The College Football Playoff will kick off with first round games on December 20 and 21 (see below for full schedule). The winners of those matchups will move on to the quarterfinals, set for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals will be January 9 and 10, and the national championship will be January 20.

Along the way, there will be 11 games that decide the national champion with contests being played on campus for the first time and including the six major bowls. Those first-round games will take place Dec.