2021–22 NCAA football bowl games
| 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Season | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of bowls | 44[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All-star games | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl games | December 17, 2021 – January 10, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Championship | 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location of Championship | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games are a series of college football bowl games scheduled to complete the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 17, 2021, and, aside from the all-star games scheduled to follow, will conclude with the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship played on January 10, 2022.[1]
Schedule
The schedule for the 2021–22 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5). Note that Division II bowls and Division III bowls are not included here. The bowl schedule was released on May 27, 2021.[2]
Conferences listed in the Affiliations column reflect agreements between bowl organizers and athletic conferences, often referred to as "tie-ins". These are subject to change, due to bowl eligibility and other considerations.
College Football Playoff and National Championship Game
The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks of the regular season. The top four teams in the final ranking were then seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.
The semifinal games for the 2021 season are the Cotton Bowl Classic and the Orange Bowl. Both are scheduled for December 31, 2021, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of two bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners will advance to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, scheduled for January 10, 2022.
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| December 31 – Cotton Bowl ClassicAT&T Stadium, Arlington | ||||||||
| 1 | Alabama | 27 | ||||||
| 4 | Cincinnati | 6 | January 10 – National ChampionshipLucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis | |||||
| 1 | Alabama | 18 | ||||||
| December 31 – Orange BowlHard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens | 3 | Georgia | 33 | |||||
| 2 | Michigan | 11 | ||||||
| 3 | Georgia | 34 | ||||||
Each of the games in the following table is scheduled to be televised by ESPN.
Non CFP bowl games
Two bowls, which had originally planned to debut during the 2020–21 bowl season but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are making their debut during the 2021–22 bowl season; the Fenway Bowl (Boston, Massachusetts) and the LA Bowl (Inglewood, California). The Montgomery Bowl, played as a substitute for the Fenway Bowl, did not return. The San Francisco Bowl, formerly the Redbox Bowl, was cancelled for a second straight season when organizers could not come to terms with all parties involved with the game.[3] On December 2, 2021, the NCAA approved a 42nd bowl game, later named the Frisco Football Classic, in order to accommodate all 84 bowl-eligible teams.[4]
In the below table, affiliations for confirmed teams reflect their actual conferences, and rankings are per the final CFP rankings that were released on December 5.[5]
FCS bowl game
The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) has one bowl game. The FCS also has a postseason bracket tournament that culminates in the 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 18 | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00 pm |
ABC | South Carolina State Bulldogs (6–5) Jackson State Tigers (11–1) |
MEAC SWAC |
[9] |
All-star games
Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.
A new all-star game, the HBCU Legacy Bowl, was announced in March 2021.[10] All times are EST.
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 15 | Hula Bowl | Bounce House Orlando, Florida 12:00 pm |
CBS Sports Network | Team Aina Team Kai |
[11] |
| Jan. 29 | NFLPA Collegiate Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 7:00 pm |
NFL Network | National American |
[12] |
| Feb. 3 | East–West Shrine Bowl | Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada 8:00 pm |
NFL Network | East Team West Team |
[13] |
| Feb. 5 | Senior Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama 2:30 pm |
NFL Network | National American |
[14] |
| Feb. 19 | HBCU Legacy Bowl | Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana 4:00 pm |
NFL Network | [15] |
Team selections
CFP top 25 standings and bowl games
On December 5, 2021, the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year. This was the eighth year of the CFP era. Cincinnati became the first team from the Group of Five conferences to reach the playoffs.[16] Michigan became the first team to make the playoffs after starting the season unranked in the AP Poll.[16]
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 12–1 | SEC champions | Cotton Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 2 | Michigan Wolverines | 12–1 | Big Ten champions | Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 12–1 | SEC East Division champions | Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 13–0 | AAC champions | Cotton Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 5 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 11–1 | Independent | Fiesta Bowl (NY6) |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division co-champions | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| 7 | Baylor Bears | 11–2 | Big 12 champions | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| 8 | Ole Miss Rebels | 10–2 | SEC West Division second place | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| 9 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 11–2 | Big 12 first place | Fiesta Bowl (NY6) |
| 10 | Michigan State Spartans | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division third place | Peach Bowl (NY6) |
| 11 | Utah Utes | 10–3 | Pac-12 champions | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| 12 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 11–2 | ACC champions | Peach Bowl (NY6) |
| 13 | BYU Cougars | 10–2 | Independent | Independence Bowl |
| 14 | Oregon Ducks | 10–3 | Pac-12 North Division champions | Alamo Bowl |
| 15 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 10–3 | Big Ten West Division champions | Citrus Bowl |
| 16 | Oklahoma Sooners | 10–2 | Big 12 second place (tie) | Alamo Bowl |
| 17 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 10–3 | ACC Atlantic Division champions | Gator Bowl |
| 18 | NC State Wolfpack | 9–3 | ACC Atlantic Division second place (tie) | Holiday Bowl |
| 19 | Clemson Tigers | 9–3 | ACC Atlantic Division second place (tie) | Cheez-It Bowl |
| 20 | Houston Cougars | 11–2 | AAC first place (tie) | Birmingham Bowl |
| 21 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 8–4 | SEC West Division third place (tie) | Outback Bowl |
| 22 | Kentucky Wildcats | 9–3 | SEC East Division second place | Citrus Bowl |
| 23 | Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns | 12–1 | Sun Belt champions | New Orleans Bowl |
| 24 | San Diego State Aztecs | 10–3 | Mountain West West Division champions | Frisco Bowl |
| 25 | Texas A&M Aggies | 8–4 | SEC West Division third place (tie) | Gator Bowl |
Conference champions' bowl games
Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 5, with win–loss records at that time. One bowl will feature a matchup of conference champions – the Cotton Bowl. Champions of the Power Five conferences were assured of a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game.
| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAC | Cincinnati Bearcats | 13–0 | 4 | Cotton Bowl (semifinal) |
| ACC | Pittsburgh Panthers | 11–2 | 12 | Peach Bowl (NY6) |
| Big 12 | Baylor Bears | 11–2 | 7 | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| Big Ten | Michigan Wolverines | 12–1 | 2 | Orange Bowl (semifinal) |
| C-USA | UTSA Roadrunners | 12–1 | – | Frisco Bowl |
| MAC | Northern Illinois Huskies | 9–4 | – | Cure Bowl |
| Mountain West | Utah State Aggies | 10–3 | – | LA Bowl |
| Pac-12 | Utah Utes | 10–3 | 11 | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| SEC | Alabama Crimson Tide | 12–1 | 1 | Cotton Bowl (semifinal) |
| Sun Belt | Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns | 12–1 | 23 | New Orleans Bowl |
Bowl-eligible teams
Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible, with at least five of those wins being against FBS opponents. The College Football Playoff semi-final games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.
- ACC (10): Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, Miami (FL), North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- American (7): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, UCF, Tulsa
- Big Ten (9): Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
- Big 12 (7): Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia
- C-USA (8): Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
- MAC (8): Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West (8): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
- Pac-12 (6): Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington State
- SEC (13): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
- Sun Belt (4): Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Independent (4): Army, BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame
Number of bowl berths available: 84
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 84
Bowl-ineligible teams
- ACC (4): Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse
- American (4): Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulane
- Big Ten (5): Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers
- Big 12 (3): Kansas, TCU, Texas
- C-USA (6): Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Rice, Southern Miss
- MAC (4): Akron, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Ohio
- Mountain West (4): Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
- Pac-12 (6): Arizona, California, Colorado, Stanford, USC, Washington
- SEC (1): Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt (6): Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
- Independent (3): New Mexico State, UConn, UMass
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 46
Venues
A total of thirty-seven venues will be utilized, with seven of them in particular for the CFP National Championship and New Year's Six (NY6).[17] The number of venues increased from twenty, primarily due to the relaxation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of venues for bowl games typically was around forty.[18] Prestige and capacity of venues usually increases as the schedule progresses towards to NY6 bowls and the national championship, in large part due to scheduling Top 25 teams late into the bowl games' time frame, while bowl games before Christmas Day typically involve schools in Group of Five conferences.[19] Televising at the venues of bowl games is largely run by ESPN and joint networks (ABC & ESPN2), with only three bowl games run by a non-affiliated network (Holiday Bowl on Fox, Sun Bowl on CBS and Arizona Bowl on Barstool Sports).[20] With the exception of the Bahamas Bowl in The Bahamas,[21] all bowls will be played within the United States.
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Venues with a number and an x host multiple bowl games.
CFP Bowls
The College Football Playoff committee elected to continue with the six venues for this postseason—including two as the semifinals for the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship―as outlined below: [17]
- AT&T Stadium in Arlington: Venue for the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic that will feature the 1st vs. 4th or 2nd vs. 3rd seed.
- State Farm Stadium in Glendale: Venue for the 2022 Fiesta Bowl that will feature two of the four highest non-Top 4 and non-NY6 bid conference affiliated.
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta: Venue for the 2021 Peach Bowl that will feature two of the four highest non-Top 4 and non-NY6 bid conference affiliated.
- Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens: Venue for the 2021 Orange Bowl that will feature the 1st vs. 4th or 2nd vs. 3rd seed.
- Rose Bowl in Pasadena: Venue for the 2022 Rose Bowl that will feature the highest non-top 4 conference finishers from the Big Ten and Pac-12.
- Caesars Superdome in New Orleans: Venue for the 2022 Sugar Bowl that will feature the highest non-top 4 conference finishers from the SEC and Big 12.
In addition, the National Championship will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which will be the first time a state from the Midwestern U.S. will host the National Championship in the CFP Era.[17]
| Glendale (Phoenix area) |
Atlanta | New Orleans | |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Caesars Superdome | |
| Capacity: 78,600 | Capacity: 75,000 | Capacity: 76,468 | |
|
|
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| Pasadena (Los Angeles area) |
Venues of the 2021 New Year's Six Bowls Source: College Football Playoff[17] | ||
| Rose Bowl | |||
| Capacity: 92,542 | |||
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| Arlington (Dallas/Fort Worth area) |
IndianapolisNC | Miami Gardens (Miami area) | |
| AT&T Stadium | Lucas Oil Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium | |
| Capacity: 105,000 | Capacity: 70,000 | Capacity: 64,767 | |
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Notes
- ^ 43 FBS bowl games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and 1 FCS bowl game.
- ^ The Arizona Bowl will be broadcast via Barstool Sports' website, app, and social media platforms.[7]
References
- ^ "Dates Announced for College Football Playoff Games through 2026". College Football Playoff.
- ^ a b "2021 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "San Francisco Bowl canceled for second straight season, eyeing 2022 return". Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (December 2, 2021). "Sources: NCAA to Add New Bowl Game in Texas". Action Network. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ Brew, Tom (December 11, 2021). "Complete 2021-22 College Football Bowl Game Schedule". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "LendingTree Bowl Moving to Hancock Whitney Stadium". LendingTreeBowl.com. 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Pedersen, Brian J. (July 27, 2021). "Barstool Sports to sponsor Arizona Bowl". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Bender, Bill (May 27, 2021). "College football 2021-22 bowl schedule: Dates, times for all 44 bowls". Sporting News. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via MSN.com.
- ^ "South Carolina State will take on Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl". Twitter. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Black College Football Hall of Fame establishes HBCU Legacy Bowl". NFL.com. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Hula Bowl 2022 Coaches Announced". hulabowl.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ "2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Date Set". nflpa.com. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Game Day". shrinebowl.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "The Game". seniorbowl.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "HBCU Legacy Bowl". hbculegacybowl.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Russo, Ralph D. (December 5, 2021). "Cincinnati breaks through, earns CFP bid alongside Alabama, Michigan, Georgia". The Boston Globe. AP. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "College Football Playoff Games Schedule". College Football Playoff. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "People have been whining about 'too many bowl games' for like 100 years now". Banner Society. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Ranking the 39 bowl games in 2019 from best to worst". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "College football bowl game schedule for 2021-22: Dates, times". ESPN. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "About The Bahamas Bowl". Bahamas Bowl. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
Further reading
- "FBS (I-A) Conference Schedule". ESPN.com. 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.