The day after Christmas will bring the gift of college football’s 2025-26 bowl season resuming with three games Friday, Dec. 26.
Starting at 1 p.m. ET, Central Michigan will play Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
New Mexico and Minnesota will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET in the Rate Bowl.
The nightcap will begin at 8 p.m. with Florida International University and the University of Texas-San Antonio meeting in the First Responder Bowl.
More information below on each bowl game, including kickoff times and how to watch. Click here for the full schedule and scores of bowl games, including the CFP first round, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the national championship game.
(All times are ET)
Matchup: Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Northwestern (6-6)
TV: ESPN
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
Central Michigan outlook: The home-state bowl appearance caps a turnaround season for the Chippewas, whose seven wins are their most since 2021 (which ended with their most recent bowl, a 24-21 victory over Washington State). Central Michigan will be playing its 11th game in Detroit, including five bowl games — most recently a 21-14 loss to Minnesota in 2015. Defense is a strength for the Chippewas, who have forced at least one turnover in every game and have a plus-8 margin for the season.
Northwestern outlook: The Wildcats will play their second bowl game in the first three seasons under David Braun, who is the first head coach in school history to achieve that mark. Northwestern will put its five-game winning streak in bowl games on the line, having won the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl, 2017 Music City Bowl, 2018 Holiday Bowl, 2021 Citrus Bowl and 2023 Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats, who allow 20.9 points per game with the Big Ten’s seventh-best defense, are playing a bowl game in Detroit for the second time (and lost 28-24 to Bowling Green in 2023).
Matchup: New Mexico (9-3) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
TV: ESPN
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona
New Mexico outlook: The Lobos, who are bowl eligible for the first time since 2016, are playing in the postseason in Phoenix for the first time since 1997. In his first season as head coach of New Mexico, Jason Eck led the team to its 14th bowl appearance, its third nine-win year in this century and a four-way tie for the Mountain West regular-season championship. The Lobos won six of their final eight games and were 6-0 at University Stadium — their first unbeaten home season since 1962.
Minnesota outlook: The Gophers have won eight consecutive bowl games, the longest postseason college football winning streak in the country and tied for the fourth longest in history. Minnesota is 6-0 in bowl games under head coach P.J. Fleck with wins over Virginia Tech in the 2025 Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Bowling Green in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl, Syracuse in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl), West Virginia in the 2021 Rate Bowl, Auburn in the 2020 Outback Bowl and Georgia Tech in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl. The Gophers led the Big Ten with 3.09 sacks per game.
Matchup: Florida International University (7-5) vs. University of Texas-San Antonio (6-6)
TV: ESPN
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
FIU outlook: The Panthers ended the season on a four-game winning streak to earn their fourth bowl bid since 2019. Playing a difficult schedule that included seven opponents that made bowl games, FIU averaged 29.3 points per game. First-year head coach Willie Simmons extended his streak of winning seasons to nine (after previous stops with Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M.
UTSA outlook: The Roadrunners rebounded from an 0-2 start that included a 42-24 loss to Texas A&M, which made the CFB Playoff. UTSA won six of its final nine games, including a 48-26 win over Tulane, which is the No. 11 seed in the CFB Playoff. Earning their sixth consecutive bowl bid under head coach Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners averaged 33.8 points per game and scored at least 48 points four times.
The first round was held Dec. 19-21 with Alabama (8) beating Oklahoma (9) 34-24; Miami (10) defeating Texas A&M (7) 10-3; Ole Miss (6) beating Tulane (11) 41-10; and Oregon (5) defeating James Madison (12) 51-34.
The quarterfinals will take place Dec. 31-Jan. 1 with Indiana (1) vs. Alabama, Ohio State (2) vs. Miami, Georgia (3) vs. Ole Miss and Texas Tech (4) vs. Oregon. The semifinals will be held Jan. 8-9.
Click here for a rundown on the College Football Playoff, which began Dec. 19-20 with the first round.
The title will be decided at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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