College Football Playoff semifinals to start at 4 p.m. ET

DALLAS (AP) The first College Football Playoff semifinal will begin at 4 p.m. eastern on New Year's Eve.

The CFP on Tuesday announced the start times for the semifinals and four other marquee bowl games to be played on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The second season of the playoff will be the first in which the semifinals will be played on Dec. 31, a Thursday this year. Last year's semifinals were played on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl and drew record television ratings for ESPN.

This year the semifinals will be played in the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. The order of the games will be announced on Dec. 6 when the pairings are set. The second game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

The Peach Bowl will begin at noon on Dec. 31. The New Year's Day lineup will be: Fiesta Bowl, 1 p.m. ET; Rose Bowl, 5 p.m. ET; and Sugar Bowl, 8:30 p.m. ET.