College Football Playoff 2025 Selection Show: Time, TV, and How to Watch

College Football Playoff

The countdown is officially on for one of the most anticipated moments of the college football season. The field for the 2025 College Football Playoff will be revealed during the selection show on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in live on ESPN, with streaming available through the ESPN app and WatchESPN.

This year marks the continued use of the expanded 12-team playoff format, introduced last season. The selection committee will unveil all 12 qualifiers, complete seeding, and the full bracket including first-round matchups, quarterfinal bowl assignments, semifinal locations, and the path to the national championship.

Under the current structure, the five highest-ranked conference champions automatically receive bids, regardless of where they appear in the Top 25 rankings. The remaining seven spots are awarded to the next highest-ranked teams. From those 12, the top four seeds earn a first-round bye, advancing directly to the quarterfinals.

Teams seeded No. 5 through No. 12 will compete in the opening round, with games played on the home field of the higher-seeded program — a format that added major excitement and memorable environments during its inaugural run last year.

As the committee prepares its final rankings, playoff implications remain high. Power conference contenders, unbeaten hopefuls, and potential surprise bids from Group of Five programs are all in the mix. Bubble teams will anxiously watch the show, hoping résumé strength and late-season performances are enough to secure a spot.

How to watch the selection show for the College Football Playoffs

On Sunday, December 7, the College Football Playoff selections will be made. That’s when we’ll get the selection committee’s official 12-team bracket and the final top 25 rankings.

WHEN: 12-3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 7
TV: ESPN
STREAMING: WatchESPN

There are also six in-season rankings shows during the season, with the final rankings show on Dec. 7 the day for the official bracket.

Though we won’t know the bracket matchups until Sunday, Dec. 7, we do know the game times for all College Football Playoff games this season. Take a look:

First round (Dec. 19-20) — on campus
- Friday, Dec. 19
  - 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
- Saturday, Dec. 20:
  - 12 p.m. on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
  - 3:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max
  - 7:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31
  - Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
- Thursday, Jan. 1
  - Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
  - Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
  - Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | 8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
- Thursday, Jan. 8
  - Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
- Friday, Jan. 9
  - Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
- Monday, Jan. 19
  - Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN

Here’s a rundown of all prior College Football Playoff championship games.

Year (SEASON)	Game	LOCATION
2014	No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20	Arlington, Texas
2015	No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40	Glendale, Ari.
2016	No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31	Tampa, Fla.
2017	No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23	Atlanta, Ga.
2018	No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16	Santa Clara, Calif.
2019	No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25	New Orleans, La.
2020	No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24	Miami Gardens, Fla.
2021	No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18	Indianapolis, Ind.
2022	No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7	Inglewood, Calif.
2023	No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13	Houston, Texas
2024	No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23	Atlanta, Ga.

How the CFP went last year

Last season, the College Football Playoff increased to 12 teams from its previous four-team format of ten years.

When games were played on campus at the higher seed in the first round, all four home teams prevailed. No. 8 seed Ohio State ended up winning the championship, defeating No. 7 Notre Dame in the title game.

Here’s a detailed summary of the 2024-25 games:

First round (Dec. 20-21)
- Friday, Dec. 20: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
- Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)
- Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
- Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
- Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
- Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
CFP National Championship
- No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta)