The 2025-26 College Football Playoff runs from Dec. 19, 2025, through the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The bracket, released on Dec. 7, is the second season of the expanded 12-team format; opening-round games began Dec. 19-20, quarterfinals were played Dec. 31–Jan. 1, and semifinals are set for Jan. 8–9. Semifinal matchups are No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami (Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ) and No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon (Peach Bowl, Atlanta), with live coverage on ESPN and WatchESPN. The championship game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Key Takeaways
- The 2025-26 CFP schedule spans 10 games over four rounds from Dec. 19, 2025, to Jan. 19, 2026, with the title game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
- This is Year 2 of the 12-team CFP format; the bracket was announced Dec. 7 and seeded teams played in first-round games Dec. 19–20.
- First-round results included No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24 (Dec. 19) and Dec. 20 wins by No. 10 Miami 10 over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 6 Ole Miss 41 over No. 11 Tulane, and No. 5 Oregon 51 over No. 12 James Madison.
- Quarterfinal outcomes: No. 10 Miami 24, No. 2 Ohio State 14 (Dec. 31); Jan. 1 results were No. 5 Oregon 23, No. 4 Texas Tech 0; No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3; No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 3 Georgia 34.
- Semifinals are Jan. 8 (Fiesta Bowl) and Jan. 9 (Peach Bowl), both televised by ESPN and available on WatchESPN; the national title is Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- The 2015–2025 CFP championship history shows recurring power programs and occasional lower seeds capturing the title, most recently No. 8 Ohio State defeating No. 7 Notre Dame 34–23 in 2025.
Background
The College Football Playoff moved to a 12-team bracket for the 2024–25 season, expanding access beyond the previous four-team format. That change created additional opening-round games in mid-December and shifted bowl assignments, with traditional bowls hosting playoff contests on set dates. The 12-team format awards byes to the top four seeds while seeds 5–12 play in the first round, altering scheduling and travel demands for teams, conferences, and broadcasters.
Conference champions and at-large selections continue to shape seeding discussions; power conferences still provide the majority of participants, but the expanded bracket allows Group of Five and independent programs more pathway opportunities. Broadcast rights remained centralized with ESPN for this cycle, ensuring national distribution on linear and streaming platforms. Host cities, stadiums and kickoff times are coordinated months in advance, but single-game logistics such as local ticketing and security are handled by bowl committees and host municipalities.
Main Event
Opening-round play on Dec. 19–20 yielded several decisive outcomes. On Dec. 19, No. 9 Alabama beat No. 8 Oklahoma 34–24 to advance to a Jan. 1 quarterfinal against No. 1 Indiana, which later won 38–3 on Jan. 1. Dec. 20 produced three winners: No. 10 Miami defeated No. 7 Texas A&M 10–3, No. 6 Ole Miss routed No. 11 Tulane 41–10, and No. 5 Oregon scored 51 points in a win over No. 12 James Madison, 51–34.
The quarterfinal round featured upsets and lopsided scores. On Dec. 31, No. 10 Miami beat No. 2 Ohio State 24–14, eliminating a top seed and reshaping the semifinal field. On Jan. 1, top-seeded Indiana handled No. 9 Alabama 38–3, while No. 5 Oregon blanked No. 4 Texas Tech 23–0. No. 6 Ole Miss edged No. 3 Georgia 39–34, setting up an Ole Miss vs. Miami semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl.
Semifinal scheduling places Ole Miss vs. Miami in Glendale, Arizona on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Indiana vs. Oregon in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both games are on ESPN and simulcast via WatchESPN. The national championship is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET and ESPN/WatchESPN coverage.
Analysis & Implications
The 12-team format continues to produce volatility and opportunity. Lower seeds making deep runs, including No. 10 Miami and No. 6 Ole Miss reaching the semifinals, show the expanded bracket can reward late-season momentum and create more single-elimination drama. That unpredictability is likely to keep casual viewers engaged and broaden national interest beyond traditional power-conference matchups.
From a business perspective, the extended playoff window increases television inventory and bowl committee revenue but also concentrates marquee dates around New Year’s Eve and early January, potentially saturating sports media schedules. ESPN, as the primary rights holder, benefits from added high-value programming across both linear and streaming platforms, while host cities gain short-term economic boosts tied to visitor spending and event operations.
Competitive balance and scheduling remain central issues. The bye structure for top-four seeds preserves a reward for regular-season performance, yet the compressed timeline for teams playing opening-round games places a premium on depth and travel planning. For programs and conferences, recruiting, bowl preparations and player health management are immediate operational implications heading into the semifinal and title-game windows.
Comparison & Data
| Year (Game Date) | Champion | Runner-up | 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 above shows dominant runs by perennial programs such as Alabama, Clemson and Georgia, while recent seasons have also produced lower-seed champions like No. 8 Ohio State in 2025. That mix underscores both sustained program strength and the potential for tournament surprises under the 12-team model.
Reactions & Quotes
The bracket was made public on Dec. 7, confirming matchups and seed lines for the 12-team field.
College Football Playoff (official announcement)
All playoff games, including semifinals and the Jan. 19 title game, are scheduled for ESPN linear broadcast and streaming on WatchESPN.
ESPN (broadcast schedule)
Analysts noted that the quarterfinal upsets reshaped expectations for the semifinal slate and created fresh storytelling for the Jan. 19 championship.
Sports analysis summaries (media)
Unconfirmed
- Final attendance numbers for the semifinal games and the Jan. 19 championship have not been publicly released at the time of this report.
- Exact international broadcast windows and rights packages for some overseas markets remain subject to local carriage agreements.
- Detailed injury reports and final availability for several key players were still pending ahead of the semifinal matchups.
Bottom Line
The 2025-26 CFP calendar delivers a compressed, high-stakes postseason that favors depth, preparation and momentum. Early-round upsets — including Miami over Ohio State and Ole Miss over Georgia — demonstrate the competitive variability introduced by the expanded field, which heightens unpredictability and viewer interest.
Looking ahead, semifinals on Jan. 8–9 will determine whether power-conference favorites or lower-seed momentum teams play for the title on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium. For fans, broadcasters and host cities, the extended playoff schedule offers more marquee football but also concentrates logistical and commercial pressures into a tight postseason window.
Sources
- NCAA.com — national collegiate athletics news (primary schedule and results)
- College Football Playoff — official organization (bracket and format information)
- ESPN — broadcaster schedule and coverage details (media)