ESPN Events Announces 2023 College Football Bowl Matchups – 17 Owned and Operated Events, Dec. 16-28

Every ESPN Events bowl will be televised on ABC or ESPN and simulcast on ESPN+ in 2023

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has announced the matchups for its 17 owned and operated college football bowl games for 2023.

Bowl Season will begin Saturday, Dec. 16, with the Myrtle Beach Bowl (11 a.m. ET, ESPN) in Conway, S.C., the first of four ESPN Events bowls that day – followed by the Cricket Celebration Bowl (noon, ABC), the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl (3:30 p.m., ABC) and the Isleta New Mexico Bowl (5:45 p.m., ESPN).

Six bowls will be played the following Saturday, Dec. 23, the busiest day of the ESPN Events postseason schedule.

All 17 ESPN Events bowl games will be televised on ABC or ESPN and simulcast for the first time on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service. ESPN Deportes will offer Spanish-language presentations of at least nine games with additional Spanish-language telecasts for the Isleta New Mexico and Famous Toastery bowls available on ESPN+ and ESPN3. ESPN Radio will broadcast six ESPN Events bowl games.

The 2023 ESPN Events bowl schedule:

Myrtle Beach Bowl

The Myrtle Beach Bowl is set for Saturday, Dec. 16 at 11 a.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio. The third edition of the bowl matches Georgia Southern (Sun Belt) against Ohio (MAC) at Brooks Stadium on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.

Cricket Celebration Bowl

The Cricket Celebration Bowl will be contested Saturday, Dec. 16, at noon on ABC. The annual matchup of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) conference champions, which debuted in 2015, will feature Howard (MEAC) against Florida A&M (SWAC) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This year’s event also features the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship on Dec. 15. 

Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl

The Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl, which debuted in 2015, is set for Saturday, Dec. 16 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. Miami (Ohio) of the MAC will play Appalachian State (Sun Belt) at FBC Mortgage Stadium on the UCF campus in Orlando.

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

The Isleta New Mexico Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 16 at 5:45 p.m. on ESPN, and available in Spanish on ESPN3 and ESPN+. New Mexico State (Conference USA) and Fresno State (Mountain West) will participate in the 18th edition of the bowl at University Stadium in Albuquerque.

Famous Toastery Bowl

The first ever Famous Toastery Bowl will be played on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN, and available in Spanish on ESPN3 and ESPN+. Western Kentucky (Conference USA) will face Old Dominion (Sun Belt) at Jerry Richardson Stadium on the campus of UNC Charlotte. The Famous Toastery Bowl was established this year with the Bahamas Bowl unable to be played in Nassau, Bahamas due to renovations at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl

The Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl will be played Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The sixth installment of this bowl will match UTSA (American) against Marshall (Sun Belt) at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

The 10th anniversary edition of the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. South Florida (American) will face Syracuse (ACC) at FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl will be played Friday, Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The bowl, which debuted in 2008, will feature a matchup of Georgia Tech (ACC) and UCF (Big 12) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

76® Birmingham Bowl

The 76® Birmingham Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 23 at noon on ABC. The 17th installment of the Birmingham Bowl will pit Troy (Sun Belt) against Duke (ACC) at Protective Stadium.

Camellia Bowl

The 10th annual Camellia Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 23, at noon on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. The bowl game, which debuted in 2014, will match Arkansas State (Sun Belt) against Northern Illinois (MAC) at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 23 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The 21st edition of the “Bowl for the Brave” will feature James Madison (Sun Belt) against Air Force (Mountain West) at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The 27th Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is slated for Saturday, Dec. 23 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. The game will be played at Albertsons Stadium on the campus of Boise State University and will feature Georgia State (Sun Belt) and Utah State (Mountain West).

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl is set for Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN Deportes. The 32nd year of the bowl features a matchup of Pac-12 and Big Ten teams as Utah faces Northwestern at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl

The EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 23, at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. The 20th edition of the bowl will match Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) against San Jose State (Mountain West) at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl is set for Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. In the 14th edition of the bowl game, Texas State (Sun Belt) will play Rice (American) at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus in Dallas.

TaxAct Texas Bowl

The TaxAct Texas Bowl will be played Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 9 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. In the bowl’s 18th year, Texas A&M (SEC) will face Oklahoma State (Big 12) at NRG Stadium in Houston, marking the 10th year both conferences are affiliated with the Texas Bowl.

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

The second Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be played at Fenway Park, the historic home of the Boston Red Sox, on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. on ESPN. The only college football bowl game to be contested in New England will match SMU (American) against Boston College (ACC) in Boston, Mass.

ESPN Events 

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2023, the 33-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, nine college basketball events, a college softball event and the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship, in addition to a new college gymnastics event coming in 2024. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, while reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities 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, X/Twitter or YouTube pages.

2023 ESPN Events College Football Bowl Schedule:

Date Time (ET) Matchup Network
Sat, Dec. 16 11 a.m. Myrtle Beach Bowl

Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.)

Georgia Southern vs. Ohio

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio

  Noon Cricket Celebration Bowl

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Howard vs. Florida A&M

ABC/ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl

FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)

Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State

ABC/ESPN+
  5:45 p.m. Isleta New Mexico Bowl

University Stadium (Albuquerque, N.M.)

New Mexico State vs. Fresno State

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN3*

Mon, Dec. 18 2:30 p.m. Famous Toastery Bowl

Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte)

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN3*

Tue, Dec. 19  9 p.m. Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl

Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)

UTSA vs Marshall

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Deportes

Thu, Dec. 21 8 p.m. RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Fla.)

South Florida vs. Syracuse

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio/

ESPN Deportes

Fri, Dec. 22 6:30 p.m. Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)

Georgia Tech vs. UCF

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Deportes

Sat, Dec. 23 Noon 76® Birmingham Bowl

Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Ala.)

Troy vs. Duke

ABC/ESPN+
  Noon Camellia Bowl

Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)

Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio/

ESPN Deportes

  3:30 p.m. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)

James Madison vs. Air Force

ABC/ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)

Georgia State vs Utah State

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio/

ESPN Deportes

  7:30 p.m. SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Utah vs. Northwestern

ABC/ESPN+/

ESPN Deportes

  10:30 p.m. EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl

Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex

(Honolulu, Hawaii)

Coastal Carolina vs San Jose State

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio/

ESPN Deportes

Tue, Dec. 26  5:30 p.m. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, Texas)

Texas State vs. Rice

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Deportes

Wed, Dec. 27 9 p.m. TaxAct Texas Bowl

NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)

Texas A&M vs Oklahoma State

ESPN/ESPN+/

ESPN Radio/

ESPN Deportes

Thu, Dec. 28 11 a.m. Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.)

SMU vs. Boston College

ESPN/ESPN+

* Also available in Spanish on ESPN+ and ESPN3

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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