Alert: some material has been updated.
Welcome to this year's Owljock Bowl Board.
There are normally more than 40 NCAA-sanctioned postseason football games, with almost as many title sponsors selling everything from financial services to regional fast food restaurants. This year there are 27, with 17 bowls (by our count) opting to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and college football's decision to press on with the regular season despite having to cancel/postpone a number of games because of coaches and players testing positive or getting sick.
A moment of silence, please, for the bowls that won't be held this year:
- Bahamas Bowl
- Celebration Bowl
- Fenway Bowl
- Hawaii Bowl
- Holiday Bowl
- Las Vegas Bowl
- Los Angeles Bowl
- Pinstripe Bowl
- Quick Lane Bowl
- Redbox Bowl
- Sun Bowl
- Frisco Bowl
- Birmingham Bowl
- Guaranteed Rate Bowl
- Gasparilla Bowl
- Military Bowl
- Independence
Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame have all been announced as participants in this year's College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide and Tigers were expected, while the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are here because of who they are. If the Big Ten conference hadn't agreed to bend the rules in favor of Ohio State in matters such as, let's say, playing for the conference championship despite having played fewer games than teams with a better record (Indiana), then the Buckeyes would be sitting at home, wouldn't they?
For the first time since 1942, the Rose Bowl won't be played in California. The first time came a few weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, with fears that the West Coast might be under Japanese attack. So the game between Oregon State and Duke was moved to North Carolina. This time, its chances of hosting a CFP semifinal diminished when requests to let a few hundred family members into the stadium during a pandemic were denied by California's stringent anti-virus codes. So the game was moved to Arlington, Texas, where presumably the coronavirus statutes are a little more lax than health officials would like.
Here's what's left of the bowl schedule, which will be played strictly for the TV cameras in mostly empty stadiums with few to no spectators. With one exception, all games will be seen on the ESPN Family of Networks. We will, as usual, provide brief descriptions of the company sponsoring the bowl in the event you've never heard of them before (and in some cases, neither have we). Because this is still 2020, games and matchups are subject to change.
December 21, 2020
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State vs. North Texas (Conway, SC) ESPN
December 22, 2020
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Tulane vs. Nevada (Boise, ID) ESPN
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Central Florida vs. Brigham Young (Boca Raton, FL) ESPN
Roofing repairs.
December 23, 2020
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern (New Orleans, LA) ESPN
Freight shipping and logistics.
Montgomery Bowl: Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic (Montgomery, AL) ESPN
December 24, 2020
New Mexico Bowl: Hawaii vs. Houston (Frisco, TX) ESPN
Moved from Albuquerque, NM.
December 25, 2020
Camellia Bowl: Marshall vs. Buffalo (Montgomery, AL) ESPN
December 26, 2020
Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina (Orlando, FL) ESPN
Breast cancer awareness.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Louisiana vs. Texas-San Antonio (Dallas, TX) ABC
Disaster restoration services.
LendingTree Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State (Mobile, AL) ESPN
Personal finance website.
December 29, 2020
Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Miami (Orlando, FL) ESPN
Cheese snack food.
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. Colorado (San Antonio, TX) ESPN
Energy company.
December 30, 2020
Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin (Charlotte, NC) ESPN
South Carolina-based condiment.
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Missouri (Nashville, TN) ESPN
Translation services.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Oklahoma vs. Florida (Arlington, TX) ESPN
Tires and blimps.
December 31, 2020
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Tulsa vs. Mississippi State (Fort Worth, TX) ESPN
Defense contractor.
Arizona Bowl: Ball State vs. San Jose State (Tucson, AZ) CBS
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: West Virginia vs. Army (Memphis, TN) ESPN
Auto supplies retail chain.
Mercari Texas Bowl: Arkansas vs. Texas Christian (Houston, TX) ESPN
Internet merchandise site.
January 1, 2021
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Georgia (Atlanta, GA) ESPN
National chicken restaurant chain.
Vrbo Citrus Bowl: Auburn vs. Northwestern (Orlando, FL) ABC
Vacation rentals.
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One: Alabama vs. Notre Dame (Arlington, TX) ESPN
Financial services.
College Football Playoff semifinal. Moved from Pasadena, CA.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Clemson vs. Ohio State (New Orleans, LA) ESPN
Insurance and financial services.
College Football Playoff semifinal.
January 2, 2021
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Kentucky (Jacksonville, FL) ESPN
Internet tax preparer.
Outback Bowl: Mississippi vs. Indiana (Tampa, FL) ABC
Steakhouse restaurant chain.
Playstation Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State (Glendale, AZ) ESPN
Video game consoles.
Capital One Orange Bowl: Texas A&M vs. North Carolina (Miami Gardens, FL) ESPN
See under Rose Bowl.
January 11, 2021
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T: Teams TBA (Miami Gardens, FL) ESPN
