Overview
- The College Football Playoff first round features No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 20 Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi, and No. 24 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, with coverage split between ESPN/ABC and TNT/HBO Max.
- Quarterfinals are locked to New Year’s Day bowls with first‑round winners facing No. 2 Ohio State at the Cotton, No. 4 Texas Tech at the Orange, No. 1 Indiana at the Rose, and No. 3 Georgia at the Sugar.
- Semifinals are scheduled for Jan. 8 at the Fiesta Bowl and Jan. 9 at the Peach Bowl, with the national championship on Jan. 19 in Miami.
- Bowl action begins Dec. 13 with the Celebration Bowl (South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M) and the LA Bowl (Boise State vs. Washington).
- Several non‑CFP pairings now set replace earlier TBA listings, including BYU vs. Georgia Tech in the Pop‑Tarts Bowl, Clemson vs. Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, and Arizona vs. SMU in the Holiday Bowl.