From Dec. 18 to Jan. 10, 40 U.S. college football bowl games took place across the country. With roots that trace back over a century to the first bowl game — The Rose Bowl in 1902 — college bowl games take place post-season to celebrate the performance of four outstanding teams over the year and determine which teams continue on to the college football national championship.

College bowl games, differentiated by their distinctive names and locations, are a tradition in over 20 states. Each year, the Football Bowl Subdivision designates two games for the semifinals; the others serve merely as exhibition games played for sponsorships and fans’ enjoyment. Winning teams of these bowls are then declared the winner of that bowl for the year.

The New Year’s Six are the final and most anticipated bowl games, in which the best teams of the season play against each other on New Year’s Day. These include the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl.

“I was visiting my family in California over winter break, and my aunt went to Ohio State so we decided to go to the Rose Bowl to cheer them on,” Miami Palmetto Senior High School sophomore Kylie Zimelman said. “The crowd was really excited and you could tell that fans were coming from all over to watch the game.”

On Dec. 31, this year’s 2021-2022 College Football Playoff semifinals took place. Athletes from Alabama and Cincinnati competed in the Cotton Bowl at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, whereas on the other side of the country, Georgia and Michigan competed in the Orange Bowl at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Cincinnati Bearcats with a final score of 27-6, and the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Michigan Wolverines with a final score of 34-11, making Alabama and Georgia the official CFP finalists.

On Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, Georgia beat Alabama in the final game with a score of 33-18, winning them their first CFP title. 

Below are the results of the 2021-2022 college bowl games:

Bahamas Bowl – Middle Tennessee 31, Toledo 24

Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas

Cure Bowl – Coastal Carolina 47, Northern Illinois 41

Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida

Boca Raton Bowl – Western Kentucky 59, Appalachian State 38

FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida

Celebration Bowl – South Carolina State 31, Jackson State 10

Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta, Georgia

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State 31, UTEP 24

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Independence Bowl – UAB 31, No. 13 BYU 28

Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana

LendingTree Bowl – Liberty 56, Eastern Michigan 20

Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama

LA Bowl – Utah State 24, Oregon State 13

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California

New Orleans Bowl – No. 23 Louisiana 36, Marshall 21

Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana

Myrtle Beach Bowl – Tulsa 30, Old Dominion 17

Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Wyoming 52, Kent State 38 

Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho

Frisco Bowl – No. 24 San Diego State 38, UTSA 24

Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas

Armed Forces Bowl – Army 24, Missouri 22

Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas

Frisco Football Classic – Miami (Ohio) 27, North Texas 14

Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas

Gasparilla Bowl – UCF 29, Florida 17

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

Hawai’i Bowl – Memphis vs. Hawai’i — Game will not be played (Hawai’i unable to play due to COVID-19 cases along with season-ending injuries and transfers)

Camellia Bowl – Georgia State 51, Ball State 20

Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama

Quick Lane Bowl – Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24

Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan

Birmingham Bowl – No. 20 Houston 17, Auburn 13

Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama

First Responder Bowl – Air Force 31, Louisville 28

Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas

Liberty Bowl – Texas Tech 34, Mississippi State 7

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee

Holiday Bowl – No. 18 NC State vs. UCLA — Game will not be played (UCLA unable to play due to COVID-19 protocols within the program)

Guaranteed Rate Bowl – Minnesota 18, West Virginia 6

Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona

Pinstripe Bowl – Maryland 54, Virginia Tech 10

Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Cheez-It Bowl – No. 19 Clemson 20, Iowa State 13

Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida

Alamo Bowl – No. 16 Oklahoma 47, No. 14 Oregon 32

Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

Duke’s Mayo Bowl – South Carolina 38, North Carolina 21

Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

Music City Bowl – Purdue 48, Tennessee 45 

Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee

Peach Bowl – No. 10 Michigan State 31, No. 12 Pittsburgh 21

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Las Vegas Bowl – Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 13

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada

Gator Bowl – No. 17 Wake Forest 38, Rutgers 10 (No. 25 Texas A&M out because of COVID)

TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida

Sun Bowl – Central Michigan 24, Washington State 21 (Miami (Fla.) out because of COVID)

Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas

Cotton Bowl Classic (College Football Playoff semifinal) – No. 1 Alabama 27, No. 4 Cincinnati 6

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Orange Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal) – No. 3 Georgia 34, No. 2 Michigan 11

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

Outback Bowl – No. 21 Arkansas 24, Penn State 10

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

Citrus Bowl – No. 22 Kentucky 20, No. 15 Iowa 17

Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida

Fiesta Bowl – No. 9 Oklahoma State 37, No. 5 Notre Dame 35

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Rose Bowl – No. 6 Ohio State 48, No. 11 Utah 45

Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

Sugar Bowl – No. 7 Baylor 21, No. 8 Ole Miss 7

Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana

Texas Bowl – Kansas State 42, LSU 20

NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas