ESPN Events Announces Dates & Times for 2018 Bowl Games
- All Games to Again Air on ESPN or ABC
- Opening Day Kicks off December 15
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has locked in the dates, times and networks for each of the company’s 14 owned and operated bowl games for the 2018 season. Four bowls on Saturday, Dec. 15, kick off the bowl season – Celebration Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl on ABC, as well as the New Mexico Bowl and Raycom Media Camellia Bowl on ESPN. All other ESPN owned and operated bowl games will be aired on ESPN.
Celebration Bowl
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will meet in the fourth-annual Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 15, pitting the conference champion from these two Historically Black College and University (HBCU) conferences. The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, at noon ET on ABC.
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
The 13th edition of the New Mexico Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 15, from Dreamstyle Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The 2 p.m. game on ESPN and ESPN Radio will feature a team from the Mountain West against a team from Conference USA.
Las Vegas Bowl
The Las Vegas Bowl is set for Saturday, Dec. 15, on ABC at 3:30 p.m. The 27th annual game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas featuring the top choice from the Mountain West against a team from the Pac-12 Conference.
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
The Raycom Media Camellia Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 15, from historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio. The fifth annual bowl game will match teams from the Sun Belt Conference against the Mid-American Conference.
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
The fifth edition of the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio, from FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. Conference USA, the American Athletic Conference and the Mid-American Conference are the affiliated conferences for the game.
Frisco Bowl
The second annual Frisco Bowl will air on ESPN on Wednesday, Dec. 19 (8 p.m.), from Toyota Stadium, the home of FC Dallas of Major League Soccer and host to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship Game since 2010.
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl will be played Thursday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Bahamas Bowl
In its fifth year, the Bahamas Bowl will be played on Friday, Dec. 21, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be played at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau and features teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
The 22nd annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is slated for Friday, Dec. 21, at 4 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be held at Boise State University’s Albertsons Stadium, featuring teams from the Mountain West versus Mid-American Conference.
Birmingham Bowl
The 13th annual Birmingham Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 22, at noon on ESPN. Played at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., the game will pit a team from the American Athletic Conference against a team from the Southeastern Conference.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 22, on ESPN. The 16th edition of the postseason college football bowl game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. from Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Hawai’i Bowl
The Hawai’i Bowl will also be a part of Saturday’s slate (10:30 p.m., ESPN) from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. In its 17th year, the bowl will be aired on ESPN and ESPN Radio, pitting teams from Conference USA and Mountain West.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
The ninth annual Heart of Dallas Bowl is set for Wednesday, Dec. 26, at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium on the grounds of Fair Park. This year’s bowl game will air on ESPN at 1:30 p.m.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
The 13th annual Texas Bowl is set for Thursday, Dec. 27, at 9 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio. The game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston and marks the fifth meeting between the Big 12 and SEC.