Breaking down the schedule for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff bracket
The first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff didn’t feature many close games, but on-campus atmospheres helped set the tone for the new system. It was a clean sweep for the favorites in the first round, as all four home teams picked up key victories.
(5) Texas outlasted (12) Clemson and (6) Penn State pounced on miscues from (11) SMU to run away. (7) Notre Dame beat down (10) Indiana in an anticipated in-state matchup, while (8) Ohio State looked the part of a true national championship contender in an obliteration of (9) Tennessee.
Now, the four winners will travel to historic bowl sites to play against the top four conference champions in the quarterfinals. As the Big Ten champion, (1) Oregon gets priority for the Rose Bowl against (8) Ohio State. (2) Georgia heads to the Sugar Bowl against (7) Notre Dame. (3) Boise State travels to a familiar locale as it vies with (6) Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, and (4) Arizona State opens its first CFP appearance against (5) Texas.
The winners of the matchups will move onto the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, which will take place at the Orange Bowl (Jan. 9) and Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10). The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship takes place on Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta.
2024-25 College Football Playoff schedule
All times Eastern
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Dec. 31
- Fiesta Bowl — (6) Penn State vs. (3) Boise State: 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Ariz.
Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Peach Bowl — (5) Texas vs. (4) Arizona State: 1 p.m. | ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta - Rose Bowl — (8) Ohio State vs. (1) Oregon: 5 p.m. | ESPN
Rose Bowl — Pasadena, Calif. - Sugar Bowl — (7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Georgia: 8:45 p.m. | ESPN
Caesars Superdome — New Orleans
Semifinals
Thursday, Jan. 9
- Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Fla.
Friday, Jan. 10
- Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
National Championship
Monday, Jan. 20
- 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
2024-25 College Football Playoff scores
First round
- (7) Notre Dame 27, (10) Indiana 17 | Recap
Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana - (6) Penn State 38, (11) SMU 10 | Recap
Beaver Stadium — State College, Pennsylvania - (5) Texas 38, (12) Clemson 24 | Recap
Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium — Austin, Texas - (8) Ohio State 42, (9) Tennessee 17 | Recap
Ohio Stadium — Columbus, Ohio
