College Football Playoff: Dates, kickoff times, TV designations revealed for first round games

After the reveal of the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday, the full list of kickoff times is official. Dates and times, as well as TV designations, are in place for CFP first round games, hosted on campus sites.

After the first-round games, the CFP will move to bowl games, where the top four seeds await. No. 1 seed Indiana will be at the Rose Bowl, No. 2 seed Ohio State will play in the Cotton Bowl, No. 3 seed Georgia will play in the Sugar Bowl and No. 4 seed Texas Tech will compete in the Orange Bowl. Those games will take place Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, first-round games will take place Dec. 19-20. Here is the full list of kickoff times and TV designations for those College Football Playoff matchups.

9. Alabama at 8. Oklahoma

Date: Dec. 19
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC/ESPN

A standalone game on Friday night will get the 2025 College Football Playoff underway. That’s where Alabama and Oklahoma will square off in a rematch of their regular season matchup, which the Sooners won at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

10. Miami at 7. Texas A&M

Date: Dec. 20
Time: Noon ET
Channel: ABC/ESPN

Saturday’s College Football Playoff tripleheader starts in College Station, where No. 10 seed Miami will take on Texas A&M. The Hurricanes jumped into the bracket with a 10-2 record while the Aggies held strong as the No. 7 seed at 11-1.

11. Tulane at 6. Ole Miss

Date: Dec. 20
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT

Another rematch of a regular season game, Ole Miss cruised past Tulane early in the 2025 season. Now, they’ll square off in the College Football Playoff as the American champion Green Wave head to Oxford to take on a new-look Rebels team.

12. James Madison at 5. Oregon

Date: Dec. 20
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT

Closing out the Saturday slate in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Sun Belt champion James Madison will head across the country to take on Oregon. The Dukes leaped into the field as the fifth highest-ranked conference champion, giving the Group of 6 two representatives in the field.

College Football Playoff quarterfinal schedule

Cotton Bowl: 2. Ohio State vs. Winner of 10. Miami/7. Texas A&M – Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Orange Bowl: 4. Texas Tech vs. Winner of 12. James Madison/5. Oregon – Jan. 1, Noon ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl: 1. Indiana vs. Winner of 9. Alabama/8. Oklahoma – Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
Sugar Bowl: 3. Georgia vs. Winner of 11. Tulane/6. Ole Miss – Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

This year marks the second for TNT’s coverage of the College Football Playoff as part of a sublicense deal with ESPN. The network will air two first-round games before ESPN becomes the exclusive home of the quarterfinals, semifinals and national championship.