Four First Round games spread across two days. Four Quarterfinals split between a Wednesday and New Year’s Day. And a National Championship set for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The College Football Playoff Schedule 2026-27 has its full calendar locked in — the matchups themselves are still six months from being decided.
College Football Playoff Schedule 2026-27
| Round | Date | Game | Site | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | Fri, Dec. 18, 2026 | Matchup TBD | Campus Site TBD | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| First Round | Sat, Dec. 19, 2026 | Matchup TBD | Campus Site TBD | 12:00 PM (Noon) | ABC/ESPN |
| First Round | Sat, Dec. 19, 2026 | Matchup TBD | Campus Site TBD | 3:30 PM | TNT/truTV/HBO Max |
| First Round | Sat, Dec. 19, 2026 | Matchup TBD | Campus Site TBD | 7:30 PM | TNT/truTV/HBO Max |
| Quarterfinal | Wed, Dec. 30, 2026 | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ | 7:30 PM | TNT/truTV/HBO Max |
| Quarterfinal | Fri, Jan. 1, 2027 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Quarterfinal | Fri, Jan. 1, 2027 | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Quarterfinal | Fri, Jan. 1, 2027 | Rose Bowl Game | Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Semifinal | Thu, Jan. 14, 2027 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL | 7:30 PM | TNT/truTV/HBO Max |
| Semifinal | Fri, Jan. 15, 2027 | Allstate Sugar Bowl | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA | 7:30 PM | ABC/ESPN |
| National Championship | Mon, Jan. 25, 2027 | Semifinal Winners | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV | 7:30 PM | ABC/ESPN |
Four First Round Games, No Matchups Yet
The College Football Playoff Schedule 2026-27 opens with a single game on Friday, Dec. 18, followed by three more on Saturday, Dec. 19 — noon, mid-afternoon, and prime time. Every First Round game is hosted on campus at the higher seed’s home stadium, but which teams play where won’t be known until the final rankings and field are set on December 6.
The Quarterfinals Split a Bowl Week
A gap of eleven days separates the First Round from the Quarterfinals. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl kicks off the Quarterfinal round on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at State Farm Stadium, one of the sport’s marquee bowl venues. The remaining three Quarterfinals — the Cotton Bowl, the Peach Bowl, and the Rose Bowl — are all bunched onto New Year’s Day itself, though none of the three currently has a confirmed kickoff time or network.
The Semifinals Move to Mid-January
CFP National Championship 2027 preparations effectively begin two weeks after the Quarterfinals, when the Semifinals take over the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl on back-to-back nights — Thursday, Jan. 14, at Hard Rock Stadium, and Friday, Jan. 15, at the Caesars Superdome. Both kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The National Championship Closes the Season in Las Vegas
The season’s final game lands on a Monday night, Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium — the first time this specific site has hosted the title game in the current rotation referenced in this release. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, simulcast on ABC and ESPN.
The Bottom Line
Every date, site, and most of the network assignments for the College Football Playoff Schedule 2026-27 are locked in months ahead of the season’s first snap. What’s missing is the only thing that actually matters to fans yet — which 12 teams will be playing. That picture starts coming into focus with the first CFP rankings on November 3 and won’t be final until Selection Sunday on December 6.
FAQ
Q: When does the 2026-27 College Football Playoff begin?
A: The College Football Playoff Schedule 2026-27 opens with First Round games on Friday, December 18, and Saturday, December 19, 2026.
Q: Where is the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship?
A: The CFP National Championship is set for Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN.
Q: What are the four CFP Quarterfinal bowl games in 2026-27?
A: The four CFP Quarterfinal bowl games are the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30), the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and the Rose Bowl Game — the latter three all played on New Year’s Day.
Q: When are the College Football Playoff Semifinals in 2027?
A: The Semifinals are the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at Hard Rock Stadium, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Friday, January 15, 2027, at the Caesars Superdome.
