BRISTOL, Conn. – The College Football Playoff (CFP), ESPN and TNT Sports have announced kick times and broadcast information for the 2026-27 CFP. The home of the CFP since its inception in 2015, ESPN is in the first year of its new expanded package, which includes five games sublicensed to TNT Sports.
 
The 2026-27 College Football Playoff will begin with a primetime CFP First Round game on Friday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. First round action will continue Saturday, Dec. 19, as ABC and ESPN broadcast the first game of a daylong tripleheader at noon, while TNT will present games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. All games on ESPN networks will be available on the ESPN App, while the first-round games airing on TNT and truTV will also be streamed on HBO Max. Each of the four CFP First-Round games will be played on campus sites to be announced on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6.
 
The quartet of CFP Quarterfinals are set for Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Friday, Jan. 1, with games split across ESPN and TNT Sports, and taking place at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential. ESPN will broadcast CFP Quarterfinals on Friday, Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. (ABC & ESPN) and 8 p.m. (ESPN).  TNT Sports will broadcast CFP Quarterfinals on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 1 at noon.  Thursday, Jan. 14 marks TNT Sports' inaugural CFP Semifinal as part of the agreement between ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as two teams face off at the Capital One Orange Bowl. The Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl will be ESPN's first semifinal on ABC (also simulcast on ESPN), with the matchup set for Friday, Jan. 15. The 2027 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T will air across ESPN networks, including ABC, on Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
In the second year of the expanded College Football Playoff, more programs than ever before made their debut in college football's premier postseason, culminating with CFP debutant Miami and a resurgent Indiana delivering a national title thriller and an audience of 30.1 million viewers, the most-watched college football game since Jan. 2015, the second most-watched title game of the CFP era and the No. 2 cable telecast on record.
 
The 11-game bracket generated double-digit year-over-year gains in the CFP Quarterfinals, produced a top-three all-time Peach Bowl audience in the CFP Semifinal, delivered a CFP Quarterfinal audience at the Rose Bowl Game that eclipsed 18 of the previous 22 CFP Semifinals, and posted the two most-watched CFP First-Round games in the early history of the round. Across all 11 games, the College Football Playoff averaged 16.3 million viewers, up 4 percent year-over-year in the second year of the expanded format. In total, 37 billion minutes were consumed, also up 4 percent year-over-year.
 
Further details, including full MegaCast information, will be announced later this year.
 
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2026-27 College Football Playoff Broadcast Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Fri, Dec 18	8 p.m.	CFP First Round Game (campus site)	ESPN
Sat, Dec 19	Noon	CFP First Round Game (campus site)	ABC & ESPN
	3:30 p.m.	CFP First Round Game (campus site)	TNT, truTV & HBO Max
	7:30 p.m.	CFP First Round Game (campus site)	TNT, truTV & HBO Max
Wed, Dec 30	7:30 p.m.	CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.)	TNT, truTV & HBO Max
Fri, Jan 1	Noon	CFP Quarterfinal TBD*	TNT & HBO Max
	4 p.m.	CFP Quarterfinal TBD*	ABC & ESPN
	8 p.m.	CFP Quarterfinal TBD*	ESPN
Thu, Jan 14	7:30 p.m.	CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.)	TNT, truTV & HBO Max
Fri, Jan 15	7:30 p.m.	CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, La.)	ABC & ESPN
Mon, Jan 25	7:30 p.m.	2027 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T (Las Vegas, Nev.)	ABC & ESPN

*CFP Quarterfinals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential will be assigned to their windows on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6.