After an astonishing 15-week college football season filled with unforgettable moments and unexpected upsets, College Football Playoffs is set to begin. With 12 teams still fighting for the coveted national title, the excitement is palpable.
In it first round of the College Football Playoff, law seeds No. 5 through No. 12 will participate in elimination games. The action kicks off with a Friday night showdown between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 10 Indiana. Saturday will be a day filled with three matches. The winners of these matchups will earn the right to challenge one of the top four seeds in the quarterfinals.
The top four teams from the quarterfinals advance to the central semifinals, which will be held at either the Orange Bowl on January 9 or the Cotton Bowl on January 10. The results of those games will determine which two teams will battle for the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Here’s the full College Football Playoff console and information on how to watch your team’s journey to the national title.
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When is the College Football Playoff first round?
All times Eastern
FRIDAY DEC. 20
SATURDAY DEC. 21
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Game 2: no. 6 Penn State vs. no. 11 SMU, noon (TNT)
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Game 3: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson, 4 p.m. (TNT)
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Game 4: No. 8 Ohio State vs. no. 9 Tennessee, 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
The four quarter-final matches will be played on New Year’s weekend at the site of four bowl matches, with one match on 31 December and three on 1 January.
TUESDAY DEC. 31
WEDNESDAY JAN. 1
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Peach Bowl: Winner #4 Arizona State vs. Texas/Clemson, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
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Rose Bowl: No. 1 winner Oregon vs. Ohio State/Tennessee, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
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Sugar bowl: No. 2 winner Georgia vs. Notre Dame/Indiana, 8:45 p.m. (ESPN)
When are the College Football Playoff Semifinals?
The semifinal games will be played Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 at the site of two bowl games.
THURSDAY JAN. 9
FRIDAY JAN. 10
When is the College Football Playoff National Championship?
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at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
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Winner of the Orange Bowl vs. Cotton Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: College Football Playoff Class: Schedule, Playoff TV
