College Football Playoff announces key schedule update for next two seasons

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4 February 2026 at 07:50

The College Football Playoff released its schedule for the next two postseason runs on Tuesday, laying out when and where the quarterfinals and semifinals will go down.

The CFP Management Committee already locked in the 12-team format for 2026-27, though conference officials are still hashing out whether the field should get bigger after that.

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Here’s a look at the dates and host sites for the College Football Playoff in the 2026 and 2027 seasons, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

2026-27 College Football Playoff schedule

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026:

Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona)

Friday, Jan. 1, 2027:

Cotton Bowl (AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas)
Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia)
Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California)

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027:

Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida)

Friday, Jan. 15, 2027:

Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, Louisiana)

2027-28 College Football Playoff schedule

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Friday, Dec. 31, 2027:

Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, Louisiana)

Saturday, Jan. 1, 2027:

Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona)
Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia)
Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California)

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2028:

Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida)

Friday, Jan. 14, 2028:

Cotton Bowl (AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas)

Upcoming College Football Playoff dates for the quarterfinals and semi-finals the next two years. This includes a near two-week break between the quarterfinals and semi-finals the next two years. pic.twitter.com/8E7lNBDW85
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 3, 2026

The biggest shift is moving that first quarterfinal to Dec. 30 in 2026 instead of New Year’s Eve. Dec. 31 falls on a Thursday that year, which would put the playoff in direct competition with NFL games. The Rose Bowl got what it wanted with a Jan. 1 spot, so it won’t be part of the semifinal rotation these next two years.

The other change worth noting is the gap between rounds. Teams will get two weeks off between the quarterfinals and semis instead of one. That pushes the timeline out, creating at least a 24-day window from the first round to the semifinals in 2026-27.

Kickoff times and broadcast info will come out later in 2026.