- Five Kickoff Events and 17 Bowl Games Set for 2021
- Celebrating HBCU Football with the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, Red Tails Classic and Cricket Celebration Bowl
- Fenway Bowl Set to Make its Debut on Wednesday, Dec. 29
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has unveiled the schedule for its premier college football events, to be played throughout the 2021 season. The lineup features five kickoff games and 17 bowl games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ABC.
As part of ESPN’s signature kickoff slate, the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, celebrating the tradition, legacy and values of HBCUs, will open the college football season on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., will host two games in the first week of September on ESPN—the Montgomery Kickoff (Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m.), and the Red Tails Classic (Sept. 5, 7 p.m.). The Montgomery Kickoff will showcase a matchup between UAB and Jacksonville State, while the inaugural Red Tails Classic, launched to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, will feature Tuskegee University and Fort Valley State.
Labor Day weekend will also include the Vegas Kickoff Classic, as Arizona faces BYU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In-state rivals Texas Tech and Houston will go head-to-head in the Texas Kickoff.
The Bowl Season will begin Friday, Dec. 17, with the Bahamas Bowl (noon, ESPN), and the Cure Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN2). Following its postponement in 2020 due to the pandemic, the inaugural Fenway Bowl will debut on Wednesday, Dec. 29 (11 a.m., ESPN).
ESPN Events owns and operates 34 collegiate sporting events across the country.
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Network |
| Sat, Aug 28 | 7 p.m. | Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff (Atlanta) Alcorn State vs. North Carolina Central |
ESPN |
| Wed, Sep 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Montgomery Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.) UAB vs. Jacksonville State |
ESPN |
| Sat, Sep 4 | 7 p.m. | Texas Kickoff (Houston) Texas Tech vs. Houston |
ESPN |
| 10:30 p.m. | Vegas Kickoff Classic BYU vs. Arizona |
ESPN | |
| Sun, Sep 5 | 7 p.m. | Red Tails Classic (Montgomery, Ala.) Fort Valley State vs. Tuskegee |
ESPNU |
| Fri, Dec 17 | Noon | Bahamas Bowl | ESPN |
| 6 p.m. | Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) | ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Dec 18 | 11 a.m. | RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl | ESPN |
| Noon | Cricket Celebration Bowl (Atlanta) | ABC | |
| 2:15 p.m. | New Mexico Bowl | ESPN | |
| Mon, Dec 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Myrtle Beach Bowl | ESPN |
| Tue, Dec 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | ESPN |
| 7:30 p.m. | Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl | ESPN | |
| Wed, Dec 22 | TBD | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | ESPN |
| Thu, Dec 23 | 7 p.m. | Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | ESPN |
| Fri, Dec 24 | 8 p.m. | Hawai’i Bowl | ESPN |
| Sat, Dec 25 | 2:30 p.m. | Camellia Bowl | ESPN |
| Tue, Dec 28 | Noon | TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl | ESPN |
| 3:15 p.m. | SERVPRO First Responder Bowl | ESPN | |
| Wed, Dec 29 | 11 a.m. | Fenway Bowl | ESPN |
| Thu, Dec 30 | 10:30 p.m. | SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl | ESPN |
| Tue, Jan 4 | TBD | Texas Bowl | ESPN |
