The college football playoff will have a little bit of everything: from the nation’s lone undefeated team in Oregon to three-loss Clemson, from multiple Big Ten and SEC powerhouses to the Mountain West’s Boise State.
The playoff begins December 20, when Indiana travels just down the road to face in-state opponent Notre Dame, and continues through January 20, when the national champion will be crowned, after a month and 11 total playoff games.
All playoff games are elimination games, meaning the winner advances and the loser goes home.
Here’s the full schedule, matchups, dates, times, and how to watch.
READ MORE: Who will win the first-round College Football Playoff games — and how will they do it?
2024-25 College Football Playoff Schedule
First Round
- Dec. 20 @ 8 p.m. ET: 10 Indiana vs. 7 Notre Dame
- Where: South Bend, Indiana
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
- Dec. 21 @ 12 p.m. ET: 11 SMU vs. 6 Penn State
- Where: State College, Pennsylvania
- Watch: TNT & Max
- Dec. 21 @ 4 p.m. ET: 12 Clemson vs. 5 Texas
- Where: Austin, Texas
- Watch: TNT & Max
- Dec. 21 @ 8 p.m. ET: 9 Tennessee vs. 8 Ohio State
- Where: Columbus, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
Quarterfinals
- Dec. 31 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: 6 Penn State vs. 3 Boise State
- Where: VRBO Fiesta Bowl
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
- Jan. 1 @ 1 p.m. ET: 5 Texas vs. 4 Arizona State
- Where: Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
- Jan. 1 @ 5 p.m. ET: 8 Ohio State vs. 1 Oregon
- Where: Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
- Jan. 2 @ 4 p.m. ET: 7 Notre Dame vs. 2 Georgia
- UPDATE: The Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia was postponed in the wake of the New Orleans attack.
- Where: Allstate Sugar Bowl
- Watch: ESPN/ABC
- UPDATE: The Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia was postponed in the wake of the New Orleans attack.
Semifinals
- Jan. 9 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: 6 Penn State vs. 7 Notre Dame
- Where: Capital One Orange Bowl
- Watch: ESPN
- Jan. 10 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: 5 Texas vs. 8 Ohio State
- Where: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
- Watch: ESPN
Championship
- Jan. 20 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: 7 Notre Dame vs. 8 Ohio State
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- Watch: ESPN
- Details: College Football Playoff National Championship
