College Football Playoff schedule: Dates, locations for quarterfinals and semifinals through 2031
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- The College Football Playoff announced dates and bowl sites for its quarterfinal and semifinal games through the 2031 season, with all post-opening-round games continuing to be hosted by CFP bowls on a rotating basis.
- The 2026 first quarterfinal moves to Dec. 30 instead of the traditional Dec. 31 slot, because New Year's Eve falls on a Thursday and the CFP would be competing with the NFL for viewers.
- The Rose Bowl will not host a semifinal over the next six seasons in order to preserve its preferred Jan. 1 timeslot.
- The 2026-27 and 2027-28 playoffs will feature two weeks between the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds instead of the usual one week.
- The 12-team format will remain in place at least through the 2026 season after the SEC and Big Ten failed to reach a resolution this offseason on whether to expand to a 16- or 24-team bracket.
- National Championship Game locations over the next three seasons are Las Vegas (2027), New Orleans (2028) and Tampa (2029); Tampa last hosted the title in January 2017 when Clemson beat Alabama.
Why it matters: The calendar shifts — a Dec. 30 first quarterfinal in 2026 and a two-week gap before the semifinals in the first two years — show the CFP deliberately sidestepping an NFL head-to-head on New Year's Eve while protecting the Rose Bowl's Jan. 1 brand. The 12-team bracket surviving through at least 2026 means the SEC-Big Ten push to 16 or 24 teams stays unresolved, locking in the current structure for another season.
