College football bowl game schedule for the 2023-24 season: A full guide for fans.
Think of the college football postseason is more a marathon than a sprint. There's 42 games running from the first series of matchups on Dec. 16 through the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 8.
The ending of a college football is bittersweet. It's as the song goes "the most wonderful of time of the year" but also the ending of another season for the sport until we see it again next August.
The College Football Playoff semifinals will be held on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The national title game is being held at NRG Stadium in Houston.
But there's plenty of other intriguing games to watch. Here's the entire lineup:
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21
Rickey Hunt ran for 115 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bobcats to their fifth consecutive bowl game and second 10-win season in a row. The Eagles, who lost their fifth game in a row, committed five turnovers. — Associated Press
New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 31 (OT)
The Gamecocks won their first bowl game on Garrison Rippa's 27-yard field goal in overtime after they tied the game when on Zion Webb hit Perry Carter for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter. — Associated Press
Cure Bowl: Appalachian State 13, Miami (Ohio) 9
The Mountaineers got a third-quarter scoring run by quarterback Joey Aguilar for the decisive score in a game played in rainy conditions. The teams combined for 13 fumbles with the RedHawks losing three to offset 180 yards rushing by Rashad Amos. — Associated Press
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10
Mikey Keene completed his first 15 passes and finishing with a career-high 380 passing yards with three touchdown passes as the Bulldogs ended a three-game losing streak. They outgained the Aggies 491-200 and held New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia to just 58 yards passing. — Associated Press
LA Bowl: UCLA 35, Boise State 22
Ethan Garbers threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns after replacing the injured Collin Schlee as the Bruins dominated the second half after the Broncos took a 16-7 lead at intermission. UCLA scored touchdowns on its first three possessions in the third quarter. — Associated Press
Independence Bowl: Texas Tech 34, California 14
Behren Morton threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Red Raiders rallied from a slow start. They trailed 14-7 before holding the Golden Bears scores in the first three quarters while forcing California quarterback Fernando Mendoza into four turnovers. — Associated Press
Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT)
Western Kentucky redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Veltkamp came off the bench to throw for 383 yards and five touchdowns, Lucas Carneiro made a winning 29-yard field goal in overtime and Western Kentucky erased a 28-point deficit to beat Old Dominion. — Associated Press
Frisco Bowl: Texas-San Antonio 35, Marshall 17
Owen McCown stepped in for starting quarterback Frank Harris and threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Roadrunners to their first bowl victory. Robert Henry had the go-ahead score in the final minute of the second quarter and McCown extended the lead in the third quarter with a strike to David Amador as the Thundering Herd were held scoreless after intermission. — Associated Press
Boca Raton Bowl: South Florida 45, Syracuse 0
Byrum Brown threw for two touchdowns, and the Bulls returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the first half to win their first bowl game since 2017. The Orange struggled with quarterback Dan Villari throwing two interceptions and an offensive generating just 159 yards and succeeding on just 1 of 16 third-down conversions. — Associated Press
Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech 30, Central Florida 17
Haynes King threw a touchdown pass and ran for another to lead the Yellow Jackets as they rallied past the Knights. Jamal Haynes had a game-high 128 yards on the ground, helping Georgia Tech score all of the 13 points in the second half to finish with its first winning season since 2018. — Associated Press
Birmingham Bowl: Duke 17, Troy 10
In a game with both teams playing with interim coaches, the Blue Devils jumped out to 14-0 lead at halftime and held off the Trojans in the second half. Jacquez Moore led a ground attack that compiled 147 yards, and Grayson Loftis added 183 yards through the air for Duke. — Associated Press
Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19
In the final game of his career, Rocky Lombardi threw and ran for a touchdown to help the Huskies win their first bowl game in 11 years. The Red Wolves almost pulled off a stunning rally, but they failed to convert a two-point conversion to tied the game in the final minute and their onside kick recovery was wiped out due to an offside penalty. — Associated Press
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force 31, James Madison 21
Emmanuel Michel ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dominant running attack that powered the Falcons past the Dukes. Air Force had lost four consecutive games entering the postseason. — Associated Press
Idaho Potato Bowl: Georgia State 45, Utah State 22
Darren Grainger threw for three touchdowns and ran for two scores as the Panthers broke open a close game in the second quarter with 31 consecutive points. Freddie Brock added 276 rushing yards for the Panthers, who had lost five of six to end the regular season. — Associated Press
68 Ventures Bowl: South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10
Gio Lopez led a dominant effort by the Jaguars with three touchdowns passing and a touchdown run. South Alabama had more than 300 yards rushing and passing, while scoring 38 points in the first half and then three more touchdowns in the third quarter. — Associated Press
Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern 14, Utah 7
Ben Bryant threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats earned an unexpected bowl win and their eighth victory in a season that saw coach Pat Fitzgerald fired in the summer. — Associated Press
Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina 24, San Jose State 14
Ethan Vasko threw three touchdown passes and Coastal Carolina beat San Jose State 24-14 in the Hawaii Bowl for its second bowl victory. Vasko completed 20 of 33 passes for 199 yards and ran for 50 yards on 17 carries for the Chanticleers (8-5). The Spartans (7-6) had won six in a row. — Associated Press
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24
Freshman Darius Taylor returned from a leg injury to rush for a career-high 208 yards, and Minnesota beat Bowling Green 30-24. Taylor, who had missed the Gophers’ previous five games, had 35 carries, including a 17-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota a 30-17 lead. Minnesota (6-7), which was selected for the bowl because it had the best Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams, won its seventh consecutive bowl game overall and fifth in a row under coach P.J. Fleck. — Associated Press
First Responder Bowl: Texas State 45, Rice 21
Linebacker Brian Holloway returned two interceptions for touchdowns, Jahmyl Jeter ran for three scores, and Texas State defeated Rice, 45-21, in the First Responder Bowl in the Bobcats’ first bowl appearance as an FBS program. — Associated Press
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas 49, UNLV 36
Jason Bean threw for 449 yards and all six of his touchdown passes to two receivers, and penalty-plagued Kansas outlasted UNLV, 49-36. The Jayhawks (9-4), ranked 14th nationally for fewest penalties with 55 during the regular season, were flagged 18 times for 210 yards, including four personal fouls. — Associated Press
Military Bowl: Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20
Kyron Drones ran for 176 yards and a touchdown and also threw for two TDs as Virginia Tech withstood a second-half downpour to defeat Tulane (11-3). Drones fumbled three times in the slippery conditions, but the Hokies (7-6) only lost one of them. — Associated Press
Duke's Mayo Bowl: West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10
West Virginia's season ended with coach Neal Brown getting mayonnaise dumped over his head after a victory in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Garrett Greene threw for 204 yards and a touchdown, Beanie Bishop Jr. returned a punt 78 yards for a score and West Virginia closed a season in which it exceeded expectations with a 30-10 victory over North Carolina. — Associated Press
Holiday Bowl: Southern California 42, Louisville 28
With Caleb Williams watching from the sideline, Miller Moss threw a Holiday Bowl-record six touchdown passes in his first college start and USC ended a frustrating season by defeating Louisville. Moss was 23 of 33 for 372 yards, with one interception. He broke the Holiday Bowl record of four touchdown passes held by four players. — Associated Press
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23
Rashod Owens had a career-high 164 yards receiving with two touchdowns and Brennan Presley tied a school record with 16 receptions and had 152 yards receiving in Oklahoma State's victory over Texas A&M. Ollie Gordon II, the Doak Walker Award winner, added 118 yards rushing to finish the season with 2,062 yards of offense. — Associated Press
Fenway Bowl: Boston College 23, SMU 14
Thomas Castellanos ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns and added 102 yards passing as the Eagles defeated the American Athletic champions. Boston College trailed entering the fourth quarter before both of Castellanos' scoring runs. The Mustangs struggled on offense with quarterback Kevin Jennings managing just 191 yards on 48 attempts.
Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers 31, Miami (Fla.) 24
Kyle Monangai had 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and quarterback Gavin Wimstatt rushed for two scores as the Scarlet Knights both won their first bowl game and finished with their first winning record since 2014. The short-handed Hurricanes, playing with backup quarterback Jacurri Brown, briefly took the lead early in the third quarter. Rutgers went ahead on a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown and then added 10 more points before holding off a final gasp by Miami.
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State 28, North Carolina State 19
Avery Johnson threw for two touchdowns in his first start and DJ Giddens added 151 yards rushing and two total scores to lead the Wildcats. The Wolfpack fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter before Trent Pennix's 60-yard run pull them within 21-19 late in the third quarter. Johnson then hit Jayce Brown for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for the game's final score.
Alamo Bowl: Arizona 38, Oklahoma 24
The Wildcats finished off a 10-win season with the help of six defensive turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown late in the third quarter that turned around a game controlled by Sooners. Gunner Maldonado went 87 yards for that score, and Arizona then scored all 17 points in the fourth quarter to clinch its victory.
Gator Bowl: Clemson 38, Kentucky 35
Phil Mafah ran for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 17 seconds to play, and Clemson beat Kentucky to close the season on a five-game winning streak. Mafah scored three times in a back-and-forth final quarter that saw five turnovers, four touchdowns and five lead changes. Clemson (9-4) outscored Kentucky (7-6) 28-14 over the last 15 minutes. — Associated Press
Sun Bowl: Notre Dame 40, Oregon State 8
Steve Angeli passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, guiding Notre Dame to a 40-8 victory over Oregon State. Angeli went 15 for 19 and tossed TD passes of 8 yards to Jayden Thomas, 13 yards to Jordan Faison and 13 yards to Jeremiyah Love. The sophomore was making his first start for the Irish (10-3) in place of Sam Hartman, one of many players who opted out of the game. — Associated Press
Liberty Bowl: Memphis 36, Iowa State 26
Seth Henigan threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns and the Memphis defense shut down Iowa State’s rushing game to win the Liberty Bowl. Blake Watson rushed for 107 yards as Memphis (10-3) of the American Athletic Conference amassed 530 yards of total offense and finished with at least 10 wins for the fifth time in program history. — Associated Press
Cotton Bowl: Missouri 14, Ohio State 3
All-America running back Cody Schrader rushed for 128 yards and bulled into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter with Missouri’s first score, and the ninth-ranked Tigers capped an 11-win season with a 14-3 win over No. 7 Ohio State. In a game with almost as many total punts (16) as points, the Tigers (11-2) suddenly scored touchdowns on consecutive drives after punting eight times before that. Brady Cook threw a 7-yard TD to Luther Burden III with 5:12 left in the game. — Associated Press
Peach Bowl: Mississippi 38, Penn State 25
Jaxson Dart passed for 379 yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Caden Prieskorn, and ran for a score as No. 11 Mississippi bullied No. 10 Penn State’s proud defense 38-25 in the Peach Bowl. Ole Miss (11-2) gained 540 yards against Penn State (10-3), which led the nation with its average of 223 yards allowed. It was the most yards and points allowed by the Nittany Lions this season. The win gave coach Lane Kiffin’s Rebels their first 11-win season. — Associated Press
Music City Bowl: Maryland 31, Auburn 13
Billy Edwards Jr. ran for a touchdown and threw for a score as Maryland routed Auburn in the Music City Bowl and won a program-record third straight bowl. Maryland (8-5) hadn’t even played three consecutive bowls since 2006-08, and the Terrapins added this victory to their win over Virginia Tech at the Pinstripe Bowl and last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina State. — Associated Press
Orange Bowl: Georgia 63, Florida State 3
Carson Beck passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, backup QB Gunnar Stockton passed for two more scores and No. 6 Georgia routed previously undefeated and third-ranked Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl in a matchup of teams missing out on the College Football Playoff. Georgia scored on nine of 12 drives and gained 673 total yards against the short-handed Seminoles, who were without more than two dozen players because of opt-outs and transfers, including five starters in their defensive front seven, their top two running backs and top three receivers. — Associated Press
Arizona Bowl: Wyoming 16, Toledo 15
John Hoyland kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired and Wyoming sent coach Craig Bohl into retirement a winner with a victory over Toledo. Bohl is retiring after 42 years of coaching – the last 10 in Laramie – and defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel will take over next season. — Associated Press
ReliaQuest Bowl: LSU 35, Wisconsin 31
Playing in place of Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hit Brian Thomas for a 4-yard touchdown with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter to provide the winning score for the Tigers. Nussmeier threw for 395 and three scores to barely outduel counterpart Tanner Mordecai, who had 378 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee
Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three scores and threw for another in his first career start to give the Volunteers their ninth win of the season. Minus starting quarterback Joe Milton, Tennessee still managed almost 400 yards of offense against the stingy Hawkeyes, who could only muster 173 yards with just 60 of them coming from quarterback Deacon Hill through the air.
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon 45, Liberty 6
The Ducks spotted the Flames a touchdown on the first drive of the game before Bo Nix threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns in his final college game. Oregon broke the game open with four touchdowns - all on passes by Nix - in the second quarter after Liberty had gone on top when Kaidon Salter found Bailey Hanshaw for a 17-yard score just 2:23 into the game.
Rose Bowl: Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT)
Blake Corum scored on a 17-yard run and the Wolverines got a fourth-down stop at their 2 in overtime to secure a defeat of the Crimson Tide and reach the College Football Playoff title game. Michigan trailed a mistake-filled game late in the fourth quarter before converting a fourth-and-2 from its own 33 and eventually tied the game on J.J. McCarthy's short pass to Roman Wilson with 1:34 left in regulation.
Sugar Bowl: Washington 37, Texas 31
Michael Penix threw for 430 yards - the second-highest total in a College Football Playoff semifinal - and the Huskies held off a furious late rally by the Longhorns to reach the national title game. Washington led 34-21 in the fourth quarter, but Texas cut the deficit to six late and drove to within 13 yards of a go-ahead touchdown. Four attempts went incomplete to end the game and send the Huskies to Houston.
College Football Playoff championship game: Michigan 34, Washington 13
Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards both ran for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns apiece as the Wolviners won their first national title since 1997 and first unshared crown since 1948. The defense was dominant in the win, holding Michael Penix and the Huskies to just one touchdown and forcing two interceptions. The victory caps the resurgence of MIchigan under former player JIm Harbaugh, who arrived in 2015 hoping to restore the program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football bowl schedule 2023-24: A look ahead at all 42 games
