The College Football Playoff is upon us. For the second year, the playoff field will consist of 12 teams. The selection committee kept its breakdown of the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams.
The biggest change this year is that the top-four seeds, who still get a bye through the first round, are not limited to conference champions. The top four seeds will be reserved for the four highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference champion status.
The first-round games will still be held at the higher-seeds' home stadiums, and the caveat that the top four seeds are not restricted to conference champions gives more options for teams that can host a first-round matchup. After the first round, it goes back to the New Year's Bowl game rotation, all leading up to the National Championship game on Monday, January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Here is more on which stadiums will host games in the 2025 College Football Playoff.
MORE: Forecasting the 2025 College Football Playoff
Where are the College Football Playoff games in 2025
First round
The first round of games will be played at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded teams, with no byes. The No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 teams will host a first-round matchup.
| Date | Location | Stadium | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
| Fri., Dec. 19 | TBD | TBD | TBD | 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN |
| Sat., Dec. 20 | TBD | TBD | TBD | 12 p.m. | ABC, ESPN |
| Sat., Dec. 20 | TBD | TBD | TBD | 3:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV |
| Sat., Dec. 20 | TBD | TBD | TBD | 7:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV |
The location, stadium and matchup will be revealed during the CFP Selection Show on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Quarterfinals
The six New Year's bowls will now rotate as locations for the CFP quarterfinals. In 2024, the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl were given quarterfinal matchups.
This year, the four quarterfinal matchups will be played at the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
| Date | Bowl | Matchup | Location | Stadium | Time (ET) | Channel |
| Wed., Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl | TBD | Arlington, Texas | AT&T Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs., Jan 1 | Orange Bowl | TBD | Miami Gardens, Florida | Hard Rock Stadium | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs., Jan 1 | Rose Bowl | TBD | Pasadena, California | Rose Bowl Stadium | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs., Jan 1 | Sugar Bowl | TBD | New Orleans, Louisiana | Caesars Superdome | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Semifinals
| Date | Bowl | Matchup | Location | Stadium | Time (ET) | Channel |
| Thur., Jan. 8 | Fiesta Bowl | TBD | Glendale, Arizona | State Farm Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri., Jan. 9 | Peach Bowl | TBD | Atlanta, Georgia | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
National Championship
| Date | Bowl | Matchup | Location | Stadium | Time (ET) | Channel |
| Mon., Jan. 19 | CFP National Championship | TBD | Miami Gardens, Florida | Hard Rock Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
This will be the second time that Hard Rock Stadium has hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship. The first time was in 2021. No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Ohio State 52-24. It will be the second game of this year's playoff cycle to be hosted at Hard Rock Stadium.