Are You Ready for Some Football?
Expanded college football playoff schedule announced
The long-awaited expanded College Football Playoff announced its schedule Thursday.
The 12-team playoff, expanding from four teams, will showcase college football’s best teams beginning December 20 through January 20, when the NCAA crowns its champion following that night’s winner in Atlanta.
Here’s a look at the college football playoff schedule:
Playoff First Round
Friday, Dec. 20 – 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 21 – 12 p.m. ET, TNT
Saturday, Dec. 21 – 4 p.m. ET, TNT
Saturday, Dec. 21 – 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Playoff Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Dec. 31 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
VRBO Fiesta Bowl
Wednesday, Jan. 1 – 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
Wednesday, Jan. 1 – 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl Game
Wednesday, Jan. 1 – 8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Playoff Semifinals
Thursday, Jan. 9 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, Jan. 10 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
National Championship
Monday, Jan. 20 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Looks like the holidays will be all about football this year, beginning a few days before Christmas.
The schedule has many college football fans excited, including our own college football resident expert, John Crimella.
The first round of the CFP will kickoff on Friday, December 20 with an 8 p.m. game on ABC/ESPN. This game will likely feature a Blue Blood program (think Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame) or a West Coast team, due to the later start time.
The following day, Saturday, December 21, will feature three games, starting with a noon kickoff on TNT, part of a network double-header that will include the 4 p.m. game.
The TNT playoff games will be competing against two NFL regular season games, with Houston-Kansas City at 1 p.m. on NBC and Baltimore-Pittsburgh at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. It will be interesting to see how these games may impact the CFP’s scheduling. None of these four cities have particularly strong contenders for the college football playoff.
The first round concludes at 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN. Again, expect this game to feature a West Coast team or better known schools that will draw eyeballs.
The quarterfinals will begin 10 days later, bringing the traditional New Year’s bowl games into play, starting with the VRBO Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday, December 31 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The quarterfinals will include the four top-seeded teams, which will receive a bye.
ESPN has all three New Year’s Day games, starting at 1 p.m. with the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, followed by the Rose Bowl Game at 5 p.m. The night concludes with the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m.
The semifinals, also on ESPN, will start a week later, beginning with the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. The next night, Friday, January 10, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl hosts the other two semifinalists at 7:30 p.m.
A week and a half later, the National Championship game will be played on Monday, January 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.