# 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games
The 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games were the postseason series of college football bowl games following the 2021 season, played from mid-December 2021 through the [College Football Playoff National Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff-national-championship) on January 10, 2022. The season ended with Georgia defeating Alabama 33–18 for the national title, the program's first championship in the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) era and its first overall national title in 41 years.[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced schedule | Bowl Season announced 44 games beginning December 17, 2021[2](https://bowlseason.com/news/2021/6/12/general-2021-22-bowlseason-schedule-is-here.aspx) |
| Final slate | 42 games plus the January 10 national championship game[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/07/bowl-rankings-college-football/) |
| Prior season comparison | The 2020 pandemic-shortened bowl season consisted of just 25 contests plus the title game[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/07/bowl-rankings-college-football/) |
| Cotton Bowl semifinal | #1 Alabama 27, #4 Cincinnati 6, December 31, 2021, Arlington, Texas[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122) |
| Orange Bowl semifinal | #3 Georgia 34, #2 Michigan 11, December 31, 2021, Miami Gardens, Florida[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122) |
| National championship | #3 Georgia 33, #1 Alabama 18, January 10, 2022, Indianapolis[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122) |
| COVID-19 effect | Some games were changed or canceled during the 2021–22 bowl season due to COVID-19[4](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/college-football-bowl-games-cancelled-ncaa-changed-or-canceled-by-covid-19-in-2021-22/) |
## Schedule and scale
In May 2021, Bowl Season, the governing body for the games, announced a complete 2021–22 schedule of 44 games beginning December 17, with expectations that stadiums would operate at full capacity after the pandemic-affected previous season.[2](https://bowlseason.com/news/2021/6/12/general-2021-22-bowlseason-schedule-is-here.aspx) The Washington Post described the eventual slate as 42 games in addition to the January 10 title matchup, a rebound from the prior year, when the pandemic helped shrink bowl season to 25 contests plus the championship game.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/07/bowl-rankings-college-football/) [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports) counted 37 postseason matchups actually played and covered in its results roundup.[5](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2021-bowl-games-college-football-scores-schedule-results-highlights-from-all-37-postseason-matchups/live/)
**COVID-19 disruptions.** Despite the return to a full schedule, the season was not entirely back to normal. Some teams found replacements, while other games were canceled altogether during the 2021–22 bowl season because of COVID-19.[4](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/college-football-bowl-games-cancelled-ncaa-changed-or-canceled-by-covid-19-in-2021-22/)
## College Football Playoff
The four-team playoff field featured #1 Alabama, #2 Michigan, #3 Georgia, and #4 [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati). In the semifinals, played December 31, 2021, Alabama beat Cincinnati 27–6 at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in [Arlington, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/arlington-texas), and Georgia beat Michigan 34–11 at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens.[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122)
Georgia then defeated Alabama 33–18 in the [2022 College Football Playoff National Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/2022-college-football-playoff-national-championship) on Monday, January 10, 2022, in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis). It was the program's first national championship in the CFP and its first overall national title in 41 years.[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122)
## Viewership
Bowl ratings were broadly healthy. Of 27 bowls with a viewership comparison to 2019, 10 had their best audience since at least 2017 and seven had their best since at least 2015, and ESPN networks delivered the four most-viewed games of the 2021–22 season, the CFP National Championship, both CFP semifinals, and the [Rose Bowl Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-bowl-game), along with 59 of the top 100 games overall.[6](https://mediaconfidential.blogspot.com/2022/01/cfp-rebounds-from-16-year-ratings-low.html?m=0)
**Notable individual games.** The UAB–BYU Independence Bowl drew a 1.9 rating and 3.22 million viewers on ABC, the largest audience for the game since 2015.[7](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2021/12/bowl-game-ratings-viewership-mostly-up-thus-far/) The December 30 Purdue–Tennessee Music City Bowl averaged a 3.1 rating and 5.59 million viewers, up 123% in ratings and 154% in viewership from its last prior edition in 2019.[8](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/01/college-football-bowl-ratings-non-playoff-viewership/)
## Sponsorship changes
Sponsor naming continued to shift between seasons: the New Mexico Bowl, which had carried the PUBG sponsor name in 2021–22, became the Isleta New Mexico Bowl beginning in 2023.[9](https://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/football_records/Bowls.pdf)
## References
1. [2021-22 CFP Recap, College Football Playoff](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/3/20/cfp-recap-2122)
2. [2021-22 #BowlSeason Schedule Is Here, Bowl Season (May 27, 2021)](https://bowlseason.com/news/2021/6/12/general-2021-22-bowlseason-schedule-is-here.aspx)
3. [2021-22 Bowl games: Ranked from 1 to 42, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/07/bowl-rankings-college-football/)
4. [College Football Bowl Games Cancelled: NCAA games changed or canceled by COVID-19, Pro Football Network](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/college-football-bowl-games-cancelled-ncaa-changed-or-canceled-by-covid-19-in-2021-22/)
5. [2021 Bowl Games, college football scores: Schedule, results, highlights from all 37 postseason matchups, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2021-bowl-games-college-football-scores-schedule-results-highlights-from-all-37-postseason-matchups/live/)
6. [Media Confidential: CFP Rebounds From 16-Year Ratings Low With Over 22M Viewers](https://mediaconfidential.blogspot.com/2022/01/cfp-rebounds-from-16-year-ratings-low.html?m=0)
7. [Bowl game ratings mostly up thus far, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2021/12/bowl-game-ratings-viewership-mostly-up-thus-far/)
8. [College football's lesser bowls see ratings gain, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/01/college-football-bowl-ratings-non-playoff-viewership/)
9. [NCAA Football Records, Bowls (name changes table)](https://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/football_records/Bowls.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Records and substantive reference › College football records and reference*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license