College Football Playoff game dates have been set for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, according to an announcement by the College Football Playoff (CFP) on Tuesday.
The 2024 season will mark the first for the College Football Playoff (CFP) with an expanded 12-team field. Under the new format, the CFP will begin with four first-round games that will be played on the campus of the higher-seeded team. In 2024, one game will be played on Friday, Dec. 20 with the remaining three games played on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The quarterfinals in 2024 will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 (Vrbo Fiesta Bowl) and Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 (Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game. and Allstate Sugar Bowl).
Semifinals are slated for Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2024 season is slated for Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Below is the complete list of games with kickoff windows for the 2024 as well as the 2025 season.
2024 Season
First Round (On-Campus)
- Friday, December 20, 2024: One Game (evening)
- Saturday, December 21, 2024: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening)
Quarterfinals
- Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
- Wednesday, January 1, 2025: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
Semifinals
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Capital One Orange Bowl (evening)
- Friday, January 10, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
CFP National Championship
- Monday, January 20, 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
2025 Season
First Round (On-Campus)
- Friday, December 19, 2025: One Game (evening)
- Saturday, December 20, 2025: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening)
Quarterfinals
- Wednesday, December 31, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
- Thursday, January 1, 2026: Capital One Orange Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
Semifinals
- Thursday, January 8, 2026: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
- Friday, January 9, 2026: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (evening)
CFP National Championship
- Monday, January 19, 2026: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
“We are pleased to be able to announce these game dates today,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “We appreciate the efforts of all the parties involved in finalizing this schedule. This is the next significant step in bringing clarity to the launch of the 12-team playoff format in 2024. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but this is an important milestone along the way.”
Below is more information on the new format from the CFP release:
The field of 12 teams will be comprised of the six conference champions ranked highest by the selection committee (no minimum ranking requirement), plus the six highest-ranked other teams. The ranking of the teams will continue to be done by a selection committee whose size, composition, and method of selection will remain substantially unchanged from the current arrangement. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye. The other eight teams will play in the first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution.