2025 College Football Bowl and CFP Schedule Announced

The college football season’s barreling toward its wild finish. Bowl season and the College Football Playoff (CFP) are almost here.

Matchups drop on December 7, and fans are counting down to the CFP selection show at 11 a.m. that day. Once the CFP bracket’s out, the rest of the bowl games will be announced throughout the day.

This blog walks through the bowl schedule—CFP playoff games, dates, times, and the usual tie-ins. By the way, former Pac-12 schools are still sticking with those conference bowl affiliations, even though they’re moving around elsewhere.

So, here’s what’s coming up.

CFP First Round Games

First round CFP games are set to bring some real drama:

• No. 9 seed Alabama at No. 8 seed Oklahoma: Friday, December 19, 7 p.m. CT on ABC
• No. 10 seed Miami (FL) at No. 7 seed Texas A&M: Saturday, December 20, 11 a.m. CT on ABC
• No. 11 seed Tulane at No. 6 seed Ole Miss: Saturday, December 20, 2:30 p.m. CT on TNT
• No. 12 seed James Madison at No. 5 seed Oregon: Saturday, December 20, 6:30 p.m. CT on TNT

Exciting Matchups to Watch

These games should be fun. You’ve got Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, and more—no shortage of storylines or powerhouse programs colliding.

CFP Quarterfinals

Quarterfinals will pit the first round winners against some of the sport’s biggest names:

• Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas: No. 2 seed Ohio State vs. Texas A&M/Miami, December 31, 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN
• Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens: No. 4 seed Texas Tech vs. Oregon/James Madison, January 1, 11 a.m. CT on ESPN
• Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California: No. 1 seed Indiana vs. Alabama/Oklahoma, January 1, 3 p.m. CT on ESPN
• Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans: No. 3 seed Georgia vs. Tulane/Ole Miss, January 1, 7 p.m. CT on ESPN

Key Games to Highlight

Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana—they’re all in the mix. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl always feel special, don’t they?

CFP Semifinals

Semifinals land at two iconic venues this year:

• VRBO Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona: Ohio State/Texas A&M/Miami vs. Georgia/Tulane/Ole Miss, January 8, 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN
• Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta: Indiana/Alabama/Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech/Oregon/JMU, January 9, 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN

CFP National Championship

The season wraps up with the CFP National Championship:

• CFP National Championship in Miami Gardens: Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner, January 19, 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN

Other Major Bowl Games

It’s not all CFP, though. There are plenty of other bowl games worth flipping on:

• Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta: Prairie View A&M vs. SC State, 11 a.m. on ABC
• Bucked Up LA Bowl in Inglewood, California: Washington vs. Boise State, 7 p.m. on ESPN
• IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.: Jacksonville State vs. Troy, 8 p.m. on ESPN
• StaffDNA Cure Bowl in Orlando: USF vs. Old Dominion, 4 p.m. on ESPN
• 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile: Louisiana vs. Delaware, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

The LA Bowl and Cure Bowl could be sneaky good. Who knows—sometimes these matchups are where you find the wildest finishes in all of bowl season.

The college football bowl season is shaping up to deliver some wild matchups and plenty of memorable moments. From the first round of the CFP to the National Championship, it’s a packed month for fans who can’t get enough high-stakes football.

Want the full schedule or more details? Take a look at the Tennessean’s comprehensive bowl schedule.