2026 College Football Playoff Schedule: Full CFP Bracket, Dates, Times and TV Coverage

The full 2026-27 College Football Playoff broadcast schedule is here, with TNT Sports expanding its role and ABC joining the postseason for the first time.

The details of this upcoming season's College Football Playoff were released on Monday. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff, ESPN and TNT Sports officially announced kickoff times and broadcast details for the 2026-27 postseason on Monday. It marks the first year of ESPN's new expanded rights package, and the changes viewers will notice are significant.

For the first time, one game per round will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN. That means broader over-the-air access for casual fans who may not have a cable subscription, a clear sign the CFP is pushing to grow its audience beyond the traditional sports TV ecosystem.

Five total matchups, including one semifinal, are slated for TNT Sports as part of the ongoing sublicensing agreement between ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery. That's three more TNT games than last season, making this the most distributed CFP postseason in the tournament's history.

Full 2026 CFP schedule and broadcast breakdown

CFP First Round

• Friday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m. ET -- Campus site, ESPN
• Saturday, Dec. 19, Noon ET -- Campus site, ABC & ESPN
• Saturday, Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. ET -- Campus site, TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Saturday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Campus site, TNT, truTV & HBO Max

All four campus sites will be revealed on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6.

CFP Quarterfinals

• Wednesday, Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.), TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Friday, Jan. 1, Noon ET -- TBD*, TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Friday, Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET -- TBD*, ABC & ESPN
• Friday, Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET -- TBD*, ESPN

*The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential will be assigned to their windows on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6.

CFP Semifinals

• Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.), TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, La.), ABC & ESPN

CFP National Championship

• Monday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nev.), ABC & ESPN

The calendar debate and what the ratings say

The Jan. 25 title game will be the latest CFP National Championship date in college football history, and that timeline has drawn real pushback. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin was among the most vocal critics when the dates were first announced in February, writing on X, "Somehow the calendar got even worse on purpose... Kids play until Jan 25th and have almost a month between the games?!?!"

There will be a roughly two-week gap between the quarterfinals and semifinals, longer than in previous seasons.

CFP executive director Rich Clark defended the structure, stating, "These dates allow us to maintain competitive balance, maximize the fan experience, and provide consistency for everyone involved in the Playoff."

College Football Playoff 2026-27 Schedule | https://collegefootballplayoff.com/

The ratings back the CFP's confidence. Last season's title game between Miami and Indiana drew 30.1 million viewers, the most-watched college football game since January 2015.

Across the full 11-game bracket, the College Football Playoff averaged 16.3 million viewers, up four percent year-over-year, with 37 billion minutes consumed, also up four percent.

The audience data makes it difficult to argue against the format, even if the calendar remains a sticking point. The CFP's next major date on the calendar is Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6, when the 12-team field and all campus sites will be officially announced.