2021–22 NCAA football bowl games

The 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football games scheduled to complete the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The main games concluded with the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship played on January 10, 2022, while the all-star portion of the schedule concluded February 19, 2022.

Schedule

The schedule for the 2021–22 bowl games is below. All times are EST. Note that Division II bowls and Division III bowls are not included here. The bowl schedule was released on May 27, 2021.

College Football Playoff and National Championship Game

The College Football Playoff system is used to determine a national championship of Division I FBS college football. A 13-member committee of experts ranked the top 25 teams in the nation after each of the last seven weeks of the regular season. The top four teams in the final ranking were then seeded in a single-elimination semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the National Championship game.
The semifinal games for the 2021 season were the Cotton Bowl Classic and the Orange Bowl. Both were played December 31, 2021, as part of a yearly rotation of three pairs of two bowls, commonly referred to as the New Year's Six bowl games. The winners advanced to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 10, 2022.
Each of the games in the following table was televised by ESPN.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 30	7:00 p.m.	Peach Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	No. 10 [2021 2021 Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans] No. 12 [2021 2021 Pittsburgh Panthers football team\|Pittsburgh Panthers football team\|Pittsburgh Panthers]	Big Ten ACC	Michigan State 31 Pittsburgh 21
	3:30 p.m.	Cotton Bowl Classic	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas	No. 1 [2021 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide] No. 4 [2021 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team\|Cincinnati Bearcats football team\|Cincinnati Bearcats]	SEC [2021 2021 American Athletic Conference football season\|American Athletic Conference football season\|American]	Alabama 27 Cincinnati 6
	7:30 p.m.	Orange Bowl	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida	No. 3 [2021 2021 Georgia Bulldogs football team\|Georgia Bulldogs football team\|Georgia Bulldogs] No. 2 Michigan Wolverines	SEC Big Ten	Georgia 34 Michigan 11
Jan. 1	1:00 p.m.	Fiesta Bowl	State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona	No. 9 [2021 2021 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys] No. 5 [2021 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]	[2021 Big 12 Conference\|Big 12 Conference football season\|Big 12] Independent	Oklahoma State 37 Notre Dame 35
Jan. 1	5:00 p.m.	Rose Bowl	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California	No. 6 [2021 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes] No. 11 [2021 2021 Utah Utes football team\|Utah Utes football team\|Utah Utes]	Big Ten [2021 Pac-12 Conference\|Pac-12 Conference football season\|Pac-12]	Ohio State 48 Utah 45
Jan. 1	9:00 p.m.	Sugar Bowl	Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana	No. 7 [2021 2021 Baylor Bears football team\|Baylor Bears football team\|Baylor Bears] No. 8 [2021 2021 Ole Miss Rebels football team\|Ole Miss Rebels football team\|Ole Miss Rebels]	Big 12 SEC	Baylor 21 Ole Miss 7
Jan. 10	8:00 p.m.	College Football Playoff National Championship	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana	No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide	SEC	Georgia 33 Alabama 18

Non CFP bowl games

Bowl changes

Two bowls, which had originally planned to debut during the 2020–21 bowl season but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planned to make their debuts during the 2021–22 bowl season; the Fenway Bowl and the LA Bowl. The LA Bowl made its debut, while the Fenway Bowl was again canceled due to COVID-19 issues.
The Montgomery Bowl, played in December 2020 as a one-off substitute for the Fenway Bowl, did not return. The San Francisco Bowl was canceled for a second straight season when organizers could not come to terms with all parties involved with the game.
On December 2, 2021, the NCAA approved a 42nd bowl game, later named the Frisco Football Classic, in order to accommodate all 84 bowl-eligible teams.
On December 22, [2021 2021 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M] withdrew from the Gator Bowl, citing a breakout of positive COVID-19 cases and season-ending injuries limiting them to too few players. [2021 2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team|Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team|Rutgers] was subsequently announced as a replacement team.
On December 23, Hawaii withdrew from the Hawaii Bowl, similarly citing season-ending injuries, transfers, and COVID-19 cases within the program, and the game was ultimately cancelled.
On December 26, Boston College withdrew from the Military Bowl and [2021 2021 Virginia Cavaliers football team|Virginia Cavaliers football team|Virginia] withdrew from the Fenway Bowl due to COVID-19 cases; both games were canceled.
On December 26, the Miami (FL) Hurricanes announced that they would not be able to play in the Sun Bowl due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would try to secure a replacement team to face the [2021 2021 Washington State Cougars football team|Washington State Cougars football team|Washington State Cougars].
On December 27, the Boise State Broncos withdrew from the [2021 2021 Arizona Wildcats football team|Arizona Bowl|Arizona Bowl] due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would attempt to secure a replacement team. Later in the day, the Arizona Bowl was canceled, and the bowl's remaining team, the [2021 2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football team|Central Michigan Chippewas football team|Central Michigan Chippewas], was named as the replacement team for the Sun Bowl.
On December 28, the Holiday Bowl was called off hours before game time, due to COVID-19 issues within the UCLA Bruins program, and officially canceled the next morning, after organizers could not secure a replacement team to face the NC State Wolfpack.

Bowl schedule / results

In the below table, affiliations for confirmed teams reflect their actual conferences, and rankings are per the final CFP rankings that were released on December 5.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
	12:00 p.m.	Bahamas Bowl	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	[2021 2021 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team\|Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team\|Middle 2021 Tennessee Volunteers football team\|Tennessee Blue Raiders] [2021 2021 Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets]	C–USA MAC	Middle Tennessee 31 Toledo 24
	6:00 p.m.	Cure Bowl	Exploria Stadium Orlando, Florida	ESPN2	[2021 2021 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team\|Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team\|Coastal Carolina Chanticleers] [2021 2021 Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team\|Illinois Huskies]	[2021 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season\|Sun Belt Conference football season\|Sun Belt] MAC	Coastal Carolina 47 Northern Illinois 41
Dec. 18	11:00 a.m.	Boca Raton Bowl	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida	ESPN	[2021 2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western 2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team\|Kentucky Hilltoppers] [2021 2021 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team\|Appalachian State Mountaineers football team\|Appalachian State Mountaineers]	C–USA Sun Belt	Western Kentucky 59 Appalachian State 38
Dec. 18	2:15 p.m.	New Mexico Bowl	University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico	ESPN	[2021 2021 Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs] [2021 2021 UTEP Miners football team\|UTEP Miners football team\|UTEP Miners]	[2021 2021 Mountain West Conference football season\|Mountain West Conference football season\|MWC] C–USA	Fresno State 31 UTEP 24
Dec. 18	3:30 p.m.	Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana	ABC	[2021 2021 UAB Blazers football team\|UAB Blazers football team\|UAB Blazers] No. 13 [2021 2021 BYU Cougars football team\|BYU Cougars football team\|BYU Cougars]	C–USA Independent	UAB 31 BYU 28
Dec. 18	5:45 p.m.	LendingTree Bowl	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama	ESPN	[2021 2021 Liberty Flames football team\|Liberty Flames football team\|Liberty Flames] [2021 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team\|Eastern Michigan Eagles football team\|Eastern Michigan Eagles]	Independent MAC	Liberty 56 Eastern Michigan 20
Dec. 18	7:30 p.m.	LA Bowl	SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California	ABC	[2021 2021 Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies] [2021 2021 Oregon State Beavers football team\|Oregon State Beavers football team\|Oregon State Beavers]	MWC Pac-12	Utah State 24 Oregon State 13
Dec. 18	9:15 p.m.	New Orleans Bowl	Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana	ESPN	No. 23 [2021 2021 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team\|Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team\|Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns] [2021 2021 Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd]	Sun Belt C–USA	Louisiana 36 Marshall 21
Dec. 20	2:30 p.m.	Myrtle Beach Bowl	Brooks Stadium Conway, South Carolina	ESPN	[2021 2021 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team\|Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team\|Tulsa Golden Hurricane] [2021 2021 Old Dominion Monarchs football team\|Old Dominion Monarchs football team\|Old Dominion Monarchs]	American C–USA	Tulsa 30 Old Dominion 17
Dec. 21	3:30 p.m.	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho	ESPN	[2021 2021 Wyoming Cowboys football team\|Wyoming Cowboys football team\|Wyoming Cowboys] [2021 2021 Kent State Golden Flashes football team\|Kent State Golden Flashes football team\|Kent State Golden Flashes]	MWC MAC	Wyoming 52 Kent State 38
Dec. 21	7:30 p.m.	Frisco Bowl	Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas	ESPN	No. 24 [2021 2021 San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs] [2021 2021 UTSA Roadrunners football team\|UTSA Roadrunners football team\|UTSA Roadrunners]	MWC C–USA	San Diego State 38 UTSA 24
Dec. 22	8:00 p.m.	Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas	ESPN	[2021 2021 Army Black Knights football team\|Army Black Knights football team\|Army Black Knights] [2021 2021 Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers]	Independent SEC	Army 24 Missouri 22
Dec. 23	3:30 p.m.	Frisco Football Classic	Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas	ESPN	Miami (OH) RedHawks [2021 2021 North Texas Mean Green football team\|North Texas Mean Green football team\|North Texas Mean Green]	MAC C–USA	Miami 27 North Texas 14
Dec. 23	7:00 p.m.	Gasparilla Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida	ESPN	[2021 2021 UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights] [2021 2021 Florida Gators football team\|Florida Gators football team\|Florida Gators]	American SEC	UCF 29 Florida 17
Dec. 24	8:00 p.m.	Hawaii Bowl	Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, Hawaii	ESPN	Memphis Tigers Hawaii Rainbow Warriors	American MWC	Canceled
Dec. 25	2:30 p.m.	Camellia Bowl	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama	ESPN	[2021 2021 Georgia State Panthers football team\|Georgia State Panthers football team\|Georgia State Panthers] [2021 2021 Ball State Cardinals football team\|Ball State Cardinals football team\|Ball State Cardinals]	Sun Belt MAC	Georgia State 51 Ball State 20
Dec. 27	11:00 a.m.	Quick Lane Bowl	Ford Field Detroit, Michigan	ESPN	[2021 2021 Western Michigan Broncos football team\|Western Michigan Broncos football team\|Western Michigan Broncos] [2021 2021 Nevada Wolf Pack football team\|Nevada Wolf Pack football team\|Nevada Wolf Pack]	MAC MWC	Western Michigan 52 Nevada 24
Dec. 27	2:30 p.m.	Military Bowl	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland	ESPN	Boston College Eagles East Carolina Pirates	ACC American	Canceled
Dec. 28	12:00 p.m.	Birmingham Bowl	Protective Stadium Birmingham, Alabama	ESPN	No. 20 [2021 2021 Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars] [2021 2021 Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers]	American SEC	Houston 17 Auburn 13
Dec. 28	3:15 p.m.	First Responder Bowl	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, Texas	ESPN	[2021 2021 Air Force Falcons football team\|Air Force Falcons football team\|Air Force Falcons] [2021 2021 Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals]	MWC ACC	Air Force 31 Louisville 28
Dec. 28	6:45 p.m.	Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee	ESPN	[2021 2021 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team\|Texas Tech Red Raiders football team\|Texas Tech Red Raiders] [2021 2021 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs]	Big 12 SEC	Texas Tech 34 Mississippi State 7
Dec. 28	8:00 p.m.	Holiday Bowl	Petco Park San Diego, California	Fox	UCLA Bruins No. 18 NC State Wolfpack	Pac-12 ACC	Canceled
Dec. 28	10:15 p.m.	Guaranteed Rate Bowl	Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona	ESPN	[2021 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team\|Minnesota Golden Gophers football team\|Minnesota Golden Gophers] [2021 2021 West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West Virginia Mountaineers]	Big Ten Big 12	Minnesota 18 West Virginia 6
Dec. 29	11:00 a.m.	Fenway Bowl	Fenway Park Boston, Massachusetts	ESPN	SMU Mustangs Virginia Cavaliers	American ACC	Canceled
Dec. 29	2:15 p.m.	Pinstripe Bowl	Yankee Stadium The Bronx, New York	ESPN	[2021 2021 Maryland Terrapins football team\|Maryland Terrapins football team\|Maryland Terrapins] [2021 2021 Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies]	Big Ten ACC	Maryland 54 Virginia Tech 10
Dec. 29	5:45 p.m.	Cheez-It Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	ESPN	No. 19 [2021 2021 Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers] [2021 2021 Iowa State Cyclones football team\|Iowa State Cyclones football team\|Iowa State Cyclones]	ACC Big 12	Clemson 20 Iowa State 13
Dec. 29	9:15 p.m.	Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, Texas	ESPN	No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners No. 14 Oregon Ducks	Big 12 Pac-12	Oklahoma 47 Oregon 32
Dec. 30	11:30 a.m.	Duke's Mayo Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina	ESPN	[2021 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks] [2021 2021 North Carolina Tar Heels football team\|North Carolina Tar Heels football team\|North Carolina Tar Heels]	SEC ACC	South Carolina 38 North Carolina 21
Dec. 30	3:00 p.m.	Music City Bowl	Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee	ESPN	[2021 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team\|Purdue Boilermakers football team\|Purdue Boilermakers] Tennessee Volunteers	Big Ten SEC	Purdue 48 Tennessee 45
Dec. 30	10:30 p.m.	Las Vegas Bowl	Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada	ESPN	[2021 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers] [2021 2021 Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils]	Big Ten Pac-12	Wisconsin 20 Arizona State 13
Dec. 31	11:00 a.m.	Gator Bowl	TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida	ESPN	No. 17 [2021 2021 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team\|Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team\|Wake Forest Demon Deacons] Rutgers Scarlet Knights	ACC Big Ten	Wake Forest 38 Rutgers 10
Dec. 31	12:00 p.m.	Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas	CBS	Central Michigan Chippewas [2021 2021 Washington Huskies football team\|Washington State Cougars football team\|Washington State Cougars]	MAC Pac-12	Central Michigan 24 Washington State 21
Dec. 31	2:00 p.m.	Arizona Bowl	Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona	Barstool Sports	Boise State Broncos Central Michigan Chippewas	MWC MAC	Canceled
Jan. 1	12:00 p.m.	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida	ESPN2	No. 21 [2021 2021 Arkansas Razorbacks football team\|Arkansas Razorbacks football team\|Arkansas Razorbacks] [2021 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions]	SEC Big Ten	Arkansas 24 Penn State 10
Jan. 1	1:00 p.m.	Citrus Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	ABC	No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes	SEC Big Ten	Kentucky 20 Iowa 17
Jan. 4	9:00 p.m.	Texas Bowl	NRG Stadium Houston, Texas	ESPN	[2021 2021 Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats] [2021 2021 LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers]	Big 12 SEC	Kansas State 42 LSU 20

Source:

FCS bowl game

The Football Championship Subdivision has one bowl game. The FCS also has a postseason bracket tournament that culminates in the 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Affiliations	Results	References
Dec. 18	12:00 p.m.	Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	ABC	South Carolina State Bulldogs Jackson State Tigers	MEAC SWAC	South Carolina State 31 Jackson State 10

All-star games

Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.
A new all-star game, the HBCU Legacy Bowl, was announced in March 2021, and concluded the overall college football post-season on February 19, 2022.

Date	Time	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Results	Ref.
Jan. 15	12:00 p.m.	Hula Bowl	Bounce House Orlando, Florida	CBS Sports Network	Team Kai Team Aina	Kai 21 Aina 20
Jan. 15	4:00 p.m.	Tropical Bowl	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida	Varsity Sports Network	American Team National Team	American 24 National 14
Jan. 29	6:00 p.m.	NFLPA Collegiate Bowl	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California	NFL Network	National Team American Team	National 25 American 24
Feb. 3	8:30 p.m.	East–West Shrine Bowl	Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada	NFL Network	West Team East Team	West 25 East 24
Feb. 5	2:30 p.m.	Senior Bowl	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama	NFL Network	National Team American Team	National 20 American 10
Feb. 19	4:00 p.m.	HBCU Legacy Bowl	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana	NFL Network	Team Gaither Team Robinson	Gaither 22 Robinson 6

The HBCU Legacy Bowl features players from historically black colleges and universities. Most HBCU football programs compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference or the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which are part of FCS.

Team selections

CFP top 25 standings and bowl games

On December 5, 2021, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year. This was the eighth year of the CFP era. Cincinnati became the first team from the Group of Five conferences to reach the playoffs. Michigan became the first team to make the playoffs after starting the season unranked in the AP Poll.

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Alabama Crimson Tide			Cotton Bowl
2	Michigan Wolverines			Orange Bowl
3	Georgia Bulldogs			Orange Bowl
4	Cincinnati Bearcats		AAC champions	Cotton Bowl
5	Notre Dame Fighting Irish		Independent	Fiesta Bowl
6	Ohio State Buckeyes			Rose Bowl
7	Baylor Bears		Big 12 champions	Sugar Bowl
8	Ole Miss Rebels			Sugar Bowl
9	Oklahoma State Cowboys		Big 12 first place	Fiesta Bowl
10	Michigan State Spartans			Peach Bowl
11	Utah Utes		Pac-12 champions	Rose Bowl
12	Pittsburgh Panthers		champions	Peach Bowl
13	BYU Cougars		Independent	Independence Bowl
14	Oregon Ducks		Pac-12 North Division champions	Alamo Bowl
15	Iowa Hawkeyes			Citrus Bowl
16	Oklahoma Sooners		Big 12 second place	Alamo Bowl
17	Wake Forest Demon Deacons			Gator Bowl
18	NC State Wolfpack			canceled
19	Clemson Tigers			Cheez-It Bowl
20	Houston Cougars		AAC first place	Birmingham Bowl
21	Arkansas Razorbacks			Outback Bowl
22	Kentucky Wildcats			Citrus Bowl
23	Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns		Sun Belt champions	New Orleans Bowl
24	San Diego State Aztecs		Mountain West West Division champions	Frisco Bowl
25	Texas A&M Aggies			withdrew

Conference champions' bowl games

Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 5, with win–loss records at that time. One bowl will feature a matchup of conference champions – the Cotton Bowl. Champions of the Power Five conferences were assured of a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game.

Conference	Champion	W–L	Rank	Bowl game
AAC	Cincinnati Bearcats		4	Cotton Bowl
ACC	Pittsburgh Panthers		12	Peach Bowl
Big 12	Baylor Bears		7	Sugar Bowl
Big Ten	Michigan Wolverines		2	Orange Bowl
C-USA	UTSA Roadrunners			Frisco Bowl
MAC	Northern Illinois Huskies			Cure Bowl
Mountain West	Utah State Aggies			LA Bowl
Pac-12	Utah Utes		11	Rose Bowl
SEC	Alabama Crimson Tide		1	Cotton Bowl
Sun Belt	Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns		23	New Orleans Bowl

Bowl-eligible teams

Generally, a team must have at least six wins to be considered bowl eligible, with at least five of those wins being against FBS opponents. The College Football Playoff semi-final games are determined based on the top four seeds in the playoff committee's final rankings. The remainder of the bowl eligible teams are selected by each respective bowl based on conference tie-ins, order of selection, match-up considerations, and other factors.

ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
American : Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulsa, UCF
Big Ten : Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big 12 : Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia
C-USA : Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
MAC : Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West : Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
Pac-12 : Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington State
SEC : Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Louisiana
Independent : Army, BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame

Number of bowl berths available: 84
'''Number of bowl-eligible teams: 84'''

Bowl-ineligible teams

ACC : Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse
American : Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulane
Big Ten : Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers
Big 12 : Kansas, TCU, Texas
C-USA : Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Rice, Southern Miss
MAC : Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Ohio
Mountain West : Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
Pac-12 : Arizona, California, Colorado, Stanford, USC, Washington
SEC : Vanderbilt
Sun Belt : Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
Independent : New Mexico State, UConn, UMass

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 46
Rutgers had the highest Academic Progress Rate of five-win teams. The NCAA announced on December 23 that Rutgers was the first eligible team, under APR regulations, to replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl. Rutgers accepted the bid.

Venues

A total of thirty-seven venues were utilized, with seven of them in particular for the CFP National Championship and New Year's Six. The number of venues increased from twenty, primarily due to the relaxation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of venues for bowl games typically was around forty. Prestige and capacity of venues usually increases as the schedule progresses towards to NY6 bowls and the national championship, in large part due to scheduling Top 25 teams late into the bowl games' time frame, while bowl games before Christmas Day typically involve schools in Group of Five conferences. Televising at the venues of bowl games is largely run by ESPN and joint networks, with only three bowl games run by a non-affiliated network. With the exception of the Bahamas Bowl in The Bahamas, all bowls were played within the United States.

CFP bowls

The College Football Playoff committee elected to continue with the six venues for this postseason—including two as the semifinals for the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship—as outlined below:

AT&T Stadium in Arlington: Venue for the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic that featured one of the semi-final pairings.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale: Venue for the 2022 Fiesta Bowl that featured two of the four highest non-Top 4 and non-NY6 bid conference affiliated.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta: Venue for the 2021 Peach Bowl that featured two of the four highest non-Top 4 and non-NY6 bid conference affiliated.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens: Venue for the 2021 Orange Bowl that featured one of the semi-final pairings.
Rose Bowl in Pasadena: Venue for the 2022 Rose Bowl that featured the highest non-top 4 conference finishers from the Big Ten and Pac-12.
Caesars Superdome in New Orleans: Venue for the 2022 Sugar Bowl that featured the highest non-top 4 conference finishers from the SEC and Big 12.

The National Championship was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, marking the first time that a state in the U.S. midwest hosted the national championship game in the CFP era.

Television ratings

All times Eastern.
CFP Rankings.