US EditionCollege Football Playoff Sets Dec. 19 Opener, Triple-Header Next Day
Four first-round games will be hosted at higher-seeded campus sites, with broadcasts split between ABC, ESPN, TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, CFP officials said.
- On Dec. 19, the College Football Playoff will open with one first-round game and a Dec. 20 triple-header, with all campus sites announced on Selection Day, Dec. 7.
- ESPN, which holds playoff rights, is in the second year of an expanded package including all four first-round games, with two sublicensed to TNT Sports; two first-round games will air on ABC and ESPN, and two on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.
- Friday's kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central on ABC/ESPN, and Saturday's slate opens at 11 a.m. Central on ABC/ESPN with 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. games on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
- All games on ESPN networks will stream on the ESPN App, and first-round games on TNT and truTV will also stream on HBO Max, the CFP, ESPN and TNT Sports announced.
- Audience momentum is strong: last season's inaugural CFP first round averaged 10.6 million viewers, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic drew 20.6 million, and a showdown peaked at 26.1 million.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Associated Press News
College Football Playoff opens with 1 game Dec. 19 and 3 more on Dec. 20; TV and kickoff times set
The College Football Playoff will kick off with a first-round game on December 19, followed by three more on December 20. The Friday night game will start at 8 p.m.
College Football Playoff announces first-round game times, TV information
Game times and television information has been released for the first round of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff. The four CFP first-round games will take place at campus sites on Dec. 19-20. There will be one game on Friday, Dec. 19, with the other three on Saturday, Dec. 20.
CFP first round schedule again affected by NFL competition
The following article "CFP first round schedule again affected by NFL competition" originally appeared on Sports Media Watch. NFL competition has not yet driven the first round of the College Football Playoff off of the third Saturday in December, but it will result in an adjustment to its schedule. The first round of the College Football Playoff will for the second-straight year feature one game on a Friday and the remaining three on a Saturday…
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