ESPN Events Announces 2017 College Bowl Matchups

The matchups for the 14 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events have been announced. The CELEBRATION BOWL kicks off the bowl season, with MEAC champion North Carolina A&T facing SWAC champions Grambling on Saturday, Dec. 16, followed by the Las Vegas Bowl, Gildan NEW MEXICO BOWL and Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. Games continue through Dec. 27, concluding with the Academy Sports + Outdoors TEXAS BOWL (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

All games aired on an ESPN network will also be available through the ESPN App, computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.

Celebration Bowl

The third annual CELEBRATION BOWL will feature MEAC champion North Carolina A&T vs SWAC champion Grambling in the Saturday, Dec. 16. Pitting these conference champions from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the game will be played at the new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon ET on ABC.

Las Vegas Bowl

The LAS VEGAS BOWL - showcasing No. 25 Boise State of the Mountain West Conference and Oregon from the Pac-12 - is set for Saturday, Dec. 16, on ABC. The 26th annual game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas at 3:30 p.m.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

The 12th edition of the Gildan NEW MEXICO BOWL will feature Colorado State of the Mountain West against Marshall of Conference USA on Saturday, Dec. 16. The 4:30 p.m. kick on ESPN and ESPN Radio will be played from University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

The fourth annual Raycom CAMELLIA BOWL will be played on Saturday, Dec. 16, from historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The 8 p.m. game on ESPN will match Arkansas State from Sun Belt Conference against Middle Tennessee of the Conference USA.

Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl

The fourth edition of the Cheribundi Tart Cherry BOCA RATON BOWL - featuring Akron of the Mid-American Conference against FAU of Conference USA - is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. on ESPN, from FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.

DXL Frisco Bowl

The inaugural DXL Frisco Bowl will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m., on ESPN. SMU, representing the American Athletic Conference, will compete against Louisiana Tech from Conference USA at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl

The tenth annual Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl - featuring FIU of Conference USA against Temple of the American Athletic Conference - will be played Thursday, Dec. 21, at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be played from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Bahamas Bowl

The BAHAMAS BOWL - pitting University of Alabama-Birmingham of the Conference USA against Ohio University of Mid-American Conference - will be played on Friday, Dec. 22, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be held at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The annual FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL - slated for Thursday, Dec. 22, at 4 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio - will be held at Boise State University's Albertsons Stadium. The game will feature Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference versus Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference.

Birmingham Bowl

The 12th annual BIRMINGHAM BOWL will be played Saturday, Dec. 23, at noon on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., the game will pit Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference against No. 23 UCF of the American Athletic.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

The 15th edition of the Lockheed Martin ARMED FORCES BOWL will showcase San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference against Army on Saturday, Dec. 23, on ESPN. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. from Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Hawai'i Bowl

The Hawai'i Bowl will be played on Christmas Eve - Saturday, Dec. 24 - for the 13th time from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. In its 16th year, the bowl will be aired on ESPN and ESPN Radio at 8:30 p.m. and pits Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference against Houston of the American Athletic.

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl

The eighth annual HEART OF DALLAS BOWL is set for Tuesday, Dec. 26, at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium on the grounds of Fair Park. This year's bowl game will air on ESPN at 1:30 p.m. and will feature Utah of the Pac-12 against West Virginia of the Big 12.

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

The 12th annual Academy Sports + Outdoors TEXAS BOWL matches Texas of the Big 12 Conference against Missouri of the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston.

ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend COLLEGE FOOTBALL games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

To post a comment, you must register and login.