College Football Playoff schedule to include 12 teams, New Year's Day tripleheaders
Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs raises the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2023 in Ing
The College Football Playoff released on Tuesday a schedule for the 12-team format that will be used in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, which will feature New Year's Day quarterfinal tripleheaders but no games played on Saturday.
CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said last week after the board of managers had met in Dallas that the calendar had been decided upon. The final piece was placing games and sites on the dates.
For the 2024 season, the first-round games played at campus sites are slated to start with one Friday, Dec. 20. Three more games will be played on campuses on Saturday, Dec. 21.
RELATED: Rutgers University, unions announce agreement; classes to resume
The quarterfinals are scheduled to be held at bowl sites on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The Fiesta Bowl will be played on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 31. The Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls will host quarterfinal games on Wednesday, Jan. 1, played in that order.
Football fans help Ashanti sing national anthem following mic issues
Thousands of football fans in Kansas City pitched in to help R&B singer Ashanti belt out the national anthem after technical issues rendered her inaudible ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals versus Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship on Jan. 30. (Credit: @KChiver via Storyful)
The semifinals are set for Thursday night, Jan. 9, 2025, at the Orange Bowl and Friday, Jan. 10 at the Cotton Bowl. The championship game is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The CFP schedule for the 2025 season, with opening rounds are set from Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20.
The Cotton Bowl is set to be a quarterfinal on New Year's Eve. The New Year's Day tripleheader will be at the Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls.
The semifinals are scheduled for the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, and the next day at the Peach Bowl. The championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 19 at Miami Gardens, Florida.
This upcoming season will be the last in which the CFP uses a four-team format.