College Football Bowls 2017: January 2 schedule
By Brad Weiss
![Nov 12, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of the Rose Bowl exterior before a NCAA football game between the Oregon State Beavers and the UCLA Bruins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Nov 12, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of the Rose Bowl exterior before a NCAA football game between the Oregon State Beavers and the UCLA Bruins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/01dade283023bb5064c892db5db3a142bb24e88cd2c81a76b1d1acdb30e817a5.jpg)
Four major bowl games are slated for January 2, as eight of the best teams in college football will do battle. Here is a look at the schedule of games.
The day after New Year’s is going to be filled with college football, as four of the biggest bowl games will take place. While there is not as much at stake as the semifinals for the College Football Playoff, each of these four games will feature some of the best talents in college football. The action will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET with two long-standing bowl games, and will end with the All State Sugar Bowl at 8:30 p.m. ET. These games are usually played on January 1, but because it is a Sunday, they will move the game to Monday.
Below is a quick run-down of the action slated for Monday, January 2.
Outback Bowl: Iowa vs Florida, 1:00 p.m. ET
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Western Michigan vs Wisconsin, 1:00 p.m. ET
Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual: USC vs Penn State, 5:00 p.m. ET
All State Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs Oklahoma, 8:30 p.m. ET
Kicking off at 1:00 p.m ET will be the Outback Bowl, which features teams from the SEC and the Big Ten Conference. The game will be televised on ABC, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida will play host to the action. The SEC and Big Ten were loaded with talented teams this season, which should make this bowl game a classic.
Also starting at 1:00 p.m. ET is the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, which will take place for the 81st time. The game will be played at AT&T Stadium, which plays host to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. This game has been a premier bowl game for eight decades, and last year, it hosted a College Football Playoff semifinal. However, that game was not much of a contest, as eventual-champion Alabama destroyed Michigan State, 38-0.
At 5:00 p.m. ET, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual will kick off, and it is fondly known as “The Grandaddy of Them All.” It is the oldest bowl game in college football history, as the first Rose Bowl was played all the way back in 1902. Because it is not included in the College Football Playoff this season, it will revert back to its original matchups, which will feature a team from the Big Ten and the Pac-12.
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The final matchup on Monday’s slate will be the All State Sugar Bowl at 8:30 p.m. ET, which is second only to the Rose Bowl in terms of its seniority. The first Sugar Bowl game was played in 1935, and since then, it has become a bowl synonymous with the SEC Conference. Like the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl takes part in the College Football Playoff, but will not this year. In years when they do not participate, they will feature the best available teams from the SEC and the Big 12.