) on Dec. 28 at the Fenway Bowl in Boston.
Appalachian State (5-6), Charlotte (5-7) and Wake Forest (4-8) did not reach the postseason this year. The Mountaineers (Shawn Clark to Dowell Loggains) and 49ers (Biff Poggi to Tim Albin) made coaching changes last week.
Loggains, who served as an assistant coach in the National Football League for more than a decade, was the offensive coordinator at South Carolina for the past two seasons. Albin just led Ohio to three straight 10-win seasons and the 2024 Mid-American Conference championship.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
Friday, Dec. 20
#10 Indiana (11-1) at #7 Notre Dame (11-1)
Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.
8 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Saturday Dec. 21
#11 SMU (11-2) at #6 Penn State (11-2)
Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa.
12 p.m., TNT
#12 Clemson (10-3) at #5 Texas (11-2)
Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
4 p.m., TNT
#9 Tennessee (10-2) at #8 Ohio State (10-2)
Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
8 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 31
CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
TBD vs. #3 Boise State (12-1)
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1
CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
TBD vs. #4 Arizona State (11-2)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
1 p.m., ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential
TBD vs. #1 Oregon (13-0)
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
5 p.m., ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
TBD vs. #2 Georgia (11-2)
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
8:45 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 9
CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Jan. 10
CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Jan. 20
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
7:30 p.m., ESPN
BOWL SCHEDULE
Saturday, Dec. 14
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Jackson State (11-2) vs. South Carolina State (9-2)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Noon, ABC
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
South Alabama (6-6) vs. Western Michigan (6-6)
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.
9 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
#25 Memphis (10-2) vs. West Virginia (6-6)
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 18
Boca Raton Bowl
Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. James Madison (8-4)
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla.
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Art of Sport LA Bowl
California (6-6) vs. #24 UNLV (10-3)
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
9 p.m., ESPN
Thursday Dec. 19
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Georgia Southern (8-4) vs. Sam Houston (9-3)
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
7 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, Dec. 20
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Ohio (10-3) vs. Jacksonville State (9-4)
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
Noon, ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Tulane (9-4) vs. Florida (7-5)
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 23
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Coastal Carolina (6-6) vs. UTSA (6-6)
Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.
11 a.m., ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Northern Illinois (7-5) vs. Fresno State (6-6)
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 24
Hawai’i Bowl
South Florida (6-6) vs. San José State (7-5)
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu
8 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Toledo (7-5)
Ford Field, Detroit
2 p.m., ESPN
Rate Bowl
Rutgers (7-5) vs. Kansas State (8-4)
Chase Field, Phoenix
5:30 p.m., ESPN
68 Ventures Bowl
Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Bowling Green (7-5)
Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
9 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Dec. 27
DirecTV Holiday Bowl
#21 Syracuse (9-3) vs. Washington State (8-4)
Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
8 p.m., FOX
Birmingham Bowl
Georgia Tech (7-5) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Ala.
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Oklahoma (6-6) vs. Navy (8-3)
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
3 p.m., ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Texas Tech (8-4) vs. Arkansas (6-6)
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
7 p.m., ESPN
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M (8-4) vs. USC (6-6)
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
10:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
North Carolina (6-6) vs. UConn (8-4)
Fenway Park, Boston
11 a.m., ESPN
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Boston College (7-5) vs. Nebraska (6-6)
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
Noon, ABC
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
Louisiana (10-3) vs. TCU (8-4)
University Stadium, Albuquerque, N.M.
2:15 p.m., ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl
#18 Iowa State (10-3) vs. #13 Miami (10-2)
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
3:30 p.m., ABC
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Miami-Ohio (8-5) vs. Colorado State (8-4)
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.
4:30 p.m., CW Network
Go Bowling Military Bowl
East Carolina (7-5) vs. NC State (6-6)
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
5:45 p.m., ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl
#17 BYU (10-2) vs. #23 Colorado (9-3)
Alamodome, San Antonio
7:30 p.m., ABC
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Marshall (10-3) vs. #22 Army (11-1)
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
9:15 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Iowa (8-4) vs. #19 Missouri (9-3)
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl
#11 Alabama (9-3) vs. Michigan (7-5)
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Noon, ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Louisville (8-4) vs. Washington (6-6)
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
2 p.m., CBS
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
#15 South Carolina (9-3) vs. #20 Illinois (9-3)
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
3 p.m., ABC
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
Baylor (8-4) vs. LSU (8-4)
NRG Stadium, Houston
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 2
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Duke (9-3) vs. #14 Ole Miss (9-3)
EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
7:30 p.m. ESPN
Friday, Jan. 3
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
North Texas (6-6) vs. Texas State (7-5)
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas
4 p.m., ESPN
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Minnesota (7-5) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 4
Bahamas Bowl
Buffalo (8-4) vs. Liberty (8-3)
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
11 a.m., ESPN2
