College football fans, get ready to schedule a lot more couch time for the holidays.
Year two of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) is guaranteed to bring even more excellent matchups and great storylines. Starting mid-December, we’ll see college football’s top teams across every conference battle it out for a chance to bring home a national championship.
Want to get a head start on your gameday planning for this year’s post-season? Here’s what you need to know about watching the 2025–2026 College Football Playoff games.
What channel has the College Football Playoff?
The College Football Playoff’s jumbo channel lineup will return for another season:
Note that, unlike the regular season, ESPN+ won’t be simulcasting college football playoff games—you’ll need a regular cable, satellite, or live TV streaming service that has ESPN to watch this year’s playoff matchups. Also, TNT Sports and HBO Max will continue as the home for two first-round games.
2025–2026 College Football Playoff schedule
The 2025–2026 CFP kicks off in late December with the first-round matchups, and schools with the No. 5 through No. 8 seeds will host all four matchups. For the quarterfinals and semifinals, games will move to the traditional bowl sites at NFL stadiums. The season will wrap up in late January with the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship game in Miami.
Here’s how the playoff TV schedule will look this year.
College Football Playoff games TV schedule 2025–2026
| Event | Date | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | |||
| TBD | Friday, Dec. 19 | TBD | ABC, ESPN |
| TBD | Saturday, Dec. 20 | TBD | TNT, HBO Max |
| TBD | Saturday, Dec. 20 | TBD | TNT, HBO Max |
| TBD | Saturday, Dec. 20 | TBD | ABC, ESPN |
| Quarterfinals | |||
|
TBD (Cotton Bowl) |
Wednesday, Dec. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
|
TBD (Orange Bowl) |
Thursday, Jan. 1 | 12:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| TBD (Rose Bowl) | Thursday, Jan. 1 | 4:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| TBD (Sugar Bowl) | Thursday, Jan. 1 | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Semifinals | |||
|
TBD (Fiesta Bowl) |
Thursday, Jan. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| TBD (Peach Bowl) | Friday, Jan. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| National Championship | |||
| TBD (College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Miami) | Monday, Jan. 19 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Data effective as of post date.
Best way to watch College Football Playoff games
This season, the CFP will continue to be split between ESPN and TNT Sports. TNT Sports will broadcast two of this year’s first-round games, and it’ll also show two quarterfinal games starting in 2026.
Hulu + Live TV is our pick for the best way to watch college football playoff games during the 2025 season. The streaming service offers the most college football channels, including both ESPN and TNT. Check out our main college football watch guide for more of our college football cable TV and streaming picks.
How does the College Football Playoff format work?
This offseason was filled with ample speculation around potential playoff format changes. Thankfully, the folks in charge left things (mostly) unchanged, but it wouldn’t be college football without some confusing postseason rules. Let’s break down the most important facts you’ll need to know for this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff.
New format for byes
Following conference championship weekend, the five highest-ranked championship teams will still earn playoff bids. But unlike last season, conference champions will no longer earn a bye simply for being conference champions.
Instead, the four byes will be awarded to the four highest-ranked teams in the CFP Selection Committee’s final ranking. The next eight highest-ranked teams will fill the remaining playoff slots.
First-round games
Schools with the No. 5 through No. 8 seeds will host first-round games. Home-field advantage will be a massive boon for teams who want to make a playoff run but missed out on a first-round bye.
Quarterfinals and semifinals
As with past years, the CFP will rotate the quarterfinal and semifinal games between a mix of New Year’s Six bowls like the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
Watch College Football Playoff games for free
You’ll need a proper game plan to watch the College Football Playoff for free since its games are split between multiple broadcast and cable channels.
- The opening and closing first-round playoff games are simulcast on ABC, and you can watch them for free with an over-the-air antenna.
- The remaining CFP games will exclusively be on ESPN and TNT. While Hulu + Live TV doesn’t offer promos, other live TV services offer free trials that’ll get you through in a pinch.
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How to watch the College Football Playoff FAQ
How do I watch the College Football playoffs?
You'll need ESPN to watch the 2026 College Football Playoff games. ESPN is available on standard cable and streaming TV services. Note that the College Football Playoff won't be available on ESPN+ for the 2025–2026 season.
How many teams make the College Football Playoffs in 2024?
Starting in 2024, the College Football Playoff will feature 12 teams from across the 11 NCAA college football conferences. From 2014 to 2023, the CFP used a four-team playoff format.
How does the College Football Playoff work?
The 12-team College Football Playoff will first take the five highest-ranked conference champions. Then, the CFP will feature the next seven highest-ranked teams according to the CFP Selection Committee’s weekly rankings.
Who’s in the College Football Playoff?
We don't yet know the teams who'll be in the 2025–2026 College Football Playoff, but last year's teams included Clemson, Arizona State, Oregon, Boise State, Georgia, and Ohio State.
When is the College Football Playoff?
For the 2025–2026 season, the College Football Playoff will start on Friday, December 19, with the first-round matchups. It will end on Monday, January 19, with the national championship game in Miami.
Is the College Football Playoff's format changing?
The 2025–2026 College Football Playoff will still have 12 teams, but it has changed its seeding format. Starting this year, byes will be granted to the four overall highest-ranked teams instead the four highest-ranked conference champions.
When will the College Football Playoffs be announced?
Last year's College Football Playoff bracket was announced on Sunday, December 8.
What teams are on the 12-team CFP bracket?
We do not know the teams who'll be in the 2025–2026 College Football Playoff. But he teams on last year's 12-team CFP bracket were Clemson, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio State, SMU, Penn State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oregon, Boise State, and Georgia.
Why you should trust us
Our sports experts compiled a list of this season’s College Football Playoff games and researched the broadcast details for each matchup. We then analyzed popular TV providers and streaming options to determine the best ways to tune in live. We cross-referenced our findings with CableTV.com’s existing TV coverage to ensure accurate and up-to-date viewing recommendations.
