College Football Playoff Sites Announced for 2026 and 2027: Here’s Where the Road to the Title Runs Through
With the expanded College Football Playoff era now in full swing, we’ve got clarity on where the sport’s biggest postseason battles will unfold in 2026 and 2027. The CFP committee has officially locked in the quarterfinal and semifinal locations for the next two seasons, giving programs like Notre Dame a clear picture of the stages they'll need to conquer to chase a national championship.
For Notre Dame-fresh off a run to the title game in the 2024-25 season-these venues could soon become familiar territory. Here’s how the playoff calendar shakes out, and how the Irish have fared historically in these iconic bowl games.
2026 College Football Playoff Schedule
The quarterfinal round will take place on Wednesday, December 30th, and Friday, January 1st, with a noticeable gap on Thursday, December 31st-likely to avoid a head-to-head clash with the NFL’s Thursday Night Football. That scheduling quirk means the winner of the December 30th game gets a little extra prep time heading into the semifinals.
The four host bowls for the 2026 quarterfinals are:
- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, Arizona
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Arlington, Texas
- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Atlanta, Georgia
- Rose Bowl - Pasadena, California
The semifinal matchups will be played on:
- Thursday, January 14th - Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida)
- Friday, January 15th - Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The national championship game will be held on Monday, January 25th in Las Vegas-a fitting stage for the sport’s ultimate showdown.
2027 College Football Playoff Schedule
The following season brings a slightly different layout. The quarterfinals will be played across two days:
- Friday, December 31st - Allstate Sugar Bowl
- Saturday, January 1st - Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and Rose Bowl
Semifinals will be held on:
- Thursday, January 13th - Capital One Orange Bowl
- Friday, January 14th - Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
The 2027 national title game returns to New Orleans, scheduled for Monday, January 24th.
Notre Dame’s Path: A Look at Bowl History
Notre Dame’s postseason résumé is as storied as any in college football, and their recent surge-including a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia and a dramatic Orange Bowl victory over Penn State-has them back in the national conversation. Let’s take a closer look at how the Irish have fared in the playoff host bowls.
Cotton Bowl Classic (5-3 All-Time)
The Cotton Bowl has been a stage for both glory and heartbreak for Notre Dame. The Irish are 5-3 overall, with some of their most iconic wins coming here-none bigger than the 38-10 dismantling of No. 1 Texas to close out the 1977 season, a win that vaulted Notre Dame from No. 5 to national champions.
Notable matchups:
- 1971 - Beat No.
1 Texas, 24-11
- 1978 - Beat No.
1 Texas, 38-10 (National Championship)
- 2018 - Lost to No.
2 Clemson, 30-3 (Playoff Semifinal)
Orange Bowl (3-3 All-Time)
The Orange Bowl has been a mixed bag, but it’s delivered some memorable moments. In 1975, the Irish edged out No.
2 Alabama, and in 1990, they took down No. 1 Colorado.
That win was followed by a narrow loss in the 1991 rematch, where a Raghib Ismail punt return touchdown was controversially called back.
Notable matchups:
- 1975 - Beat No.
2 Alabama, 13-11
- 1990 - Beat No.
1 Colorado, 21-6
- 2025 - Beat No.
4 Penn State, 27-24 (Playoff Semifinal)
Fiesta Bowl (1-5 All-Time)
The Fiesta Bowl hasn’t been kind to Notre Dame in recent decades. The lone win came in 1989, when the Irish took down No.
3 West Virginia to claim their most recent national title. Since then, it’s been a string of tough matchups and tougher losses-including a blown 28-7 lead against Oklahoma State in 2022, marking the start of Marcus Freeman’s tenure.
Notable matchups:
- 1989 - Beat No.
3 West Virginia, 34-21 (National Championship)
- 2022 - Lost to No.
9 Oklahoma State, 37-35
Rose Bowl (1-1 All-Time)
Notre Dame’s Rose Bowl appearances have been rare, but historic. The 1925 win over Stanford remains one of the program’s early crown jewels.
Their only other appearance came in 2021, a COVID-era semifinal played in Arlington, Texas, where they fell to No. 1 Alabama.
Notable matchups:
- 1925 - Beat Stanford, 27-10
- 2021 - Lost to No. 1 Alabama, 31-14 (Semifinal, played in Texas)
Looking Ahead
With the playoff structure now expanded and the schedule set, the roadmap to the national championship is clearer than ever. For Notre Dame, the mission is simple: earn a spot, survive and advance. And if history is any indicator, the Irish know how to rise to the occasion on college football’s biggest stages-even if the path is anything but easy.
The venues are iconic, the stakes are massive, and the countdown is already on. The next two seasons of college football promise drama, legacy-defining wins, and maybe-just maybe-a new chapter in Notre Dame’s championship history.