College Football Playoff opens with 1 game Dec. 19 and 3 more on Dec. 20; TV and kickoff times set

A playoff logo is seen on an end zone marker during the first half between Texas and Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Dec. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)

Date: November 05, 2025

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The College Football Playoff will open with one first-round game on Dec. 19 and three more on Dec. 20, CFP administrators announced Tuesday.

The Friday night game will start at 8 p.m. EST and be televised by ABC and ESPN, as will the noon game on Saturday. TNT, truTV and HBO Max will carry the 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games on Saturday. Each of the first four games will be played on campuses of the higher-seeded teams.

The quarterfinals begin at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. The other quarterfinals are New Year’s Day at the Orange Bowl at noon, Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. and Sugar Bowl at 8 p.m.

Semifinals are Jan. 8 at the Fiesta Bowl and Jan. 9 at the Peach Bowl, and the championship game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 19. All three of those games start at 7:30. ESPN will televise all quarterfinals and semifinals and the championship game.

The initial CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night.

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