What Time Does Monday’s College Football Bowl Game Kick Off?
The college football bowl season took Sunday off as NFL Week 17 played center stage, but postseason action returns Monday afternoon.
There's only one bowl game on the menu today, something of an appetizer before the major bowls and College Football Playoff get going later in the week. If you want your mid-afternoon football fix, the JLab Birmingham Bowl can do the trick.
JLab Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Any casual fan can tune in for the Playoff, but games like today's are made for the true sicko college football bowl heads.
App State is playing in a bowl despite having a losing record (5-7) because numerous teams turned down bids. The Mountaineers have now gone bowling nine times in their 12 seasons at the FBS level.
"We are honored and excited to accept the JLab Birmingham Bowl's invitation to play Georgia Southern on December 29th," App State athletic director Doug Gillin said earlier this month when his team accepted the invite. "Playing postseason football is special. It's another opportunity to display the App State brand in front of a national audience. We are excited for our football program and for App Nation for this opportunity to watch our team compete for a bowl championship."
Georgia Southern (6-6), which made its FBS debut in 2014, the same year as App State, is playing in its eighth bowl game in 12 years. The Eagles haven't won a postseason matchup since 2020.
Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (game analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter) will broadcast the action for ESPN.
Why is today's bowl game such a unique matchup?
Because App State is essentially a replacement team in the JLab Birmingham Bowl, we have an incredible rarity on our hands. Two programs from the same conference--the Sun Belt--are facing off in a bowl.
Georgia Southern won the regular season meeting between the two, beating App State 25-23 on Nov. 6. The Eagles have a 55% chance of winning this afternoon, per ESPN Analytics.