December is here and that means an end to the regular College Football season. For colleges, players, alumni, and fans of Division I Football this means it's time for the NCAA College Football 'Bowl Games."
There are 130 NCAA Division I College Football Teams in the United States. For those that may not be familiar, Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics overseen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. Smaller colleges are usually classified as Division II or III. Division I colleges, also known as D-I, comprise the major athletic powers in the college division because they have larger budgets, more advanced facilities, and more athletic scholarships. Many of these universities have more than 30,000 currently enrolled students with a few colleges having more than 60,000 students.
Each year 80 out of the 130 teams get invited to compete in various College Bowl Games depending on their success during the season and their Conference Standings. To get invited to play in a Bowl Game, the colleges must win at least 6 out of their twelve scheduled games during the College Football Season. For the colleges, this is recognition for having an elite athletic football team and a reward for a year of hard work, dedication, and success. The college coaches and players are rewarded by getting the chance to compete against another quality football team that they would not normally play against during the season. This gives them a chance to test their skills both as individual players and as a team. For many college senior football players, this is a final chance to showcase their skills and athletic ability for professional scouts in hopes of making it to the National Football League.
The real winners this time of year are the college students, alumni, and football fans. NCAA College Football "Bowl Games" are held in some of the most beautiful cities across the United States. There is even a bowl game this year in Nassau, Bahamas. This year many loyal college alumni, current students, and fans of college football will travel to cities like Atlanta, Orlando, New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, and Las Vegas among others to watch their favorite teams compete.
Now is the time for college students, alumni and fans to make flight and hotel reservations. With travel at its peak this month because of the holidays, it is imperative to make your travel plans today if you plan to attend the games in person.
Visit our travel blog webpage where we have provided you travel companies that can help you with your flight and hotel reservations to attend the big game.
The Sophisticated Travelers wish you safe travels and a Happy Holiday Season.
| BOWL/TITLE GAME | DATE | TIME | SITE | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebration | Dec. 16 | Noon | Atlanta, Ga. | North Carolina A&T vs. Grambling State |
| New Orleans | Dec. 16 | 1 p.m. | New Orleans, La. | Troy vs. North Texas |
| Cure | Dec. 16 | 2:30 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | Georgia State vs. Western Kentucky |
| Las Vegas | Dec. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Las Vegas, Nevada | Boise State vs. Oregon |
| New Mexico | Dec. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Albuquerque, N.M. | Marshall vs. Colorado State |
| Camellia | Dec. 16 | 8 p.m. | Montgomery, Ala. | Middle Tennessee State vs. Arkansas State |
| Boca Raton | Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. | Boca Raton, Fla. | FAU vs. Akron |
| Frisco | Dec. 20 | 8 p.m. | Frisco, Texas | SMU vs. LA Tech |
| Gasparilla | Dec. 21 | 8 p.m. | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Temple vs. FIU |
| Bahamas | Dec. 22 | 12:30 p.m. | Nassau, Bahamas | UAB vs. Ohio |
| Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 22 | 4 p.m. | Boise, Idaho | Wyoming vs. Central Michigan |
| Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Noon | Birmingham, Ala. | USF vs. Texas Tech |
| Armed Forces | Dec. 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Fort Worth, Texas | Army vs. San Diego State |
| Dollar General | Dec. 23 | 7 p.m. | Mobile, Ala. | Appalachian State vs. Toledo |
| Hawai'i | Dec. 24 | 8:30 p.m. | Honolulu, Hawai'i | Fresno State vs. Houston |
| Heart of Dallas | Dec. 26 | 1:20 p.m. | Dallas, Texas | West Virginia vs. Utah |
| Quick Lane | Dec. 26 | 5:15 p.m. | Detroit, Mich. | Duke vs. Northern Illinois |
| Cactus | Dec. 26 | 10 p.m. ET | Phoenix, Ariz. | UCLA vs. Kansas State |
| Independence | Dec. 27 | 1:30 p.m. | Shreveport, La. | Florida State vs. Southern Miss |
| Pinstripe | Dec. 27 | 5:15 p.m. | Bronx, N.Y. | Boston College vs. Iowa |
| Foster Farms | Dec. 27 | 8:30 p.m. | Santa Clara, Calif. | Arizona vs. Purdue |
| Texas | Dec. 27 | 9 p.m. | Houston, Texas | Texas vs. Missouri |
| Military | Dec. 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Annapolis, Md. | Virginia vs. Navy |
| Camping World | Dec. 28 | 5:15 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech |
| Alamo | Dec. 28 | 9 p.m. | San Antonio, Texas | Stanford vs. TCU |
| Holiday | Dec. 28 | 9 p.m. | San Diego, Calif. | Michigan State vs. Washington State |
| Belk | Dec. 29 | 1 p.m. | Charlotte, N.C. | Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M |
| Sun | Dec. 29 | 2 p.m. | El Paso, Texas | NC State vs. Arizona State |
| Music City | Dec. 29 | 4:30 p.m. | Nashville, Tenn. | Kentucky vs. Northwestern |
| Arizona | Dec. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | New Mexico State vs. Utah State |
| Cotton | Dec. 29 | 8:30 p.m. | Arlington, Texas | Ohio State vs. USC |
| Taxslayer | Dec. 30 | Noon | Jacksonville, Fla. | Louisville vs. Mississippi State |
| Liberty | Dec. 30 | 12:30 p.m. | Memphis, Tenn. | Iowa State vs. Memphis |
| Fiesta | Dec. 30 | 4 p.m. | Glendale, Ariz. | Washington vs. Penn State |
| Orange | Dec. 30 | 8 p.m. | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Miami vs. Wisconsin |
| Outback | Jan. 1 | Noon | Tampa, Fla. | Michigan vs. South Carolina |
| Peach | >Jan. 1 | 12:30 p.m. | Atlanta, Ga. | Auburn vs. UCF |
| Citrus | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | Notre Dame vs. LSU |
| Rose (CFP Semifinals) | Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. | Pasadena, Calif. | Oklahoma vs. Georgia |
| Sugar (CFP Semifinals) | Jan. 1 | 8:45 p.m. | New Orleans, La. | Clemson vs. Alabama |
| CFP National Championship | Jan. 8 | 8 p.m. | Atlanta, Ga. | TBD |