3 College Football Bowl games, plus 5 schools playing in the post-season

This year’s post-season bowl games are set.  The TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Camellia Bowl in Montgomery and LendingTree Bowl in Mobile announced on Sunday who will play in their annual college football classics. 

And even though the Alabama Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff for the first time and the Auburn Tigers didn’t win enough games to participate in a bowl game — UAB, Troy, University of South Alabama and the Tide all received bowl invites.  

One other bit of additional good news for in-state post-season football — the Samford Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

Here are all the details starting with the in-state bowl games.

Home to 3 Bowls

The state of Alabama will host three bowl games again in 2022. Here is the lineup with dates and ticket information.

LendingTree Bowl – December 17, 4:45PM, Mobile, Alabama,  ESPN

Southern Mississippi v. Rice – [TICKETS]

Established in 1999, this year’s annual bowl game in Mobile is sponsored by LendingTree for the fourth year. More than a game — Mobile residents treat the participating schools to a Mardi Gras Parade the night before the big game.

Fun Fact: Southern Miss beat 14th Ranked Tulane in September.

Camellia Bowl – December 27, 11:00AM, Montgomery, Alabama,  ESPN

Georgia Southern v. Buffalo [TICKETS]

From 1939 to 2001, Montgomery hosted the Blue-Gray Football Classic, an all-star game between college players divided between northern and southern schools. Usually played on Christmas Day, the game featured predominantly featured players that played for teams that did make a bowl game. 

After a 14 year bowl game hiatus in Montgomery, the Camellia  Bowl was founded in 2014.

Fun Fact: Historic Cramton Bowl, the location of the game, is celebrating its 100th year. 

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl – December 27, 5:45PM, Birmingham [ESPN]

Coastal Carolina v. Eastern Carolina University [TICKETS]

Coastal Carolina (9-3) defeated both Appalachian State University and Marshall University shortly after those teams upset Texas A&M and Notre Dame respectively. 

East Carolina shocked University of Central Florida and BYU on their way to a 7-5 record.

Fun Fact: East Carolina played in the first Birmingham Bowl (named PapaJohns.com Bowl at the time) back in 2006.

Schedule of Bowl Games with Colleges From Alabama

Four Alabama colleges/universities earned 2022 bowl births. 

Here is the rundown:

UAB v. Miami (Ohio) University – Bahamas Bowl, December 16, 10:30AM, Nassau [ESPN]

The Blazers are taking on the runner-up of the Mid-American Conference. The game is the Blazer’s 6th straight bowl game since they discontinued the football program.

Troy University v. University of Texas San Antonio (USTA) Cure Bowl, December 16, 2:00PM, Orlando [ESPN]

Troy won the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday. Both Troy and UTSA have  10 game winning streaks — 3rd longest in the nation.

University of South Alabama (USA) v. Western Kentucky – New Orleans Bowl, December 21, 8:00PM, New Orleans [ESPN]

This 2022 USA team nearly beat nationally ranked UCLA. They are also the first Jaguar team to notch 10 victories in the young program’s history.

University of Alabama v. Kansas State – Sugar Bowl, December 31, 11:00AM, New Orleans [ESPN]

Missing the College Football Playoff for the first time, the Tide will take on the Big 12 Champion Kansas State, 

FBS Playoff Game – Samford

Thanks to an exciting overtime 48-42 win this Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana the Southern Conference Champion Samford University Bulldogs have advanced to the FBS quarterfinals. 

The Bulldogs are scheduled to play at North Dakota State on Friday, November 9, 6:00PM. 

The game will be shown on ESPN+

Are you planning to attend any of the bowl games in Alabama or out of state? We’d love to see you in your team colors. Share us your photo by tagging us at @thebamabuzz