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Tripleheader on Saturday, December 20 to Feature New Start Times at Noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET
The College Football Playoff (CFP), ESPN and TNT Sports have announced kick times and broadcast information for the 2025 CFP First Round, which will launch the second year of the 12-team Playoff.
The exclusive home of the CFP since its inception in 2015, ESPN is in the second year of its current expanded package, which includes all four games of the CFP First Round with two of the games sublicensed to TNT Sports.
The 2025-26 edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff will begin with the first CFP First Round game on Friday, December 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. First round action will continue on Saturday, December 20, as ABC and ESPN will broadcast the first game of Saturday’s tripleheader at noon ET, while TNT will present games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. ET, respectively. All games on ESPN networks will be available on the ESPN App, while the first-round games airing on TNT and truTV will also be streamed on HBO Max. Each of the four first-round games will be played on campuses to be announced on Selection Day, December 7.
In April, it was announced that ESPN will present each of the four Playoff Quarterfinals, the two Playoff Semifinals and the 2026 CFP National Championship, slated for Monday, January 19, at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The CFP National Championship returns to Miami for the first time since the 2021 contest, marking the second straight season the national championship game will return to a city for a second time, after Atlanta hosted the title contests in 2018 and 2025.
“We are pleased to work with both ESPN and TNT Sports to deliver these first-round games to fans across the country in premier viewing windows,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “We also appreciate the collaboration with the National Football League in coordinating schedules to best serve fans of both college and professional football. This all reflects the growing reach and excitement surrounding the new Playoff format, and we look forward to showcasing the best of college football on both networks.”
Last season, the inaugural CFP First Round delivered 10.6 million average viewers across ESPN networks and TNT Sports. The quartet of Playoff Quarterfinals scored multi-year viewership highs, while the CFP Semifinals produced the most-watched Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on record (20.6M viewers) and the second-most-watched Capital One Orange Bowl in nearly 20 years (17.8M viewers). The 2025 CFP National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame attracted 22.1 million viewers, the most-watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year. The showdown peaked with 26.1 million viewers.
Further scheduling details, including full MegaCast information, will be announced later this year.
DATE
TIME (ET)
GAME
NETWORK
Friday, December 19
8 p.m.
CFP First-Round Game
ABC & ESPN
Saturday, December 20
Noon
CFP First-Round Game
ABC & ESPN
3:30 p.m.
CFP First-Round Game
TNT, truTV & HBO Max
7:30 p.m.
CFP First-Round Game
TNT, truTV & HBO Max
Wednesday, December 31
7:30 p.m.
Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
ESPN
Thursday, January 1
Noon
Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
ESPN
4 p.m.
Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential
ESPN
8 p.m.
Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
ESPN
Thursday, January 8
7:30 p.m.
Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
ESPN
Friday, January 9
7:30 p.m.
Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
ESPN
Monday, January 19
7:30 p.m.
College Football Playoff National Championship
ESPN
#CFBPLAYOFF
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The CFP selection committee ranks the top 25 teams at the end of the regular season. The five highest ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will be seeded into a 12-team bracket based on the final ranking, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a first-round bye. The teams ranked Nos. 5-12 will play in the CFP First Round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds. The Playoff Quarterfinals and Playoff Semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be on Monday, January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.