For the first time, 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoff. The first round of games will be played on Dec. 20-21. Find out how to watch the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff below.
College Football Playoff 2024: First Round Schedule
Absolute scenes here in South Bend and it's only 4:15PM ☘️
📺@CollegeGameDay on @espn #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/augCiToL3Y
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 20, 2024
The first round of the College Football Playoff begins with one game on Dec. 20 and three on Dec. 21. The games will be played on the campuses of the higher seeds.
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame
- Date: Friday, Dec. 20, 2024
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana
- TV Channel: ESPN/ABC
- Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Katie George
- Line: Notre Dame -6.5
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Beaver Stadium — State College, Pennsylvania
- TV Channel: TNT/Max
- Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich, Tom Luginbill
- Line: Penn State -8.5
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium — Austin, Texas
- TV Channel: TNT/Max
- Announcers: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor, Laura Rutledge
- Line: Texas -12.5
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Ohio Stadium — Columbus, Ohio
- TV Channel: ESPN/ABC
- Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Marty Smith
- Line: Ohio State -7.5
College Football Playoff 2024: Quarterfinals
A new era of the #CFBPlayoff kicks off on ESPN, ABC & @TNTSportsUS@ESPNCFB First Round MegaCast ➡️ https://t.co/2KJcwWZJEV
Main telecast schedule below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kEmVPiJ0z7
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 19, 2024
The winners from the first round will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The locations of the quarterfinals will be sites from the New Year’s Six. The games will be played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.
All four games will be on ESPN.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU winner
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona
- TV Channel: ESPN
Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson winner
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV Channel: ESPN
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee winner
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Location: Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California
- TV Channel: ESPN
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana winner
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 8:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Caesars Superdome— New Orleans
- TV Channel: ESPN
