College Football Playoff: First-Round Matchups, TV Schedule, How to Watch and More
In past years, at this point in the college football calendar, there have been four teams with championship hopes. That all changes this year, as a new 12-team playoff expands championship hopes to a dozen schools. The top four seeds have received first-round byes, but the other eight teams will begin the College Football Playoff this weekend.
Unlike bowl games, which are played at neutral sites, first-round games will be played at the home court of the higher-seeded team. No. 7 Notre Dame will take on No. 10 Indiana under the lights of Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm ET (5pm PT).
The other three first-round games will take place on Saturday, with No. 6 Penn State taking on No. 11 SMU at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT), followed by No. 5 Texas. against No. 12 Clemson at 4 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT). The final game of the first round will take place at Ohio Stadium at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), pitting No. 8 Ohio State against No. 9 Tennessee.
Most of the playoff games will be on ESPN, but you’ll also need TNT or maximum For two first-round games, nothing comes easy in live sports. If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch every CFP game on your TV Live TV streaming services. Read on to learn about the first-round matchups, the full playoff schedule and the best ways to watch next month’s games.
The College Football Playoff begins on Friday with an in-state clash between Notre Dame and Indiana.
College Football Playoff TV Schedule
The 12-team CFP will play 11 games over the next month, starting on Friday night and ending with the national championship game on Monday, January 20.
First round:
Friday, December 20
- No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Saturday, December 21
- No. 11 SMU vs. No. 6 Penn State, 12 p.m., TNT/Max
- No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 5 Texas on TNT/Max, 4 p.m.
- No. 9 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Quarterfinals:
Tuesday, December 31
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. Penn State/SMU champion, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, January 1
- Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. Texas/Clemson winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon State vs. champion Ohio State/Tennessee, 5 p.m. on ESPN
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. Notre Dame/Champion Indiana, 8:45 p.m. on ESPN
Semifinals:
Thursday, January 9
- Orange Bowl: ESPN 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 10
- Cotton Bowl: ESPN 7:30 p.m.
CFP National Championship
- Monday, January 20, 7:30 pm ESPN
How to watch CFP without cables
Nine of the 11 playoff games will be broadcast on ESPN, with two first-round games on TNT and Max. All five major live TV streaming services include ESPN, and four of the five include both ESPN and TNT (except Fubo).
Sling TV’s Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and TNT, and its Blue plan includes ABC (only on minority market) and TNT. You’ll need an Orange plan to watch the CFP, as every game after the first round will be broadcast on ESPN.
Each plan costs $45 per month in areas where ABC is available and $40 in other areas. Orange and blue combo plans cost $55 or $60 per month.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month recent price increase Including ABC, ESPN and TNT. Currently, the discount is $60 per month for the first three months. And there is a 21-day free trial. Insert your zip code on YouTube TV welcome page See what local networks are available in your area.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Just its Live news pageyou can enter your zip code under “Can I watch local news in my area?” Questions at the bottom of the page will tell you which local channels are available to you.
Fubo’s Essential package costs $80 per month and includes ABC and ESPN, but not TNT. With Fubo, you’ll miss two first-round games on TNT — Penn St. vs. SMU and Texas vs. Clemson — but can watch all other playoff games on ESPN.
Fubo currently offers the first month for $45. you can Click here See which local channels you receive.
All of the above live TV streaming services allow you to cancel at any time and require a stable internet connection. Looking for more information? take a look at our Guide to Live TV Streaming Services.
2024-12-17 12:00:03