2025-26 College Football Playoff, bowl schedule
As always, the college football season concludes with the most wonderful time of the year — bowl season. In 2025, that includes the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, which culminates with the crowning of a national champion on Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The CFP begins with four…
As always, the college football season concludes with the most wonderful time of the year — bowl season.
In 2025, that includes the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, which culminates with the crowning of a national champion on Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The CFP begins with four first-round games to be played at campus sites Dec. 19 and 20. The quarterfinals and semifinals follow at the traditional New Year’s Six bowl games.
Bowl season kicks off Dec. 13 at noon with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
In all, 36 bowl games are scheduled, in addition to the 11 games of the CFP, and 42 of those games will air on the ESPN/ABC family of networks.
All times Eastern.
College Football Playoff
First-round games (at campus sites)
Friday, Dec. 19
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, Oklahoma)
8 p.m., ABC, ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 20
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
Noon, ABC, ESPN
No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Oxford, Mississippi)
3:30 p.m., TNT
No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Oregon
Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon)
7:30 p.m., TNT
CFP quarterfinals
Wednesday, Dec. 31
CFP Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Miami-Texas A&M winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 1
CFP Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
James Madison-Oregon winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential
Alabama-Oklahoma winner vs. No. 1 Indiana
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
4 p.m., ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Tulane-Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Georgia
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
8 p.m., ESPN
CFP semifinals, national championship game
Thursday, Jan. 8
CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Jan. 9
CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Jan. 19
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Complete bowl season schedule
Saturday, Dec. 13
Cricket Celebration Bowl
South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ABC
Bucked Up LA Bowl
Boise State vs. Washington
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
8 p.m., ABC
Tuesday, Dec. 16
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Troy vs. Jacksonville State
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 17
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Old Dominion vs. South Florida
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5 p.m., ESPN
68 Ventures Bowl
Louisiana vs. Delaware
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 18
Xbox Bowl
Missouri State vs. Arkansas State
Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, Dec. 19
Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Engine
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
11 a.m., ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs. NC State
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 22
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Washington State vs. Utah State
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
2 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 23
Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl
Toledo vs. Louisville
Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
2 p.m., ESPN
New Orleans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
UNLV vs. Ohio
Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl
California vs. Hawaii
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
8 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Dec. 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
Ford Field (Detroit)
1 p.m., ESPN
Rate Bowl
New Mexico vs. Minnesota
Chase Field (Phoenix)
4:30 p.m., ESPN
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Florida International vs. UTSA
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
8 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 27
Go Bowling Military Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Penn State vs. Clemson
Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York)
Noon, ABC
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
UConn vs. Army
Fenway Park (Boston)
2:15 p.m., ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. BYU
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m., CW Network
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
North Texas vs. San Diego State
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Virginia vs. Missouri
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
7:30 p.m. ABC
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
LSU vs. Houston
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9:15 p.m., ESPN
Monday, Dec. 29
JLAB Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
2 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
2 p.m., ESPN
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Tennessee vs. Illinois
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl
USC vs. TCU
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl
Iowa vs. Vanderbilt
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Michigan vs. Texas
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3 p.m., ABC
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Nebraska vs. Utah
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Jan. 2
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Rice vs. Texas State
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
1 p.m., ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Navy vs. Cincinnati
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
4:30 p.m., ESPN
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
8 p.m., ESPN
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
Arizona vs. SMU
Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox
