The College Football Playoff has mapped out its quarterfinal and semifinal dates and bowl sites for the 2028-31 seasons, keeping the games on the same rotating bowl schedule that has become part of the postseason setup.
For the 2028-29 CFP, the quarterfinal round opens Saturday, Dec. 30, 2028, at the Capital One Orange Bowl. The other quarterfinal games follow on Monday, Jan. 1, 2029, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The semifinals are set for Thursday, Jan. 11, 2029, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Friday, Jan. 12, 2029, at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The 2029-30 playoff shifts the quarterfinals to Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2030, at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl hosting the final quarterfinal on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2030. That year’s semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 10, 2030, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Friday, Jan. 11, 2030, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
For 2030-31, the quarterfinal slate begins Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2030, at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The remaining quarterfinal games are on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2031, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. The semifinals land Thursday, Jan. 9, 2031, at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Friday, Jan. 10, 2031, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The 2031-32 CFP quarterfinals start Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2031, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The other quarterfinals are set for Thursday, Jan. 1, 2032, at the Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Semifinal games that season will be played Thursday, Jan. 8, 2032, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Friday, Jan. 9, 2032, at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The CFP also pointed back to dates already announced for the first two years of the expanded format. In February, the organization said the 2026-27 quarterfinals will be played Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. The semifinals that season are scheduled for Jan. 14, 2027, at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Jan. 15, 2027, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
For 2027-28, the quarterfinals are set for Friday, Dec. 31, 2027, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Saturday, Jan. 1, 2028, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. The semifinals will be held Thursday, Jan. 13, 2028, at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Friday, Jan. 14, 2028, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 2026-27 CFP will use a 12-team bracket. The field includes the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference and Sun Belt Conference, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.
Notre Dame will get in if it finishes in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings. With historic bowl tie-ins removed from the assignment process beginning in 2026, the CFP Management Committee approved a setup in which the top three seeds, in rank order, choose their bowl path in the Playoff.
Game times and television network assignments for all Playoff games will be announced later.
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