Think of the college football postseason is more a marathon than a sprint. There’s 42 games running from the first series of matchups on Dec. 16 through the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 8.
The ending of a college football is bittersweet. It’s as the song goes ‘the most wonderful of time of the year’ but also the ending of another season for the sport until we see it again next August.
The playoff semifinals will be held on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The national title game is being held at NRG Stadium in Houston.
But there’s plenty of other intriguing games to watch. Here’s the entire lineup:
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio vs. Georgia Southern
DETAILS: Dec. 16, Conway, S.C., ESPN, 11 a.m.
MATCHUP: Conference USA/MAC/Sun Belt
New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
DETAILS: Dec. 16, New Orleans, ESPN, 2:15 p.m.
MATCHUP: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Cure Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Miami (Ohio)
DETAILS: Dec. 16, Orlando, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: Group of Five vs. Group of Five
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State vs. Fresno State
DETAILS: Dec. 16, Albuquerque, ESPN, 5:45 p.m.l
MATCHUP: Conference USA vs. Mountain West
LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State
DETAILS: Dec. 16, Inglewood, Calif., ABC, 7:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: Pac-12 vs. Mountain West
Independence Bowl: Texas Tech vs. California
DETAILS: Dec. 16, Shreveport, La., ESPN, 9:15 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
MATCHUP: Conference USA vs. Mid-American
DETAILS: Dec. 18, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.
Frisco Bowl: Marshall vs. Texas-Antonio
DETAILS: Dec. 19, Frisco, Texas, ESPN, 9 p.m.
MATCHUP: Group of Five vs. Group of Five
Boca Raton Bowl: South Florida vs. Syracuse
DETAILS: Dec. 21, Boca Raton, Fla., ESPN, 8 p.m.
MATCHUP: Group of Five vs. Group of Five
Gasparilla Bowl: Duke vs. Central Florida
DETAILS: Dec. 22, Tampa, Fla., ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC/American/SEC
Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Troy
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Birmingham, Ala., ABC, noon
MATCHUP: ACC/American/SEC
Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Montgomery, Ala., ESPN, noon
MATCHUP: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Armed Forces Bowl: James Madison vs. Air Force
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Fort Worth, Texas, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: American vs. Conference USA
Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Georgia State
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Boise, Idaho, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: MAC vs. Mountain West
68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Mobile, Ala., ESPN, 7 p.m.
MATCHUP: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern vs. Utah
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Las Vegas, ABC, 7:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
DETAILS: Dec. 23, Honolulu, ESPN, 10:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: American vs. Mountain West
Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota
DETAILS: Dec. 26, Detroit, ESPN, 2 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. Mid-American
First Responder Bowl: Texas State vs. Rice
DETAILS: Dec. 26, Dallas, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. at-large
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas vs. UNLV
DETAILS: Dec. 26, Phoenix, ESPN, 9 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Military Bowl: Tulane vs. Virginia Tech
DETAILS: Dec. 27, Annapolis, Md., ESPN, 2 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. American
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia
DETAILS: Dec. 27, Charlotte, N.C., ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. SEC
Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. Southern California
DETAILS: Dec. 27, San Diego, Fox, 8 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. Pac-12
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
DETAILS: Dec. 27, Houston, ESPN, 9 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. SEC
Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. SMU
DETAILS: Dec. 28, Boston, ESPN, 11 a.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. American
Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Rutgers
DETAILS: Dec. 28, Bronx, N.Y., ESPN, 2:15 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big Ten
Pop-Tarts Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Kansas State
DETAILS: Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla., ESPN, 5:45 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big 12
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arizona
DETAILS: Dec. 28, San Antonio, ESPN, 9:15 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Gator Bowl: Clemson vs. Kentucky
DETAILS: Dec. 29, Jacksonville, Fla., ESPN, noon
MATCHUP: ACC vs. SEC
Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs. Notre Dame
DETAILS: Dec. 29, El Paso, Texas, CBS, 2 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. Pac-12
Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Memphis
DETAILS: Dec. 29, Memphis, Tenn. ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. SEC
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Missouri
DETAILS: Dec. 29, Arlington, Texas, ESPN, 8 p.m.
MATCHUP: At-large vs. At-large
Peach Bowl: Penn State vs. Mississippi
DETAILS: Dec. 30, Atlanta, ESPN, noon
MATCHUP: At-large vs. At-large
Music City Bowl: Auburn vs. Maryland
DETAILS: Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn., ABC, 2 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Georgia
DETAILS: Dec. 30, Miami Gardens, Fla., ESPN, 4 p.m.
MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC
Arizona Bowl: Toledo vs. Wyoming
DETAILS: Dec. 30, Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: MAC vs. Mountain West
ReliaQuest Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU
DETAILS: Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla., ESPN2, noon
MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC
Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee
DETAILS: Jan. 1, Orlando, Fla., ABC, 1 p.m.
MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Liberty
DETAILS: Jan. 1, Glendale, Ariz., ESPN, 1 p.m.
MATCHUP: At-large vs. at-large
Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama
DETAILS: Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif., ESPN, 5 p.m.
MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal
Sugar Bowl: Washington vs. Texas
DETAILS: Jan. 1, New Orleans, ESPN, 8:45 p.m.
MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal
College Football Playoff championship game
DETAILS: Jan. 8, Houston, ESPN, 8 p.m.
MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal winners