2025 College Football Playoff and Bowl Schedule Revealed

The college football season is really starting to sizzle, and fans everywhere are counting down the days to the bowl games and the College Football Playoff. This year’s lineup? It’s loaded—these matchups are the kind that’ll have you glued to your TV, snacks in hand.

From the first round all the way to the national championship, there’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s a look at the College Football Playoff and bowl schedule for 2025.

First-Round Showdowns

Things kick off December 19. No. 9 Alabama meets No. 8 Oklahoma at 8 PM on ABC. That’s a heavyweight clash to get the week started.

December 20 First-Round Games

Three more first-round games follow on December 20:

• No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, noon, ABC
• No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss, 3:30 PM, TNT
• No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, 7:30 PM, TNT

Winners move on to face the top seeds in the quarterfinals. Not a bad reward, huh?

Quarterfinals: The Road to Glory

The quarterfinals land on December 31 and January 1. These are the games everyone circles on their calendar.

December 31 Quarterfinal

The Miami/Texas A&M winner heads to Arlington to play No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. That game’s at 7:30 PM on ESPN.

January 1 Quarterfinals

New Year’s Day delivers three more big ones:

• James Madison/Oregon winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech, Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens; noon, ESPN
• Alabama/Oklahoma winner vs. No. 1 Indiana, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.; 4 PM, ESPN
• Tulane/Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Georgia, Sugar Bowl, New Orleans; 8 PM, ESPN

Semifinals and National Championship

Quarterfinal winners keep the dream alive and head to the semifinals, set for January 8 and 9. The Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, hosts one on January 8 at 7:30 PM on ESPN.

The Peach Bowl in Atlanta gets the other semifinal, January 9 at 7:30 PM, also on ESPN. Two nights, two huge games—doesn’t get much better.

National Championship

It all comes down to this: the national championship game, January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM on ESPN.

Who’s taking home the trophy? That’s the question everyone’s asking.

Other Exciting Bowl Games

There’s more than just the playoff, of course. Bowl season always brings a bunch of wild matchups and a few surprises.

Here are some of the games you probably don’t want to miss:

December 13-20 Bowl Games

• Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M, December 13, noon, ABC
• LA Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, December 13, 8 PM, ABC
• Salute to Veterans: Troy vs. Jacksonville State, December 16, 9 PM, ESPN
• Cure Bowl: USF vs. Old Dominion (Orlando), December 17, 5 PM, ESPN
• 68 Ventures Bowl: Louisiana vs. Delaware, December 17, 8:30 PM, ESPN
• Xbox Bowl: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State, December 18, 9 PM, ESPN2
• Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan, December 19, 11 AM, ESPN
• Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis vs. N.C. State (Tampa), December 19, 2:30 PM, ESPN

December 22-27 Bowl Games

• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State, December 22, 2 PM, ESPN
• Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville, December 23, 2 PM, ESPN
• New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss, December 23, 5:30 PM, ESPN
• Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio, December 23, 9 PM, ESPN
• Hawaiʻi Bowl: California vs. Hawai’i, December 24, 8 PM, ESPN
• GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Northwestern, December 26, 1 PM, ESPN
• Rate Bowl: New Mexico vs. Minnesota, December 26, 4:30 PM, ESPN
• First Responder Bowl: Florida International vs. UTSA, December 26, 8 PM, ESPN
• Military Bowl: Pitt vs. East Carolina, December 27, 11 AM, ESPN
• Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson, December 27, noon, ABC
• Fenway Bowl: UConn vs. Army, December 27, 2:15 PM, ESPN
• Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU (Orlando), December 27, 3:30 PM, ABC
• Arizona Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Fresno State, December 27, 4:30 PM, CW
• New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. San Diego State, December 27, 5:45 PM, ESPN
• Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri (Jacksonville), December 27, 7:30 PM, ABC
• Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston, December 27, 9:15 PM, ESPN

December 29-31 Bowl Games

• Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. App State, December 29, 2 PM, ESPN
• Independence Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech, December 30, 2 PM, ESPN
• Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois, December 30, 5:30 PM, ESPN
• Alamo Bowl: USC vs. TCU, December 30, 9 PM, ESPN
• ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (Tampa), December 31, noon, ESPN
• Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. Duke, December 31, 2 PM, CBS
• Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas (Orlando), December 31, 3 PM, ABC
• Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah, December 31, 3:30 PM, ESPN

January 2 Bowl Games

• Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State, 1 PM, ESPN
• Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Cincinnati, 4:30 PM, ESPN
• Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State, 8 PM, ESPN
• Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. SMU, 8 PM, Fox

For the full schedule and more details, check out the College Football Playoff and bowl schedule on the Tampa Bay Times website.

There’s a lot to look forward to in this year’s bowl games. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just peeking in, you’ll probably find something to get excited about.

Honestly, who doesn’t love a good excuse to grab snacks and watch some college football? Should be a fun day.