College Football Playoff 2024-25: Schedule, Start Times, TV Info for 12-Team Format

The College Football Playoff on Wednesday published the schedule, kickoff times and broadcast information for the expanded 12-team 2024-25 playoff.

The first three rounds of the 2024-25 playoff will take place between Dec. 20 and Jan. 10, with events broadcasted on ABC, ESPN and TNT Sports.

The national championship in Atlanta will be shown on ESPN on Monday, Jan. 20.

The dates for the 12-team playoff were announced in May, but game times and broadcast information had not previously been released.

The first round will begin with an 8 p.m. ET matchup on Friday, Dec. 20, followed by a Saturday triple-header of games taking place at noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET.

The playoff quarterfinals will take place in the middle of the following week with the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 7:30pm ET. That will be followed by a New Year's Day triple-header featuring the Peach Bowl 1 p.m., Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. and Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET.

The semifinals take place the week after with the Orange Bowl Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Cotton Bowl Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This schedule, when combined with the NFL season, will make for a packed month of football, as noted by ESPN's Field Yates:

The final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium marks the first time the national championship has been played twice at the same location. Alabama hoisted the trophy in Atlanta in 2018.

The campus locations for the four first-round games will be announced Dec. 8 on College Football Playoff Selection Day.

The schedule marks the first time the CFP's expanded playoff field offers five top conference champions, as well as the seven highest-ranked teams left in the field, a shot at the national title.

The four top-ranked conference champions will go directly to the playoff quarterfinals, while the bottom eight seeds will face one another in the first round, as noted by Maya Ellison of NCAA.com.

The bowl games' significance will rotate in winter 2025, with the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowl comprising the quarterfinals as the semifinals consist of the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl.