NCAA
College football bowl games: Who plays today Thursday December 26? Times and matchups
The actions resumes on Thursday with three games lined up, starting off with the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit.
After the drama of the Hawai’i Bowl on Christmas Eve the 2024-25 college football bowl season resumes with three matchups programmed for today, Thursday 26 December.
In Honolulu, the South Florida Bulls won the Hawai’i Bowl - beating the San José State Spartans 41-39 in a game that was taken to five overtimes.
Let’s take a look at what’s happening today.
2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl: Pittsburgh vs Toledo
The action kicks off at Ford Field in Detroit with the GameAbove Sports Bowl between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Toledo Rockets. After an impressive start to the season, Pittsburgh faded and it was a similar story for Toledo who lost momentum with four straight defeats in the final stretch. The Panthers will be aiming to repeat their success of 2019 - the program’s only bowl triumph in Detroit.
The 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl between Pittsburgh Panthers and the Toledo Rockets will take place at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday 26 December 2024 and is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The game will air live on ESPN. Viewers in the United States will be able to stream ESPN’s coverage on Fubo (free trial available).
Rate Bowl: Rutgers vs Kansas State
From Motor City we move to Phoenix, Arizona where Rutgers and Kansas State will be battling it out in the Rate Bowl. The Scarlet Knights finished 7-5 overall in the Big Ten, and head into this game after winning three of its last four games, bouncing back from a defeat to Illinois by beating Michigan State.
The Wildcats, who have won this bowl game three times in the past (1993, 2013 and 2017) suffered a dip in form as the Big 12 regular season reached its climax - losing to Houston, Arizona State and Iowa State to finish 8-4.
The 2024 Rate Bowl between Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Kansas State Knights will take place at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday 26 December 2024 and is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT. The game will air live on ESPN. Viewers in the United States will be able to stream ESPN’s coverage on Fubo (free trial available).
68 Ventures Bowl: Arkansas State vs Bowling Green
And bringing today’s action to a close - the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama as Arkansas State take on Bowling Green. The Red Wolves finished third in the Sun Belt West, 7-5 overall and finished strong, losing just two of their last six games.
The Falcons are dreaming of their first bowl triumph since lifting the Camellia Bowl in 2014. Scot Loeffler‘s team also finished 7-5 and ended the campaign with a string of wins - defeat to the Miami Redhawks on the final day was the only blot, denying them the chance to record their sixth consecutive win.
The 68 Ventures Bowl between Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Bowling Green Falcons will take place at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday 26 December 2024 and is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The game will air live on ESPN. Viewers in the United States will be able to stream ESPN’s coverage on Fubo (free trial available).
The 2024-25 college football bowl season continues with another 32 games left to play, concluding with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on 20th January 2025.
Some bowl games have changed venue this year - for example the Holiday Bowl has moved from Petco Park to Snapdragon Stadium while the Cure Bowl will take place at Camping World Stadium and not at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
In other new developments, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl has been renamed and is now known simply as the Rate Bowl.