2021 bowl season is here, and so it’s time to round up where the canine schools of the NCAA Division I will play the 2021 college football bowl schedule.
As always, canine schools are defined as either having a canine mascot (live, costumed or logo) or having a vet med program.
There will be a staggering 44 bowl games during the 2021 college football bowl season, counting the playoff semifinals and national championship game, which means that about two-thirds of FBS teams will play an extra game.
This is far too many, especially during a pandemic, but it does fill up a rather slack time in the TV sports landscape, and so the football dogs will have plenty of time to cheer on their teams while waiting on holiday snacks in the kitchen.
The 2021 bowl schedule features a lot of canine schools.
Because it’s faster to write them out chronologically rather than separate canine schools and vet schools, that’s how this will be covered, all times listed are ET.
Mission’s Northern Illinois Huskies (9-4 overall, from MAC) will face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (a rooster from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; 10-2 from Sun Belt) at 6 p.m. on on Friday, December 17 on ESPN2 in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl.
On Saturday, December 18, the South Carolina State Bulldogs will face the Jackson State Tigers in the Cricket Wireless Celebration Bowl, at noon on ABC.
In the PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, the Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3 from MWC) will face the UTEP Miners (7-5 from C-USA) at 2:15 p.m. on ESPN. PUBG Mobile is a war video game for cell phones.
The vet school Oregon State Beavers (7-5 from Pac-12) will take on the Utah State Aggies (10-3 from MWC) in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel (an investment bank) at 7:30 on ABC from SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, December 22, the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will feature the vet school Missouri Tigers (6-6 from SEC) play the Army Black Knights from Amon G Carter Stadium in Forth Worth at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Holland the Pup‘s Florida Gators (6-6 from SEC) will tangle with the Central Florida Knights (8-4 from American) on Thursday, December 23, in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
On Monday, December 27, the Quick Lane Bowl will pit the Nevada Wolf Pack (8-4 from MWC) against the Western Michigan Broncos (7-5 from MAC) at Ford Field in Detroit at 11 a.m. on ESPN.
Tuesday, December 28 will see Bully’s Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5 from SEC) face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6 from Big 12) at 6:45 p.m. on ESPN in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl will feature Tuffy’s North Carolina State Wolfpack 9-3 from (ACC) face the UCLA Bruins (8-4 from Pac-12) at 8 p.m. on Fox.
The vet school Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4 from Big Ten) will play the West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6 from Big 12) in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at 10:15 p.m. on ESPN.
On Wednesday, December 29, the vet school Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6 from ACC) will play the Maryland Terrapins (6-6 Big Ten) in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium at 215 p.m. on ESPN..
The vet school Iowa State Cyclones (7-5 from Big 12) tangle with the Clemson Tigers (9-3 from ACC) in the Cheez-it Bowl on ESPN at 5:45 p.n. in Camping World Stadium from Orlando.
On Thursday, December 30, two vet schools go at it as Rocky the Coonhound’s Tennessee Volunteers (7-5 from SEC) hit the field against the Purdue Boilermakers (8-4 from Big Ten) in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl at 3 p.m. on ESPN from Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will be held in Atlanta from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, pitting the vet school Michigan State Spartans (10-2 from Big Ten) against the Pittsburgh Panthers (11-2 from ACC) at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl takes places in shiny new Allegiant Stadium, putting the vet school Wisconsin Badgers (8-4 from Big Ten) against the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-4 from Pac-12) at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Friday, December 31 kicks off with Reveille the Collie’s Texas A&M Aggies (8-4 from SEC) going against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-3 from ACC) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at 11 a.m. on ESPN from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl will take place in El Paso at 2 p.m. on CBS, with the vet school Washington State Cougars (7-5 from Pac-12) facing the Miami Hurricanes (7-5 from ACC).
In one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games, Uga’s Georgia Bulldogs (12-1 from SEC) will face the Michigan Wolverines (12-1 from Big Ten) in the Capital One Orange Bowl near Miami at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
On Saturday, January 1, the vet school Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-2 from Big 12) will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the first time ever in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at 1 p.m. on ESPN from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X will be on ESPN at 5 p.m. and feature the vet school Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3 from Big Ten) against the Utah Utes (10-2 from Pac-12).
Finally, the TaxAct Texas Bowl will feature two vet schools in the Kansas State Wildcats (7-5 from Big 12) and the the LSU Tigers (6-6 from SEC) at 9 p.m. on ESPN at NRG Stadium in Houston.