The College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchups for the 2025-26 season are set following the results of the four First Round contests Friday and Saturday.
The top four teams in the College Football Playoff each received a first-round bye and will host a first round winner in the quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Those teams are the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers, No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, and No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The first Quarterfinal matchup is slated for New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will host the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in that matchup at 7:30pm ET on ESPN.
The remaining three College Football Playoff Quarterfinals are each set to be played on New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. The action begins at noon ET on ESPN with the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. That contest features the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders hosting the No. 5 Oregon Ducks.
Next is the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game, which has the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers hosting the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. The game, which will kickoff 45 minutes earlier than normal, is scheduled for 4:00pm ET on ESPN.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal action concludes at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., where the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs will host the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels. The game is slated to kickoff at 8:00pm ET on ESPN, which is also 45 minutes earlier than in previous years.
Winners from the Cotton Bowl (Miami-Ohio State) and Sugar Bowl (Ole Miss-Georgia) will meet in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will host the winners of the Orange Bowl (Oregon-Texas Tech) and Rose Bowl (Alabama-Indiana) the following day on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Both contests are slated for 7:30pm ET kickoffs on ESPN.
This season’s College Football Playoff National Championship will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
College Football Playoff
CFP QUARTERFINALS
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
(10) Miami vs. (2) Ohio State
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 | 7:30pm ET, ESPN
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
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Capital One Orange Bowl
(5) Oregon vs. (4) Texas Tech
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 | Noon ET, ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
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Rose Bowl Game
(9) Alabama vs. (1) Indiana
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 | 4pm ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl Stadium – Pasadena, CA
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Allstate Sugar Bowl
(6) Ole Miss vs. (3) Georgia
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 | 8pm ET, ESPN
Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, LA
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CFP SEMIFINALS
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Ole Miss/Georgia vs. Miami/Ohio State
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 | 7:30pm ET, ESPN
State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ
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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Oregon/Texas Tech vs. Alabama/Indiana
Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 | 7:30pm ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
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CFP National Championship
Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 | 7:30pm ET, ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
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Football Schedules
Printable Schedules
- 2025-26 Bowl Schedule (PDF w/helmets)
- 2025-26 Bowl Schedule (PDF w/ no images)
- College Football Playoff Bracket
Indiana, Ohio State rematch of Big Ten Championship game playing in Miami for National Championship game.
This is just an educated guess.
Indiana doesn’t get past Alabama and Ohio State will lose to Georgia.
remember two years ago when they skipped these NIT games and went right to the only four (probly 2-3) teams who could actually win? great game last night at 7:30