There's 1 College Football Bowl Game Christmas Eve. Here's What It Is

College football fans who need something to do while waiting for Santa Claus to arrive tonight are in luck. There's a bowl game on the docket.

The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl is back for its customary Christmas Eve kickoff, featuring a local favorite and another West Coast program in primetime on ESPN.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Cal (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Under the direction of former legendary Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, the Rainbow Warriors went 8-4 this season to reach their first bowl game since 2020. This will be the program's 10th all-time Hawaii Bowl appearance; the Rainbow Warriors are 5-4 in their previous trips.

Cal (7-5) is making its third-straight bowl appearance, this time under interim head coach Nick Rolovich, who was the head coach at Hawaii from 2016-19. The Bears, who are in their second season in the ACC, posted ranked wins over Louisville and SMU late in the year.

Cal and Hawaii will kick off at 8 p.m. ET from the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complexin Honolulu. ESPN Analytics gives the hometown Rainbow Warriors a 59.6% chance of winning.

Chris Cotter will handle play-by-play for ESPN, with Max Browne on game analysis and Harry Lyles Jr. reporting from the sidelines.

Are there college football bowl games on Christmas?

Not this year. The Camellia Bowl, now known as the Salute to Veterans Bowl, was the last bowl game played on Dec. 25, back in 2020 and 2021. Other than that, college football has ceded Christmas Day to the NBA and NFL.

Bowl season will be back in full swing on Friday, Dec. 26, with a trio of games, followed by a whopping eight matchups on the schedule for Saturday, Dec. 27.

Meanwhile, the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff are set for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.