Tripleheader on Saturday, December 20 to Feature New Start Times at Noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET
The College Football Playoff (CFP), ESPN and TNT Sports have announced kick times and broadcast information for the 2025 CFP First Round, which will launch the second year of the 12-team Playoff.
The exclusive home of the CFP since its inception in 2015, ESPN is in the second year of its current expanded package, which includes all four games of the CFP First Round with two of the games sublicensed to TNT Sports.
The 2025-26 edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff will begin with the first CFP First Round game on Friday, December 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. First round action will continue on Saturday, December 20, as ABC and ESPN will broadcast the first game of Saturday’s tripleheader at noon ET, while TNT will present games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. ET, respectively. All games on ESPN networks will be available on the ESPN App, while the first-round games airing on TNT and truTV will also be streamed on HBO Max. Each of the four first-round games will be played on campuses to be announced on Selection Day, December 7.
PHOTO: AP SPORTS
In April, it was announced that ESPN will present each of the four Playoff Quarterfinals, the two Playoff Semifinals and the 2026 CFP National Championship, slated for Monday, January 19, at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The CFP National Championship returns to Miami for the first time since the 2021 contest, marking the second straight season the national championship game will return to a city for a second time, after Atlanta hosted the title contests in 2018 and 2025.
“We are pleased to work with both ESPN and TNT Sports to deliver these first-round games to fans across the country in premier viewing windows,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “We also appreciate the collaboration with the National Football League in coordinating schedules to best serve fans of both college and professional football. This all reflects the growing reach and excitement surrounding the new Playoff format, and we look forward to showcasing the best of college football on both networks.”
Last season, the inaugural CFP First Round delivered 10.6 million average viewers across ESPN networks and TNT Sports. The quartet of Playoff Quarterfinals scored multi-year viewership highs, while the CFP Semifinals produced the most-watched Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on record (20.6M viewers) and the second-most-watched Capital One Orange Bowl in nearly 20 years (17.8M viewers). The 2025 CFP National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame attracted 22.1 million viewers, the most-watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year. The showdown peaked with 26.1 million viewers.
Further scheduling details, including full MegaCast information, will be announced later this year.
| DATE | TIME (ET) | GAME | NETWORK |
| 12/19/25 | 8 p.m. | CFP First-Round Game | ABC & ESPN |
| 12/20/25 | Noon | CFP First-Round Game | ABC & ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | CFP First-Round Game | TNT, truTV & HBO Max | |
| 7:30 p.m. | CFP First-Round Game | TNT, truTV & HBO Max | |
| Wednesday, December 31 |
7:30 p.m. | Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | ESPN |
| Thursday, January 1 |
Noon | Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl | ESPN |
| 4 p.m. | Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential | ESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl | ESPN | |
| Thursday, January 8 |
7:30 p.m. | Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl | ESPN |
| Friday, January 9 |
7:30 p.m. | Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | ESPN |
| Monday, January 19 |
7:30 p.m. | College Football Playoff National Championship | ESPN |
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