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Future dates and sites for new expanded 12-team College Football Playoff

Whether it’s the ongoing topic of conference realignment, the introduction of name, image, and likeness, the rise of the transfer portal in recent years, or the eventual expansion of the College Football Playoff, it’s obvious that the current landscape is changing dramatically.

In early December, it was announced that the playoff would expand to 12 teams starting in 2024, meaning that this upcoming season will be the last under the 4-team model that we’ve come to know. For fans of the Oregon Ducks and the Pac-12 in general, that is great news, meaning that there is a guarantee that a school from out west will get in each and every year, with the Power 5 conference champions getting an automatic bid.

With the news of an expanded playoff, it changes the structure of how the bowl system will work. Instead of having two semifinal sites that feed into the national championship game, the new-look playoffs will start at the higher seeds’ college campuses or otherwise determined venues. Four bowl games will host quarterfinals. Two will host the semifinals. Finally, the national championship venues will still be bid out and selected ahead of time.

With all of the changes afoot, we thought it would be good to revisit what all the fun will look like with known dates and venues through 2026. There’s still a lot to be announced with specific times and dates, but here’s how it all looks so far.

2023-2024 New Year's Six Venues (Pre-Expansion)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

New Year’s Six Games

Friday, Dec. 29
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Mercedez-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)

Saturday, Dec. 30
Fiesta Bowl – State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
Orange Bowl – Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)

2023-24 College Football Playoff Venues (Post Expansion)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

College Football Playoff Games

Monday, Jan. 1

Rose Bowl Game Playoff semifinal- Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, California)
Cotton Bowl Classic Playoff semifinal – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

Monday, January, 8

CFP national championship – NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)

2024-25 College Football Playoff — Rounds 1 and 2

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

First-Round Games at Home Field or Other Higher Seed-Determined venues

Week Ending Dec. 21, 2024

No. 12 at No. 5
No. 11 at No. 6
No. 10 at No. 7
No. 9 at No. 8

Quarterfinals (Date and Times TBD)

Fiesta Bowl
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
Sugar Bowl

2024-25 College Football Playoffs — Semifinals and Finals

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Semifinals (Date and Times TBD)

Cotton Bowl Classic
Orange Bowl

National Championship

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
Mercedez-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)

2025-26 College Football Playoffs — Rounds 1 and 2

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

First-Round Games at Home Field or Other Higher Seed-Determined venues

Week Ending Dec. 20, 2025 (projection)

No. 12 at No. 5
No. 11 at No. 6
No. 10 at No. 7
No. 9 at No. 8

Quarterfinals (Date and Times TBD)

Cotton Bowl Classic
Rose Bowl Game
Orange Bowl
Sugar Bowl

2025-26 College Football Playoffs — Semifinals and Finals

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Semifinals (Date and Times TBD)

Fiesta Bowl
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

National Championship

Monday, Jan. 19, 2026
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire