College Football Playoff TV schedule revealed, TNT games to compete with NFL again

Kickoff times for the second-ever 12-team College Football Playoff have officially been revealed. A significant change this season involves the television broadcasts being split between two partners. According to Awful Announcing, ESPN's sublicense agreement with TNT Sports allows TNT to air two first-round games this season.

Unlike last year, where games were played in the noon ET and mid-afternoon windows on the first Saturday of the CFP, this year, TNT's games will air in the mid-afternoon and primetime windows, while ESPN retains the noon ET kickoff.

This setup will again see these games compete with NFL action. Sources indicate that Fox will air a doubleheader featuring the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles against the Washington Commanders on that same Saturday, December 20.

Although the NFL has yet to announce kickoff times for those games, they are expected to fall into the same mid-afternoon and primetime slots as TNT's first-round broadcasts. The report highlights that this is not an olive branch from ESPN, as both TNT games are likely to face stiff competition from the NFL.

Aside from these scheduling changes, nothing else has shifted. The CFP will commence with one game on Friday night on ESPN and ABC. Following the first round, all subsequent games will air exclusively on ESPN.

The quarterfinals are set to take place with one game on New Year's Eve and the remaining three on New Year's Day. The semifinals will feature one game on Thursday night and another on Friday night, leading up to the National Championship, which will be held on a Monday.

This year marks the final playoff under the existing television agreement, although it has been updated to accommodate the new 12-team format. Starting next year, ABC is expected to simulcast every game that ESPN broadcasts.

Additionally, beginning in 2026, TNT's inventory will expand to include quarterfinals and semifinals as part of the same sublicensing agreement with ESPN. This expansion includes two quarterfinal games and one semifinal game from 2026 to 2028, showing the growing partnership between these networks and the increasing prominence of college football in the sports broadcasting landscape.