ESPN Events Announces Matchups for 2021-22 Bowl Season – 18 Owned and Operated College Football Bowl Games, Dec. 17 – Jan. 4
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has announced the matchups for its 18 owned and operated college football bowl games for the 2021-22 Bowl Season.
The Bahamas Bowl (noon ET, ESPN) and Tailgreeter Cure Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN2) kick off the schedule on Friday, Dec. 17. Seventeen of the ESPN Events bowl games will air on ESPN while the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 18 will air on ABC at noon. The schedule also includes the addition of the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston on Wednesday, Dec. 29 (11 a.m., ESPN) and the new Frisco Football Classic, which will be played Thursday, Dec. 23 (5:30 p.m., ESPN2) in Frisco, Texas.
The entire 18-game ESPN Events bowl games in 2021-22:
Bahamas Bowl
The Bahamas Bowl will be played on Friday, Dec. 17 at noon on ESPN. Middle Tennessee (Conference USA) will face Toledo (Mid-American Conference) at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas. The Bahamas Bowl debuted in 2014 and is the longest-running international bowl game in college football history.
Tailgreeter Cure Bowl
The Tailgreeter Cure Bowl, which debuted in 2015, is set for Friday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) will play Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
The eighth edition of the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Appalachian State (Sun Belt) will face Western Kentucky (Conference USA) at FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
The Cricket Celebration Bowl will be contested Saturday, Dec. 18, at noon on ABC. The annual matchup of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) conference champions, which debuted in 2015, will feature South Carolina State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) against Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic Conference) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl
The PUBG MOBILE New Mexico Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 18 at 2:15 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio. The University of Texas-El Paso (Conference USA) and Fresno State University (Mountain West) will participate in the 16th edition of the New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct
The Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct is set for Monday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. The second edition of this bowl matches Old Dominion (Conference USA) against Tulsa (American Athletic Conference) at Brooks Stadium on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
The 25th Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be played at Albertsons Stadium on the campus of Boise State University and will feature Wyoming (Mountain West Conference) and Kent State (Mid-American Conference).
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
The Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl will be played Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The fourth installment of this bowl will match San Diego State (Mountain West Conference) against Conference USA champion UTSA at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
The 19th edition of the bowl will feature Army (Independent) against Missouri (SEC) at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Frisco Football Classic
The new Frisco Football Classic will be played Thursday, Dec. 23 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Miami (Ohio) (Mid-American Conference) and North Texas (Conference USA) will meet in this game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl will be played Thursday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The bowl, which debuted in 2008, will feature a matchup of Sunshine State programs when UCF (American Athletic Conference) faces Florida (SEC) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Easypost Hawai’i Bowl
The Easypost Hawai’i Bowl will be played on Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The 19th edition of the bowl will match Memphis (American Athletic Conference) against host Hawai‘i (Mountain West) at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus.
TaxAct Camellia Bowl
The TaxAct Camellia Bowl will be played on Christmas Day, Saturday, Dec. 25, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. The bowl game, which debuted in 2014, will match Georgia State (Sun Belt) against Ball State (Mid-American Conference) at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
The TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at noon on ESPN. The 15th installment of the Birmingham Bowl will pit Houston (American Athletic Conference) against Auburn (SEC) at the new Protective Stadium.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl is set for Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 3:15 p.m. on ESPN. In the 12th edition of the bowl game, Air Force (Mountain West) will play Louisville (ACC) at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus in Dallas.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
The inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be played Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 11 a.m. on ESPN. The first college football bowl game to be played at Fenway Park, the historic home of the Boston Red Sox, and the first Division 1 FBS bowl game to be contested in New England, will match SMU (American Athletic Conference) against Virginia (ACC) in Boston, Mass.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl will be played Thursday, Dec. 30 at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN. In the 30th year of the bowl, Wisconsin (Big Ten) will face Arizona State (Pac-12) at the event’s new home at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
TaxAct Texas Bowl
The TaxAct Texas Bowl will be played Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. In the bowl’s 16th year, Kansas State (Big 12) will face LSU (SEC) at NRG Stadium in Houston, marking the eighth year both conferences are affiliated with the Texas Bowl.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 35 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.
2021-22 ESPN Events College Football Bowl Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Bowl | Network |
| Fri, Dec 17 | Noon | Bahamas Bowl
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas) Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo |
ESPN |
| 6 p.m. | Tailgreeter Cure Bowl
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina |
ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Dec 18 | 11 a.m. | RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Fla.) Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State |
ESPN |
| Noon | Cricket Celebration Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.) South Carolina State vs. Jackson State |
ABC | |
| 2:15 p.m. | PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, N.M.) UTEP vs. Fresno |
ESPN | |
| Mon, Dec 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct
Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.) Old Dominion vs. Tulsa |
ESPN |
| Tue, Dec 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho) Kent State vs. Wyoming |
ESPN |
| 7:30 p.m. | Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) UTSA vs. San Diego State |
ESPN | |
| Wed, Dec 22 | 8 p.m. | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Ft. Worth, Texas) Missouri vs. Army |
ESPN |
| Thu, Dec 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Frisco Football Classic
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) North Texas vs. Miami (Ohio) |
ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.) UCF vs. Florida |
ESPN | |
| Fri, Dec 24 | 8 p.m. | Easypost Hawai’i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu, Hawaii) Memphis vs. Hawaii |
ESPN |
| Sat, Dec 25 | 2:30 p.m. | TaxAct Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.) Georgia State vs. Ball State |
ESPN |
| Tue, Dec 28 | Noon | TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Ala.) Houston vs. Auburn |
ESPN |
| 3:15 p.m. | SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, Texas) Air Force vs. Louisville |
ESPN | |
| Wed, Dec 29 | 11 a.m. | Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.) SMU vs. Virginia |
ESPN |
| Thu, Dec 30 | 10:30 p.m. | SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) Wisconsin vs. Arizona State |
ESPN |
| Tue, Jan 4 | 9 p.m. | TaxAct Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas) LSU vs. Kansas State |
ESPN |
* All times ET
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Media contacts:
Amanda Brooks at 704-973-5042; [email protected] and @BrooksAD
Bill Hofheimer at 860-766-9589; [email protected] and @bhofheimer_espn