News

College Football Playoff opens with 1 game Dec. 19 and 3 more on Dec. 20; TV and kickoff times set

College Football Playoff opens with 1 game Dec. 19 and 3 more on Dec. 20; TV and kickoff times set

FILE - A playoff logo is seen on an end zone marker during the first half between Texas and Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Dec. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file) Photo: Associated Press


IRVING, Texas (AP) — The College Football Playoff will open with one first-round game on Dec. 19 and three more on Dec. 20, CFP administrators announced Tuesday.
The Friday night game will start at 8 p.m. EST and be televised by ABC and ESPN, as will the noon game on Saturday. TNT, truTV and HBO Max will carry the 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games on Saturday. Each of the first four games will be played on campuses of the higher-seeded teams.
The quarterfinals begin at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. The other quarterfinals are New Year’s Day at the Orange Bowl at noon, Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. and Sugar Bowl at 8 p.m.
Semifinals are Jan. 8 at the Fiesta Bowl and Jan. 9 at the Peach Bowl, and the championship game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 19. All three of those games start at 7:30. ESPN will televise all quarterfinals and semifinals and the championship game.
The initial CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Recent Headlines

15 hours ago in Sports, Trending

NFL division races tighten after a weekend full of surprises and upsets

The race for division titles in the NFL got tighter in Week 13. The Rams, Colts and Steelers became the latest first-place teams to lose Sunday. The Eagles and Ravens lost Thursday. The Patriots play Monday night. Five of the eight divisions have two teams tied for the top spot or separated by less than a game.

15 hours ago in Entertainment

25 holiday TV offerings to watch ranging from comedies to rom-coms and cozy mysteries

Whether you prefer something naughty, like the animated movie "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" or nice, like classics "The Sound of Music" and "Home Alone," streamers, cable and broadcast networks offer up festive choices in December.

15 hours ago in Lifestyle, Trending

Why Cyber Monday could break spending records despite economic uncertainty

Deals promoted as some of the best of the holiday season are expected to keep people across the United States glued to their computers and smartphones as the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon wraps up on Cyber Monday.

15 hours ago in Entertainment

Super Bowl 2026: Pregame performers will include Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones

The Super Bowl pregame show will open with a trio of standout performers in Northern California: Charlie Puth will hit the stage to sing the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will take on "America the Beautiful" and Coco Jones will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

16 hours ago in Entertainment

‘Zootopia 2’ roars to record-setting global box office with $556M opening

The animated animal city sequel from the Walt Disney Company brought in $96 million in North America over the weekend, earned $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, and scored a staggering $556 million globally since its Wednesday opening, according to studio estimates Sunday.