ESPN and TNT Sports have announced kickoff times and broadcast plans for the expanded 2026–27 College Football Playoff across ESPN, ABC, TNT, and streaming platforms.

What’s Happening:

• ESPN, TNT Sports, and the College Football Playoff (CFP) have announced kickoff times and broadcast details for the 2026–27 CFP season.
• The CFP First Round begins Friday, Dec. 18 at 8PM ET on ESPN, with additional games on December 19 across ESPN, ABC, TNT, and truTV.
• First-round games will be played at campus sites and streamed across ESPN, HBO Max (TNT/truTV games), and the ESPN App.
• The CFP Quarterfinals will take place December 30 and January 1 across ESPN and TNT Sports at major bowl sites including the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Cotton Bowl.
• ESPN will broadcast two quarterfinal games on January 1, while TNT Sports will air two others on December 30 and January 1.
• TNT Sports will host its first CFP Semifinal on January 14 at the Orange Bowl, while ESPN will broadcast the other semifinal on January 15 at the Sugar Bowl.
• The CFP National Championship will air on January 25, 2027, across ESPN networks, including ABC, from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
• The expanded CFP format continued to drive strong viewership, including a national title game drawing 30.1 million viewers, the most-watched college football game since 2015.
• The playoff averaged 16.3 million viewers across 11 games, up 4% year-over-year, with 37 billion total minutes watched.
• Additional details, including MegaCast coverage plans, will be announced later.

2026–27 College Football Playoff Schedule

First Round (Campus Sites)

• Fri, Dec 18 — 8 p.m. ET
  CFP First Round Game — ESPN
• Sat, Dec 19 — Noon ET
  CFP First Round Game — ABC & ESPN
• Sat, Dec 19 — 3:30 p.m. ET
  CFP First Round Game — TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Sat, Dec 19 — 7:30 p.m. ET
  CFP First Round Game — TNT, truTV & HBO Max

Quarterfinals

• Wed, Dec 30 — 7:30 p.m. ET
  CFP Quarterfinal (Vrbo Fiesta Bowl — Glendale, Ariz.) — TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Fri, Jan 1 — Noon ET
  CFP Quarterfinal TBD — TNT & HBO Max
• Fri, Jan 1 — 4 p.m. ET
  CFP Quarterfinal TBD — ABC & ESPN
• Fri, Jan 1 — 8 p.m. ET
  CFP Quarterfinal TBD — ESPN

Semifinals

• Thu, Jan 14 — 7:30 p.m. ET
  CFP Semifinal (Capital One Orange Bowl — Miami Gardens, Fla.) — TNT, truTV & HBO Max
• Fri, Jan 15 — 7:30 p.m. ET
  CFP Semifinal (Allstate Sugar Bowl — New Orleans, La.) — ABC & ESPN

National Championship

• Mon, Jan 25 — 7:30 p.m. ET
  2027 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T (Las Vegas, Nev.) — ABC & ESPN

ESPN Wide World of Sports:

• Over at Walt Disney World, the excitement of sports comes alive at the massive ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
• But have you ever wondered how Disney keeps all the fields primed for play?
• You can check out a behind-the-scenes look at the hard work Disney Cast Members do to keep EPSN Wide World of Sports game ready!

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