CFP Quarterfinals: College Football Playoff Bracket & Schedule

The FBS College Football Playoff quarterfinals begins today, and there’s bound to be some entertaining matchups.

Here’s a look at the full schedule:

CFP Quarterfinal Times & Dates

No. 5-ranked Oregon will play No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 9 Alabama will go against top-seeded Indiana, No. 6-ranked Ole Miss will next face No. 3 Georgia, and No. 10 Miami will compete against No. 2-seeded Ohio State.

Here’s the full slate for the CFP quarterfinals:

• Cotton Bowl: Miami vs. Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 31
• Orange Bowl: Oregon vs. Texas Tech, noon ET Thursday, Jan. 1
• Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Indiana, 4 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 1
• Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Georgia, 8 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 1

Where Can I Watch The College Football Playoff Games?

All CFP games will be available to watch on ESPN.

Full College Football Playoff Schedule

The first round of the CFP was played on Friday, Dec. 19, and Saturday, Dec. 20. The CFP quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and Thursday, Jan. 1. The CFP semifinals will occur on Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9. 

In the first round, No. 5-seeded Oregon defeated No. 12-seeded James Madison, No. 9 Alabama went on the road and beat No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 11 Tulane lost at No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Miami won at No. 7 Texas A&M.

The winners of the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl will square off in the semifinals in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8, and the winners of the Cotton Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will also play in the semifinals in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.

The victor of those two contests will see each other in the national championship.

CFP Championship Schedule

The national championship will be played on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

CFP Bracket & Seeding

The College Football Playoff features 12 teams, just like it did last season.

The five highest-ranked conference champions in the FBS – decided by the CFP Selection Committee – made the field, as well as the seven highest-ranked teams that didn’t win a conference title.

Unlike last year, where the four conference title winners ranked the highest earned a bye, the four highest-ranked teams will have a bye and the remaining squads competed in the first round. 

The higher seeds in those matchups hosted in the first round. The top four teams with the bye were given a bowl game, like the Sugar Bowl, and the four teams playing in the two semifinal games will also be assigned to another bowl.

Re-seeding will not occur, nor will alterations be made to avoid rematches from the regular season or contests between teams in the same conference.

Final CFP Rankings

College Football Playoff History

The College Football Playoff is a postseason system where now 12 teams compete for the national championship. The CFP was introduced in 2014.

Before that year, the two teams playing in the national title were decided by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The two teams ranked the highest would compete for the championship while the next highest-ranked squads would face off in other bowl games.

Then the College Football Playoff was adopted in 2014, which allowed for four teams to square off, with two semifinal contests and one title game.

Ohio State won the first CFP title. Alabama won the most national championships during the four-team CFP era with three victories.

But now the CFP is in a new era with 12 teams.

Who Won The College Football Playoff National Championship Last Year?

Ohio State won the national championship last season. The Buckeyes beat Notre Dame in the title game.