The 2025–26 College Football Playoff bracket — the second season under the expanded 12‑team format — was released Sunday, Dec. 7. The tournament runs from Dec. 19, 2025, through the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Early rounds use established bowl sites while semifinals occupy the Fiesta and Peach bowls on Jan. 8–9; ESPN holds national broadcast rights for every game. First‑round results already include wins by Alabama, Miami (Fla.), Ole Miss and Oregon, setting the quarterfinal matchups for New Year’s weekend.
Key takeaways
- The CFP runs Dec. 19, 2025–Jan. 19, 2026, with the national title at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).
- The expanded 12‑team bracket is in its second year; the bracket was announced Dec. 7, 2025.
- First‑round winners: No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24; No. 10 Miami (Fla.) 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3; No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 11 Tulane 10; No. 5 Oregon 51, No. 12 James Madison 34.
- Quarterfinal schedule (Dec. 31–Jan. 1): Cotton Bowl — No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.) (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET); Orange Bowl — No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon (Jan. 1, 12:00 p.m. ET); Rose Bowl — No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama (Jan. 1, 4:00 p.m. ET); Sugar Bowl — No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Jan. 1, 8:00 p.m. ET).
- Semifinals are Jan. 8 (Fiesta Bowl, Glendale) and Jan. 9 (Peach Bowl, Atlanta), both at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- ESPN and its streaming service WatchESPN will carry all CFP games through the championship.
- Future title sites: 2026 (Jan. 19) — Miami (Hard Rock Stadium); 2027 (Jan. 25) — Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium).
Background
The College Football Playoff moved to a 12‑team field beginning with the 2024–25 postseason to expand access for conference champions and at‑large programs. The format combines automatic qualifiers from the highest‑ranked conference champions with at‑large selections from the CFP selection committee, keeping major bowl sites integrated into the postseason calendar. That hybrid model preserves traditional bowl-weekend matchups while increasing the number of meaningful playoff games and extending the postseason calendar into mid‑January.
Television and bowl operators are significant stakeholders: ESPN retained broadcast rights for the expanded field, while host cities and bowl committees continue to manage logistics, ticketing and site services. Conferences have negotiated revenue‑sharing arrangements tied to playoff appearances, heightening the financial importance of seeding and matchups. The second year of the 12‑team model is therefore a close test of competitive balance, travel demands and fan engagement across a longer postseason.
Main event
The full bracket, announced Dec. 7, pairs top seeds and first‑round winners into New Year’s weekend quarterfinals at established bowl venues. The first round was played Dec. 19–20: Alabama edged Oklahoma 34–24 on Dec. 19; Alabama’s win set up a Rose Bowl berth against No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1. On Dec. 20 Miami (Fla.) upset No. 7 Texas A&M, 10–3, while Ole Miss routed Tulane 41–10 and Oregon beat James Madison 51–34.
Quarterfinals resume Dec. 31–Jan. 1 with Ohio State (No. 2) facing Miami (No. 10) at the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31 (7:30 p.m. ET). On Jan. 1 the Orange Bowl in Miami hosts No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon at noon; the Rose Bowl follows at 4:00 p.m. with No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama, and the Sugar Bowl closes the night at 8:00 p.m. with No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss. All quarterfinals air on ESPN and its streaming platform.
Semifinal matchups are slotted for Jan. 8 (Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, 7:30 p.m. ET) and Jan. 9 (Peach Bowl, Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET), with winners advancing to the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens. The Monday championship date mirrors the scheduling used in recent seasons and concentrates attention on a single national broadcast window.
Analysis & implications
The 12‑team field alters calendar dynamics: adding a first round in mid‑December lengthens the postseason and creates more nationally televised windows that benefit the rights holder, ESPN. For conferences and member schools the change increases the odds of playoff inclusion, which in turn affects recruiting pitches and offseason scheduling strategy. Programs that secure seeding advantages can avoid travel strain and maintain competitive continuity into January.
Revenue flows are likely to grow, as additional playoff games mean more ticket sales, sponsorship inventory and broadcast minutes. Host bowls retain local economic benefits tied to visitor spending, but travel costs for teams and fans rise when the bracket requires multiple long‑distance trips across December and January. Athletic departments will balance the financial upside with logistical burdens when planning budgets and transportation.
Competitively, the format elevates the importance of conference championship weekends and late‑season scheduling: teams on the bubble now face more defined paths to at‑large selection or automatic berth. The selection committee’s seedings will continue to drive debate about conference strength and comparative metrics such as strength of schedule, results against common opponents and head‑to‑head outcomes. Expect scrutiny of seeding decisions and potential calls for metric refinements after the second season of the format.
Comparison & data
| Year (Game) | Champion (Score) | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20 | Arlington, Texas |
| 2016 | No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40 | Glendale, Arizona |
| 2017 | No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31 | Tampa, Florida |
| 2018 | No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 2019 | No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16 | Santa Clara, California |
| 2020 | No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25 | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 2021 | No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24 | Miami Gardens, Florida |
| 2022 | No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18 | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 2023 | No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7 | Inglewood, California |
| 2024 | No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13 | Houston, Texas |
| 2025 | No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23 | Atlanta, Georgia |
The historical table shows geographic rotation and occasional lower‑seeded champions, illustrating the playoff’s parity since 2015. Site rotation has favored large metropolitan venues with NFL facilities; the expanded field continues that pattern while inserting additional bowl sites for early rounds. Those patterns help explain why Miami and Las Vegas are selected for consecutive future championships (2026 and 2027).
Reactions & quotes
League officials, broadcasters and fans reacted quickly after the bracket release and first‑round results; below are representative statements and context.
The bracket was revealed on Sunday, Dec. 7, marking the second season of the 12‑team format and bringing more programs into postseason contention.
NCAA.com (report)
This summary from the reporting outlet framed the announcement as the continuation of a planned expansion, emphasizing wider access for teams and more televised games for the rights holder. The Dec. 7 release set the timetable that led to first‑round play on Dec. 19–20.
Organizers noted the schedule balances historic bowl traditions with the new bracket structure while ensuring national broadcast coverage across ESPN platforms.
College Football Playoff (official release)
The CFP’s public materials highlighted coordination with bowl committees and ESPN to preserve site identities even as the bracket grows. Organizers have emphasized continuity for host cities and a predictable national television window for each round.
Unconfirmed
- Longer‑term TV rights beyond ESPN’s current cycle remain subject to negotiation; no public multi‑year extension beyond existing deals has been confirmed.
- Potential last‑minute quarterback or key‑player availability ahead of quarterfinals could alter team outlooks; injury reports are still pending for several programs.
- Exact ticket allocations and local public‑health protocols for some bowl host cities have not been finalized for all games.
Bottom line
The 2025–26 CFP calendar expands postseason access while preserving the bowl tradition that anchors quarterfinal and semifinal sites. Fans should mark three windows: first round Dec. 19–20, quarterfinals Dec. 31–Jan. 1, and semifinals Jan. 8–9, with the national title on Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens.
For teams and conferences the expanded field increases the value of late‑season wins and conference championships, while for broadcasters it creates more marquee national broadcasts. Expect continued debate about seeding details and travel logistics as the second year of the 12‑team format unfolds.