The College Football Playoff (CFP) has revealed the dates, kick times, and broadcast details for the 2025-26 postseason, with exciting updates to the schedule. This marks the second year of ESPN’s expanded broadcast package, which now includes all four CFP First Round games, as well as a sublicense for two games to TNT Sports/WBD.
For college football fans, the New Year’s Day Tripleheader will kick off the Playoff Quarterfinals with earlier-than-usual start times for the three marquee bowl games:
Capital One Orange Bowl – Noon ET
Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential – 4 p.m. ET
Allstate Sugar Bowl – 8 p.m. ET
This schedule shift comes after thoughtful collaboration between the CFP, ESPN, and the three major bowls. The goal is to maximize the viewing experience for all college football fans on New Year's Day, a time already synonymous with college football.
Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff, shared his excitement about the changes: “This schedule adjustment strengthens the bond between New Year’s Day and college football, providing optimal times for fans to enjoy the Quarterfinals in prime viewing windows.”
The 2025-26 CFP schedule also includes the Playoff Semifinals and the National Championship Game:
Playoff Semifinals:
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl – Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Friday, January 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET
CFP National Championship:
Monday, January 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
This will mark the first return to Miami for the National Championship since the 2021 season and the second consecutive year the title game will return to a city for a second time. Atlanta will have hosted the 2025 National Championship earlier in January.
The 2024-25 season delivered massive viewership numbers, with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl becoming the most-watched pre-3 p.m. ET bowl game ever, drawing in 17.3 million viewers. The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic produced the highest-rated semifinal, reaching 20.6 million viewers, while the Capital One Orange Bowl garnered 17.8 million viewers.
As for the 2025 CFP National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame, it achieved a record 22.1 million viewers, with a peak of 26.1 million — the most-watched non-NFL sporting event of the past year.
2025-26 college football playoff schedule
Date Time (ET) Game Platform
Wednesday, Dec 31 7:30 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic ESPN
Thursday, Jan 1 Noon Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl ESPN
Thursday, Jan 1 4:00 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game ESPN
Thursday, Jan 1 8:00 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl ESPN
Thursday, Jan 8 7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl ESPN
Friday, Jan 9 7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl ESPN
Monday, Jan 19 7:30 p.m. College Football Playoff National Championship ESPN
Further details, including Playoff First Round dates, times, and MegaCast information, will be announced later this year by ESPN.
For more information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
This announcement is sure to have fans marking their calendars for another thrilling postseason of college football, even if Kentucky has the same chances to get there as you winning the lottery twice on a day when they don't draw new numbers.
