At long last, we are set to learn who will be in College Football Playoff on Sunday, as the 12-team field will be revealed starting at noon ET. It’s the second year the bracket has featured 12 teams, and there are a few things to remember as the bracket is unveiled.
A year ago, the top four conference champions received automatic byes into the quarterfinals. That system was scrapped for the 2025 season, as it will now simply be the four highest-ranked teams receiving byes. However, the top five highest-ranked conference champions will still receive automatic byes into the field.
Additionally, teams ranked No. 5-8 will get the advantage of hosting first-round games. Beyond the playoff, Sunday will also bring official announcements on matchups for dozens of bowl games that comprise the backbone of Bowl Season. By day’s end, we’ll have a firm grasp of college football’s full postseason schedule.
We’ll be tracking all of the developments here as the postseason picture comes into focus.
All times below Eastern
CFP Rankings prediction | Breaking down 12-team bracket
College Football Playoff schedule
Championship game: Jan. 19 — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Peach Bowl semifinal: Jan. 9 —
Fiesta Bowl semifinal: Jan. 8 —
Quarterfinals
- Rose Bowl, Jan. 1: (1) Indiana vs. (8/9) Winner
- Cotton Bowl, Dec. 31: (2) Ohio State vs. (7/10) Winner
- Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1: (3) Georgia vs. (6/11) Winner
- Orange Bowl, Jan. 1: (4) Texas Tech vs. (5/12) Winner
First round
- (12) James Madison at (5) Oregon | Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Winner faces (4) Texas Tech
- (9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma | Dec. 19, 8 p.m. | Winner faces (1) Indiana
- (11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss | Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. | Winner faces (3) Georgia
- (10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M | Dec. 20, Noon | Winner faces (2) Ohio State
2025 Bowl Games
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| Dec. 17 (Wednesday) | 8:30 p.m. ESPN | 68 Ventures Bowl | Hancock White Stadium Mobile, Alabama | Louisiana vs. Delaware |
| Dec. 18 (Thursday) | 9 p.m. ESPN2 | Xbox Bowl | Ford Center Frisco, Texas |
Arkansas State vs. Missouri State |
| Dec. 19 (Friday) | 11 a.m. ESPN | Myrtle Beach Bowl | Brooks Stadium Conway, South Carolina | Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan |
| Dec. 19 (Friday) | 2:30 p.m. ESPN | Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | |
| Dec. 22 (Monday) |
2 p.m. ESPN | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho | Utah State vs. Washington State |
| Dec. 23 (Tuesday) | 2 p.m. ESPN | Boca Raton Bowl | Flagler Credit Union Stadium Boca Raton, Florida | |
| Dec. 23 (Tuesday) | 5:30 p.m. ESPN | New Orleans Bowl | Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss |
| Dec. 23 (Tuesday) | 9 p.m. ESPN | Frisco Bowl | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
UNLV vs. Ohio |
| Dec. 24 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. ESPN | Hawai’i Bowl | Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, Hawaii | Cal vs. Hawai’i |
| Dec. 26 (Friday) | 1 p.m. ESPN | GameAbove Sports Bowl |
Ford Field Detroit, Mich. |
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern |
| Dec. 26 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. ESPN | Rate Bowl |
Chase Field Phoenix, Ariz. |
New Mexico vs. Minnesota |
| Dec. 26 (Friday) | 8 p.m. ESPN | First Responder Bowl | Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, Texas | FIU vs. UTSA |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. ESPN | Military Bowl | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland | |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. ABC | Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York | |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 2:15 p.m. ESPN | Fenway Bowl | Fenway Park Boston, Massachusetts | UConn vs. Army |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. ABC | Pop-Tarts Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida | |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 4:30 p.m. The CW | Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented By Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop | Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona | Fresno State vs. Miami (OH) |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 5:45 p.m. ESPN | New Mexico Bowl | Branch Field at University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico | North Texas vs. San Diego State |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. ABC | Gator Bowl | EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | Missouri vs. Virginia |
| Dec. 27 (Saturday) | 9:15 p.m. ESPN | Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas | LSU vs. Houston |
| Dec. 29 (Monday) | 2 p.m. ESPN | Birmingham Bowl | Protective Stadium Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Dec. 30 (Tuesday) | 2 p.m. ESPN | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana | Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech |
| Dec. 30 (Tuesday) | 5:30 p.m. ESPN | Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tennessee | Tennessee vs. Illinois |
| Dec. 30 (Tuesday) | 9 p.m. ESPN |
Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | USC vs. TCU |
| Dec. 31 (Wednesday) | 12 p.m. ESPN | ReliaQuest Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | Vanderbilt vs. Iowa |
| Dec. 31 (Wednesday) | 2 p.m. CBS | Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas | |
| Dec. 31 (Wednesday) |
3 p.m. ABC | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida | Michigan vs. Texas |
| Dec. 31 (Wednesday) | 3:30 p.m. ESPN | Las Vegas Bowl | Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada | Nebraska vs. Utah |
| Jan. 2 (Friday) | 1 p.m. ESPN | Armed Forces Bowl | Amon Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas | Texas State vs. Rice |
| Jan. 2 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. ESPN | Liberty Bowl | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Memphis, Tennessee | Navy vs. Cincinnati |
| Jan. 2 (Friday) | 8 p.m. ESPN | Mayo Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Jan. 2 (Friday) | 8 p.m. FOX | Holiday Bowl | Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California | Arizona vs. SMU |
