2025-26 College Football Playoff Schedule Announced for Expanded 12-Team Format
The College Football Playoff (CFP) has finally dropped the broadcast schedule for its new 12-team format for the 2025-26 season. This is a big shift—first-round games will air across several networks over two days, so fans are in for a wild football ride.
ESPN and TNT Sports are teaming up, which means a lot more people will get to watch. First-round matchups will happen on college campuses and get set on Selection Day, Dec. 7.
After the opening round, ESPN takes over with exclusive rights to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the national championship game. Here’s a look at what’s coming, who’s airing it, and why fans might want to clear their calendars.
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First-Round Action: A Two-Day Football Extravaganza
The first round of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff kicks off on Friday, Dec. 19. There’s a prime-time showdown at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
This is just the start—four first-round games will play out on college campuses over two days. It’s honestly hard not to get a little hyped.
Friday Night Kickoff
Friday night starts things off with a single game. ABC and ESPN will have the coverage as two teams fight for their spot in the quarterfinals.
Saturday Showdown
Saturday, Dec. 20, brings three more games. Here’s how it shakes out:
- 12:00 p.m. ET: ABC and ESPN air the first game.
- 3:30 p.m. ET: TNT Sports, truTV, and HBO Max pick up the second game.
- 7:30 p.m. ET: TNT Sports, truTV, and HBO Max have the last game of the round.
With ESPN and TNT Sports both in the mix, fans have plenty of ways to watch. No excuses for missing out this time.
Quarterfinals: A New Year’s Football Tradition
After the first round, the CFP moves to the quarterfinals. These games are all ESPN, all the way.
The quarterfinals are set for two days—one game on New Year’s Eve and three on New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Eve Game
The quarterfinals begin with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. This one’s always a big deal, but now it’s part of the playoff picture.
New Year’s Day Tripleheader
New Year’s Day is packed with three quarterfinal games. The lineup looks like this:
- 12:00 p.m. ET: ESPN has the first game.
- 4:00 p.m. ET: The Rose Bowl Game—maybe the most iconic of them all—airs on ESPN.
- 8:00 p.m. ET: ESPN wraps up the day with the final quarterfinal.
That’s a full day of college football, and honestly, it’s hard to imagine a better way to spend New Year’s Day if you’re a fan.
Semifinals and National Championship
January brings the semifinals and, of course, the national championship game. ESPN keeps exclusive rights for these matchups.
Semifinal Showdowns
Here’s when the semifinals go down:
- Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
- Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
These games decide who gets to play for it all. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
National Championship
The College Football Playoff National Championship is set for Monday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This is the big one—millions will tune in to see who takes the crown.
Viewership and Fan Engagement
The first-round games in the expanded playoff last season averaged 10.6 million viewers. That’s a huge number and shows just how much people care.
The 2025 championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame pulled in 22.1 million viewers. Hard to argue with those numbers—the College Football Playoff is a massive draw.
Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP, said he’s happy with the ESPN and TNT Sports partnership. He pointed out that this deal puts first-round games in prime viewing slots for fans everywhere. There’s also been coordination with the NFL to make sure schedules work for both college and pro football fans. Smart move, honestly.
Conclusion
The 12-team format coming to the 2025-26 College Football Playoff is honestly shaping up to be something special. More teams, more games, and a whole lot more chaos—what’s not to love?
Games will be scattered across different networks and time slots, so there’s a good chance everyone finds something to watch. If you want to dig into the nitty-gritty about schedules or which channel to set your reminders for, you can check out the official announcement.
