College Football Playoff Dates Announced: Rose Bowl Game Time Earlier On New Year's Day

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 9:35 PM ET

No one likes change. when it comes to College Football, even when it isn't really that big of a deal.

The College Football Playoff announced its dates and times for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and National Championship, and some aren't happy about a few parts.

Many want the national title to be on the weekend, preferably on Saturday. Forgetting that the NFL rules everything in mid-January, the College Football Playoff puts the National Championship on a Monday to get a full weekend of promotional stuff in.

The Super Bowl gets a whole week of hype and parties. The College Football Playoff National Championship gets a smaller window of attention. Think of it this way - the NCAA Championship is on a Monday so the whole weekend is about the Final Four.

NEWS: The College Football Playoff and ESPN have announced dates, kick times and broadcast information for the Playoff Quarterfinals, Playoff Semifinals and the national championship game for the 2025-26 edition of the CFP.

Read more » https://t.co/kRrhyK6TIU #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/3iiaPxQTtK
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) April 22, 2025

And then there's the Rose Bowl. It's being moved ...

One hour.

It'll start at 4 pm ET instead of its normal 5 pm ET time, which apparently ruffles the feathers of those used to their traditional post-New Year's Eve hangover nap at a specific time every year.

(It's going to be okay.)

All of it means New Year's Day will be amazing with playoff games starting at 12:00 pm ET and going all day in a three-game run of fun.

College Football Playoff 2025-2026 Dates and Times

The schedule and times for the CFP bowls for this season.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Wednesday, December 31
Arlington, TX
7:30 pm ET, ESPN

Capital One Orange Bowl
Thursday, January 1
Miami Gardens, FL
12:00 pm ET, ESPN

Rose Bowl Game
Thursday, January 1
Pasadena, CA
4:00 pm ET, ESPN

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Thursday, January 1
New Orleans, LA
8:00 pm ET, ESPN