The College Football Playoff unveiled dates, times and television information for the 2025 quarterfinals, semifinals and the College Football Playoff National Championship. Action is set to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 with the Cotton Bowl, which is hosting one of the quarterfinal round games.
For the first time in the College Football Playoff era, New Year's Day will host a tripleheader of quarterfinal round games with the Orange Bowl starting things off at noon.
"This New Year's Day schedule adjustment is the result of a thoughtful collaboration between the CFP, ESPN, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl," College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark said in a statement. "All three bowls shifting their start times allows us to place each game in an ideal window on New Year's Day and provide the optimal viewing experience. New Year's Day and college football are synonymous with each other, and these changes only strengthen that relationship."
The College Football Playoff National Championship will be hosted inside Miami's Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since 2021.
The dates and times of first-round games have yet to be unveiled. Last season, the first round started on Dec. 20 and ended on Dec. 21 -- about 10 days before the quarterfinals.
Higher-ranked schools that did not earn a bye host first-round games in the 12-team College Football Playoff format. First-round games in the 2024 playoff were televised on ABC, ESPN and TNT.
Here's a full rundown of the 2025 College Football Playoff schedule.
2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule
First Round: TBA
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Dec. 31
- Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) -- 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Jan. 1
- Orange Bowl (Miami) -- Noon (ESPN)
- Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) -- 4 p.m. (ESPN)
- Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) -- 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Semifinals
Thursday, Jan. 8
- Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona)-- 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Jan. 9
- Peach Bowl (Atlanta) -- 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College Football Playoff National Championship
Monday, Jan. 19
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) -- 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
