The 2025-26 college football bowl season wraps up its non-playoff games while the expanded College Football Playoff heads into blockbuster quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve and Day, shaping final rankings and national title contention as December 30 marks a quiet day ahead of the holiday slate.
Recent Bowl Results Highlights
The first-round CFP games delivered dramatic outcomes earlier in December:
- No. 9 Alabama staged a historic comeback to defeat No. 8 Oklahoma 34-24.
- No. 10 Miami upset No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 in a defensive battle.
- No. 6 Ole Miss dominated No. 11 Tulane 41-10.
- No. 5 Oregon overwhelmed No. 12 James Madison 51-34.
Non-CFP bowls featured standout wins like Penn State over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, Virginia edging Missouri in the Gator Bowl, and BYU rallying past Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Upcoming Key Matchups
The spotlight shifts to CFP quarterfinals:
- December 31 → No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami (Cotton Bowl, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
- January 1 → No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon (Orange Bowl, noon ET, ESPN).
- January 1 → No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana (Rose Bowl, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN).
- January 1 → No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia (Sugar Bowl, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Other notable bowls around the holidays include the Sun Bowl (Duke vs. Arizona State) and Holiday Bowl (Arizona vs. SMU) in late December/early January.
These matchups promise high-stakes action, with winners advancing to semifinals and potential shifts in end-of-season rankings. Conference pride hangs in the balance as the playoff field narrows toward the January 19 national championship.
Stay tuned for live updates as bowl season concludes and the CFP intensifies—delivering classic postseason excitement today and beyond.
