We learned of the matchups for the College Football Playoff earlier in the day, and now we have kickoff times for the semifinal games to be played in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl this season. In addition, we have the matchups for the remaining New Years Six Bowl games officially locked in stone.
Alabama and Oklahoma are playing in the Orange Bowl after it was learned Alabama preferred not to give Oklahoma more of a home-field advantage in the Cotton Bowl. That left Clemson and Notre Dame to occupy the Cotton Bowl in the other semifinal game played on Dec. 29. The appetizer to the semifinals that day will be served in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl with a noon kickoff from Atlanta between Michigan and Florida.
After a couple days off due to the NFL schedule and New Year’s Eve, the fun continues with three more New Years Six bowl games on Jan. 1. First up is the Fiesta Bowl, featuring UCF and LSU. The Rose Bowl between Big Ten champion and Pac-12 champion Washington is after that, and the day wraps up with Georgia and Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Both teams were invited to the Sugar Bowl by way of conference tie-ins with the Sugar Bowl. Because both conference champions from the SEC and Big 12 were selected for the playoff, the runners-up in the conference championship games were next in line.
DECEMBER 29, 2018
College Football Playoff semifinals
- Capital One Orange Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN - Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Clemson vs. Notre Dame
8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
New Year’s Six
- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida
12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
JANUARY 1, 2019
- PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. LSU
1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN - Rose Bowl Game: Ohio State vs. Washington
5:00 p.m. ET - Allstate Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Texas
8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, January 7, 2019. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
