“2025-26 College Football Playoff and Bowl Schedule Revealed”

The 2025-26 college football season is shaping up to be wild, with the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) looming large. Bowl season is always a rollercoaster, but this one feels especially loaded, ending with the national title game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on January 19.

The CFP starts with first-round games at campus sites on December 19 and 20. Quarterfinals and semifinals will play out at the classic New Year’s Six bowls. If you’re a fan, you’ll have 36 bowl games to keep track of, plus the 11 CFP matchups. That’s a lot of football. Let’s dig into the 2025-26 college football bowl schedule.

First-Round Games at Campus Sites

Things get going with four first-round games on campus, which is always a great way to kick off the drama. You’ll be able to catch these on ABC, ESPN, and TNT—so there’s no excuse to miss out.

Friday, Dec. 19

No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama

Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, Oklahoma)

Time: 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 20

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M

Location: Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)

Time: Noon, ABC, ESPN

No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Oxford, Mississippi)

Time: 3:30 p.m., TNT

No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Oregon

Location: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon)

Time: 7:30 p.m., TNT

Quarterfinals and Semifinals

Quarterfinals and semifinals land at the New Year’s Six bowls, which always brings a certain energy. The venues are iconic, so the stakes feel even higher.

Wednesday, Dec. 31

CFP Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Matchup: Miami-Texas A&M winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State

Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

Time: 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, Jan. 1

Rose Bowl

Location: Pasadena, California

Time: 4 p.m., ESPN

Caesars Superdome

Location: New Orleans

Time: 8 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, Jan. 8

CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Friday, Jan. 9

CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

CFP National Championship

The CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T will decide it all. This year, it’s set for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Monday, Jan. 19

Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida)

Additional Bowl Games

Bowl season starts early, on December 13, with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. Altogether, there are 36 bowl games, and 42 of them will air on the ESPN/ABC networks.

Here are a few standouts you might want to circle on your calendar:

Saturday, Dec. 13

Cricket Celebration Bowl

Matchup: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M

Bucked Up LA Bowl

Tuesday, Dec. 16

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl

Wednesday, Dec. 17

StaffDNA Cure Bowl

Matchup: Old Dominion vs. South Florida

68 Ventures Bowl

Matchup: Louisiana vs. Delaware

Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)

Time: 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 18

Xbox Bowl

Matchup: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State

Location: Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas)

Time: 9 p.m., ESPN2

Friday, Dec. 19

Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Engine

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

Monday, Dec. 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl

New Orleans Bowl

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl

Wednesday, Dec. 24

Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl

Matchup: California vs. Hawaii

Friday, Dec. 26

GameAbove Sports Bowl

Rate Bowl

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Saturday, Dec. 27

Go Bowling Military Bowl

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Kinder’s Texas Bowl

Monday, Dec. 29

JLAB Birmingham Bowl

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl

Valero Alamo Bowl

Wednesday, Dec. 31

ReliaQuest Bowl

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Friday, Jan. 2

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Holiday Bowl

Location: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)

Time: 8 p.m., Fox

For the full schedule and more info on the 2025-26 college football bowl games, check out the official 2025-26 College Football Playoff Bowl Schedule.