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U.S. to Host 2026 Bowl Season, 35 Bowls, Vegas Championship

6/4/2026

Summary

US Hosts 2026 Bowl

The United States will host the 2026 football bowl season, which includes 35 bowl games and 11 playoff games.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl will open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 12.
The Puerto Rico Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 22 at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón.
The national championship game will be played on Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Summary

Bowls Expand Broadcast

Bowls averaged 3.1 million viewers, a 13 % rise from 2024-25, the highest since 2015-16.
ABC, CBS, and The CW will broadcast bowls, with ABC airing six games, CBS the Sun Bowl, and The CW the Arizona Bowl.
ESPN renamed the Xbox Bowl as the Frisco Football Classic and moved the Rate Bowl to Mountain America Stadium as the Cactus Bowl.
ESPN kept the lineup because CFP expansion talks keep scheduling uncertain.

Summary

CFP Expands

The 2026-27 College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams, increasing the postseason to 80 teams.
ESPN will sublicense five playoff games to TNT Sports, giving the network its first CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 14, 2027.
Selection Day Dec. 6, 2026 will set seeds and hosts; Texas coach Steve Sarkisian led Longhorns to two of three playoffs, including a Dec. 2024 win over Clemson; CFP championship will air on ESPN/ABC from Allegiant Stadium Jan. 25, 2027.

Summary

ESPN Launches Bundle

ESPN will market a bundled streaming package that combines Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN for bowl-season fans.
The ESPN Unlimited subscription will include all 32 bowl games and over 47,000 live events each year.
ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes will deliver postseason coverage, with details released in December.
The Dec. 22 Puerto Rico Bowl and the New Year’s Eve tripleheader will stream live on the ESPN App and the bundled service.

History

Historical Context

The Bowl Championship Series began in 1998 to pair the top two FBS teams in a single title game, ending the split-champion era of the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance. It was replaced by the College Football Playoff in 2014, which grew to 12 teams in 2024. The 2026-27 CFP expansion follows the same revenue-driven enlargement pattern first seen with the BCS.

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US Hosts 2026 Bowl

The United States will host the 2026 football bowl season, which includes 35 bowl games and 11 playoff games.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl will open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 12.
The Puerto Rico Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 22 at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón.
The national championship game will be played on Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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