Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; The College Football Playoff National Championship logo at midfield at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the college football season hurtling toward the homestretch, the College Football Playoff picture is starting to come into place.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, the College Football Playoff selection committee will unveil the first look at the 12-team field for the 2025-26 postseason if the season ended today.

Using the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and the latest USA TODAY Sports CFP projections, the Big Ten and the SEC are expected to consume much, if not all, of the top seeds in Tuesday's unveiling, as the CFP selection committee has moved to a straight seeding methodology this season to fill out the 12-team field.

The expected No. 1 overall seed is defending national champion Ohio State, which is undefeated at 8-0 on the season with Heisman Trophy candidates Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith. And as last year's push to the Selection Sunday showed, what Tuesday's rankings look like may not — and more likely won't — look the same in about a month from now after conference championship games finish up.

So, how long until the postseason gets underway? What dates are important in the coming weeks as teams look to either solidify their sports in the field or make a case to be included in it as either an at-large or an automatic bid off a conference championship run?

Here's everything you need to know about the 2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket schedule and dates, including when CFP rankings will be released and important dates for the CFP this season:

Stream College Football Playoff rankings reveal on Fubo (free trial)

CFP bracket schedule 2025-26

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff gets underway on Friday, Dec. 19, with the first of four CFP first-round games, which will once again take place on the campuses of the No. 5 through No. 8 seeds. The four quarterfinal New York Six Bowls this year include the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl; while the two semifinal games will be at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl.

The national championship will take place on Monday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET down in Miami Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium.

Here's a full breakdown of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, including kickoff games and TV channel information:

First Round

  • Friday, Dec. 19
    • Game 1: 8 p.m. ET | ABC and ESPN (Fubo)
  • Saturday, Dec. 20
    • Game 1: Noon ET | ABC and ESPN (Fubo)
    • Game 2: 3:30 p.m. ET | TNT and truTV (Sling TV)
    • Game 3: 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT and truTV (Sling TV)

Quarterfinals

  • Wednesday, Dec. 31
    • Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)
  • Thursday, Jan. 1
    • Orange Bowl: Noon ET | ESPN (Fubo)
    • Rose Bowl: 4 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)
    • Sugar Bowl: 8 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

Semifinals

  • Thursday, Jan. 8
    • Fiesta Bowl: 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)
  • Friday, Jan. 9
    • Peach Bowl: 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

Championship

  • Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami): 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

How to watch CFP 2025-26: TV channel, streaming options

  • TV channels: ABC | ESPN | TNT
  • Streaming options: Sling TV | Fubo (free trial)

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff will be broadcast nationally across an assortment of networks. The ESPN Family of Networks — ABC and ESPN — will broadcast nine of the 11 games this season, while TNT and truTV will broadcast two first-round games on Saturday, Dec. 20, as part of TNT Sports' five-year agreement with ESPN to sublicense CFP games.

You can stream the games on ABC and ESPN on Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers. As for the two games on TNT and truTV, Sling TV is a streaming option for those games.

Stream select College Football Playoff games on Fubo (free trial)

CFP rankings reveal dates

Here is a list of the full dates when the 2026 College Football Playoff rankings will be released:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 4 (8 p.m. ET)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 11 (7 p.m. ET)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 25 (7 p.m. ET)
  • Tuesday, Dec. 2 (7 p.m. ET)
  • Sunday, Dec. 7 (noon ET)

CFP 2025-26 schedule

Here is a list of full dates for the 2026 College Football Playoff:

  • Selection show: Sunday, Dec. 7
  • First round: Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20
  • Quarterfinals: Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1
  • Semifinals: Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9
  • National championship: Monday, Jan. 19

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CFB bracket dates: Full 2025-26 College Football Playoff dates, schedule, TV channels

Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect