When is the first college football bowl game of 2023?
By Scott Rogust
![Jan 10, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at CFP Jan 10, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at CFP](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4800,h_2700,x_0,y_196/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/229/01hhjax1xbhkzkk762wq.jpg)
Two weeks ago, the college football conference champions were determined, which set the stage for an eventful Selection Sunday. The four-team field for the College Football Playoff was revealed but not without controversy, and all 41 bowl game matchups were announced.
As is usually the case after the end of the regular-season, there is a bit of a gap until the start of bowl games. While the biggest games will take place on New Year's Day, notably the two CFP Semifinal matchups (Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl), fans may be curious when bowl games officially begin.
The first college football bowl game of this season isn't that far away. Here is when it will take place, the teams that are involved, and how it can be watched.
When is the first college football bowl game of the 2023 season?
The first college football bowl game will be on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 11:00 a.m. ET. That will be the Myrtle Beach Bowl between the Georgia Southern Eagles and Ohio Bobcats.
Georgia Southern qualified for a bowl game with a 6-6 record and a fifth-place finish in the East division of the Sun Belt Conference. As for Ohio, they finished the year with a 9-3 record but missed out on the MAC Championship Game after finishing in second place in the East Division, behind the Miami (OH) RedHawks.
The last time Georgia Southern won a bowl game was in 2020 in the New Orleans Bowl. As for Ohio, they look to finish their second-consecutive season with a bowl game victory. The Bobcats won the Arizona Bowl in 2022.
How to watch/live stream the first college football bowl game of the 2023 season
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
- Start Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
- Location: Brooks Stadium -- Myrtle Beach, S.C.
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: ESPN+, fuboTV
For those watching the Myrtle Beach Bowl with cable or satellite, it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
One way fans can live stream the game is through ESPN+, but that will require signing in with the credentials of your cable or satellite provider account. Another option you can explore using is by signing up for a fuboTV account, which will offer a seven-day free trial. You can sign up using the link above.
Are there any other college football bowl games takin place on Saturday, Dec. 16?
There will be six other bowl games scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 16, and they are as follows:
- Cricket Celebration Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, Ga.): Howard vs. Florida A&M, noon ET, ABC
- R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Caesars Superdome -- New Orleans, La.): Jacksonville State vs. Lousiana, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl (FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Fla.): Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Isleta New Mexico Bowl (University Stadium -- Albuquerque, N.M.): New Mexico State vs. Fresno State, 5:45 P.M. ET, ESPN
- LA Bowl (SoFi Stadium -- Inglewood, Calif.): UCLA v. Boise State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium -- Shreveport, La.): Cal vs. Texas Tech, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
College football fans will have a full slate of games to watch on Dec. 16. For fans, they will all air on the ESPN family of channels as listed above, so they won't be too hard to find.
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