It’s been a wild ride. Honestly, if you told me a year ago that Indiana would be the number one seed heading into the final stretch, I’d have asked you to check your temperature. But here we are. The 12-team format has completely flipped the script on how we view the postseason, turning December and January into a gauntlet that feels more like March Madness than the old bowl system we grew up with.
If you’re trying to track the college football playoff schedule, you’ve likely noticed it's not just a New Year’s Day affair anymore. It’s a month-long marathon. We started with twelve teams, and now we’re down to the final two: No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami.
The Remaining Schedule: The Title Game
Everything is funneling toward south Florida. Mark your calendar for Monday, January 19, 2026.
That’s when the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers meet the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. It’s a home game for the Canes, basically. But Indiana has been an absolute steamroller under Curt Cignetti, entering this game with a perfect 15-0 record.
How We Got Here: The Path to Miami
To understand the weight of this college football playoff schedule, you have to look at the wreckage left behind in the earlier rounds. This year was the first time we saw the "straight-seeding" approach for byes. The top four teams—Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech—all got to sit out the first round.
It didn't necessarily help everyone.
The Quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were a bloodbath for the favorites. No. 10 Miami stunned No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl (24-14), and No. 6 Ole Miss knocked off No. 3 Georgia (39-34) in a Sugar Bowl thriller.
The Semifinals were just as chaotic. On January 8, Miami narrowly escaped Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl. Then, on January 9, Indiana reminded everyone why they’re ranked where they are by dismantling Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl.
Why the Schedule Looked Different This Year
The 12-team expansion changed the calendar’s gravity. We used to wait until New Year’s for the "real" games. This year, the first-round games took place on December 19 and 20.
These were campus-site games, which is easily the best part of the new format. Watching Alabama travel to Norman to play Oklahoma in a playoff environment on December 19 was surreal. Alabama won that one 34-24, but the atmosphere at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium proved that home-field advantage in the playoffs is a total game-changer.
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Other first-round matchups included:
- Miami beating Texas A&M 10-3 at Kyle Field.
- Ole Miss handling Tulane 41-10 in Oxford.
- Oregon taking down James Madison 51-34 in Eugene.
Basically, the "Big Six" bowls—Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach, and Fiesta—now serve as the rotating hosts for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals. It’s a lot to keep track of, but it ensures that the biggest brands in bowl history stay relevant while the tournament grows.
Common Misconceptions About the New Format
People keep asking about reseeding. To be clear: the CFP does not reseed. If a No. 10 seed upsets a No. 2 seed, they stay in that bracket line. This is why we are seeing a 1-vs-10 matchup in the title game.
Another weird quirk? The byes. In 2024, the four highest-ranked conference champions got the byes. In 2025, it shifted to the four highest-ranked teams period. That’s why Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech got the week off.
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Actionable Steps for the Championship Game
If you're planning on catching the final game of the college football playoff schedule, here is what you need to do:
- Check the Broadcast: ESPN has the exclusive rights, so make sure your streaming login or cable package is active. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call.
- Verify the Time: 7:30 p.m. ET is the pregame window; actual kickoff usually happens closer to 7:50 p.m. ET.
- Watch the Line: Indiana is currently favored by about 7.5 points. If you're a betting person, keep an eye on injury reports for Miami’s Carson Beck, who had a slight limp after that TD scramble against Ole Miss.
- Local Logistics: If you’re actually heading to Miami, traffic near Hard Rock Stadium is notoriously bad. Aim to be in your seat by 6:30 p.m. to catch the national anthem by Jamal Roberts.
The transition to a 12-team field has been polarizing for some traditionalists, but the ratings don't lie. Having meaningful football games spread across the entire month of December and January has turned the sport into a national obsession that rivals the NFL playoffs.