Capping off the latest college football campaign is the 2022–2023 bowl season, where over 40 college bowl games will occur. It all begins on December 16 with the Bahamas Bowl and Cure Bowl before wrapping up on January 9 with the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Most college football bowl games, like the coveted Rose Bowl Game, air across ESPN channels. But there are a few notable matchups that appear elsewhere on TV. So prep your game day snack roster and keep scrolling to learn how to watch college football’s mightiest competitions.
What channels are the college bowls on?
With 43 bowl games this season, you’ll need the following five channels to watch every matchup available on TV.
If you did the math, there’s one game missing from the list. That’s because the Arizona Bowl doesn’t air on national television. Instead, you must stream it on Barstool Sports’ app, website, or social media profiles.
College football bowl game schedule
Below is a complete list of all 43 college football bowl games—including the three College Football Playoff games. Some kickoff times are still up in the air, but we’ll update our bowl game schedule as more information becomes available.
| Bowl | Teams | Date | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahamas Bowl | Miami vs. UAB | December 16, 2022 | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN |
| Cure Bowl | Troy vs. UTSA | December 16, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fenway Bowl | Cincinnati vs. Louisville | December 17, 2022 | 11:00 a.m. | ESPN |
| Celebration Bowl | Jackson State vs. NC Central | December 17, 2022 | Noon | ABC |
| New Mexico Bowl | SMU vs. BYU | December 17, 2022 | 2:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| LA Bowl | Washington State vs. Fresno State | December 17, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| LendingTree Bowl | Rice vs. Southern Mississippi | December 17, 2022 | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Oregon State vs. Florida | December 17, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Frisco Bowl | Boise State vs. North Texas | December 17, 2022 | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | Marshall vs. UConn | December 19, 2022 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State | December 20, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Liberty vs. Toledo | December 20, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| New Orleans Bowl | South Alabama vs. Western Kentucky | December 21, 2022 | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Baylor vs. Air Force | December 22, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Independence Bowl | Houston vs. Louisiana | December 23, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Gasparilla Bowl | Wake Forest vs. Missouri | December 23, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Hawai’i Bowl | Middle Tennessee State vs. San Diego State | December 24, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Bowling Green vs. New Mexico State | December 26, 2022 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Camellia Bowl | Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern | December 27, 2022 | Noon | ESPN |
| First Responder Bowl | Memphis vs. Utah State | December 27, 2022 | 3:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Birmingham Bowl | Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina | December 27, 2022 | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Wisconsin | December 27, 2022 | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Military Bowl | Duke vs. UCF | December 28, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Liberty Bowl | Arkansas vs. Kansas | December 28, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Holiday Bowl | Oregon vs. North Carolina | December 28, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Texas Bowl | Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss | December 28, 2022 | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Minnesota vs. Syracuse | December 29, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Cheez-It Bowl | Florida State vs. Oklahoma | December 29, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Alamo Bowl | Washington vs. Texas | December 29, 2022 | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Duke’s Mayo Bowl | NC State vs. Maryland | December 30, 2022 | Noon | ESPN |
| Sun Bowl | UCLA vs. Pitt | December 30, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+ Premium |
| Gator Bowl | South Carolina vs. Notre Dame | December 30, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Arizona Bowl | Ohio vs. Wyoming | December 30, 2022 | 4:30 p.m. | Barstool Sports |
| Orange Bowl | Tennessee vs. Clemson | December 30, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fiesta Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal) | Michigan vs. TCU | December 31, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal) | Georgia vs. Ohio State | December 31, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Music City Bowl | Iowa vs. Kentucky | December 31, 2022 | Noon | ABC |
| Sugar Bowl | Alabama vs. Kansas State | December 31, 2022 | Noon | ESPN |
| ReliaQuest Bowl | Mississippi State vs. Illinois | January 2, 2023 | Noon | ESPN2 |
| Citrus Bowl | LSU vs. Purdue | January 2, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. | ABC |
| Cotton Bowl Classic | USC vs. Tulane | January 2, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Rose Bowl Game | Utah vs. Penn State | January 2, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| College Football Playoff National Championship Game | Georgia vs. TCU | January 9, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Data effective as of post date.
Best TV plans for watching college bowl games
Usually, we would recommend DIRECTV or fuboTV for watching college football because they carry many college conference networks. But none of those channels air the postseason’s top bowl games.
Instead, you’re better off signing up for YouTube TV to watch all the bowls. At $64.99 a month, YouTube TV is $5.00 cheaper than fuboTV and Hulu + Live TV, and it comes with the five primary college bowl channels. It also has unlimited DVR storage, no bulky equipment requirements, and a slick interface that’s easy to navigate.
One month of YouTube TV will get you through the entire college bowl season—meaning you can cancel after the National Championship Game to avoid paying for a second month. Though, it’s not too bad if you stick around longer because the NFL Playoffs start on January 14, 2023.
Sling TV is another good option if you’re looking to save even more money. The main downside to Sling TV is that it doesn’t offer ABC or CBS. And FOX is available only in select markets through its Sling Blue plan. But the Sling Orange plan ($40.00 a month) carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3—that last one allows you to stream games that air on ABC.
You could also try getting those local channels over the air with a digital antenna, which we discuss in our free section below.
Which TV providers carry bowl games?
You can find bowl games across most TV providers. But to illustrate that point, we’ve listed some of the most popular services in the table below and whether they carry the main bowl game channels. (We left out ESPN2 because every provider that has ESPN also includes ESPN2.)
| Provider | ABC | CBS | ESPN | FOX | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read Cox review |
| DIRECTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read DIRECTV review |
| DIRECTV STREAM | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read DIRECTV STREAM review |
| DISH | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read DISH review |
| fuboTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read fuboTV review |
| Hulu + Live TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read Hulu + Live TV review |
| Optimum | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read Optimum review |
| Philo | — | — | — | — |
View plans Read Philo review |
| Sling TV | — | — | ✔ | ✔* |
View plans Read Sling TV review |
| Spectrum | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read Spectrum review |
| Xfinity | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read Xfinity review |
| YouTube TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
View plans Read YouTube TV review |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Available in select markets.
How to watch college bowl games for free
CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links. Amazon.com Price; $54.99 (as of 12/5/22 10:45 a.m. CT). Read full disclaimer.
During the college football postseason, you can watch seven bowl games for free with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna connected to your TV. ABC, CBS, and FOX are popular OTA channels available nationwide. But you’ll first want to double-check that you live within range of each channel’s local network affiliate. One way to verify your location is by entering your zip code into the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Reception Map Tool.
If you don’t already own an antenna, you can get a pretty good one for anywhere between $20 to $60. The Mohu Leaf 50 ($54.99 on Amazon†) is a great option if you live in the suburbs because its 60-mile range will likely get you the three OTA bowl channels and more. But you can check out our Best Antennas for Cord-Cutters page to browse other antenna options.
Even if you end up subscribing to a TV service to watch all those ESPN bowl games, it’s still wise to own an antenna. The one-time purchase is the most effective way to watch local TV, and you’ll even get access to other marquee sporting events depending on what channels are in your area. After all, both the Super Bowl and the World Series air on OTA channels.
Pro tip: The Arizona Bowl is free to watch online via the Barstool Sports app—available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices.
Final take
This season’s college football bowl games air on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, and FOX. Most cable, satellite, and live TV streaming providers carry the five channels, so it really comes down to what’s available in your area and what service type you prefer.
Our favorite service for watching bowl games is YouTube TV. It’s the cheapest way to stream all five channels in a single subscription without any demanding equipment requirements.
With YouTube TV, you’ll get 85+ live channels, unlimited DVR, and the ability to stream anywhere with a reliable internet connection. You can also add teams and specific matchups to your YouTube TV library to avoid missing out on the most crucial football matchups.
How to watch college bowl games FAQ
How can I watch college bowl games without cable?
You can still watch every college bowl game without cable through streaming services like fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. Also, Sling TV is an inexpensive streaming option for watching the ESPN bowl games through its Sling Orange plan ($40 a month).
What networks will carry the college football playoffs?
Every College Football Playoff game—including the National Championship—will air on ESPN. The cheapest way to get ESPN is through Sling TV’s Sling Orange plan for $40 a month.
How can I watch bowl games without ESPN?
While 35 bowl games will air on ESPN and ESPN2, you can watch eight others across local channels ABC, CBS, and FOX, and online via Barstool Sports. Most TV providers carry local channels, but you can access ABC, CBS, and FOX with a simple OTA antenna.
Methodology
Our football experts spent over eight hours researching and testing the best ways to watch college football bowl games. We matched TV providers head-to-head, comparing channel lineups and pricing options. Then, we determined our viewing recommendations, with sign-up convenience and ease of use playing a pivotal role.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
Disclaimer
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
†Amazon.com price as of 12/5/22 10:45 a.m. CT. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
