2026-27 College Football Bowl Schedule and Broadcast Details

The 2026-27 college football bowl season kicks off Saturday, Dec. 12, with the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, leading to a massive postseason stretch that culminates in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 25, in Las Vegas.

When do the bowl games start and where can I watch them?

The postseason begins Dec. 12 at 12 p.m. ET with the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, airing on ABC. From there, the schedule accelerates into a dense calendar of games across the United States and Puerto Rico. Most mid-tier bowls, including the Boca Raton and Gasparilla Bowls on Dec. 18, will broadcast on ESPN.

For those tracking the high-stakes road to the title, the College Football Playoff first-round games begin Friday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by a triple-header on Saturday, Dec. 19, split between ABC, ESPN, and a combination of TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.

Which games fall on the major holidays?

College football has a long tradition of claiming Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. On Thursday, Dec. 24, fans can tune into the New Mexico Bowl at 2:30 p.m. and the Hawai’i Bowl at 7 p.m., both on ESPN.

How the updated College Football Playoff format will work in 2026-27

New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) is packed with action, featuring the ReliaQuest Bowl, Sun Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, and Texas Bowl. Then comes Jan. 1, the traditional centerpiece of the season. This year, the day is dominated by the CFP Quarterfinals, including the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

How does the College Football Playoff bracket progress?

The path to the championship is a tiered elimination process. After the first round in mid-December, the quarterfinals take place between Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The Fiesta Bowl serves as one of these critical quarterfinals on Dec. 30 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The winners move to the semifinals: the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens on Thursday, Jan. 14, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 15. Both semifinal games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The season ends in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, where the two remaining teams will fight for the national title on Jan. 25.

What is the historical context of these matchups?

Looking back at the records, the volatility of the playoffs is evident. For instance, in the 2022 season, Georgia dominated the championship with a 65-7 victory over TCU, while the 2017 final was a nail-biter that required overtime for Alabama to edge out Georgia 26-23.

The 2025 season showed just how unpredictable the expanded format can be. No. 1 Indiana eventually claimed the title with a 27-21 win over No. 10 Miami (Fla.), a team that had fought its way through the bracket by defeating No. 2 Ohio State in the quarterfinals.

Season	National Champion	Runner-Up	Score
2023	Michigan	Washington	34-13
2022	Georgia	TCU	65-7
2021	Georgia	Alabama	33-18
2020	Alabama	Ohio State	52-24

What remains unknown?

While the dates and venues are locked, the actual matchups are the missing piece of the puzzle. Teams are not officially announced until the regular season concludes and the selection committees finalize their rankings. Until then, the schedule remains a framework waiting for the names of the contenders.

Fans should keep an eye on the official announcements as December approaches to see which programs will be flying to destinations like Puerto Rico or San Juan for their postseason appearances.