After months of anticipation, the 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday with (7) Notre Dame hosting (10) Indiana. The expanded format creates a more challenging path to the CFP title game and features on-campus first-round games for the first time in CFP history.
Three more games are scheduled for Saturday, starting with (6) Penn State hosting (11) SMU. Both programs are making their CFP debuts, and the winner will advance to face (3) Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Later in the day, (5) Texas will host (12) Clemson in Austin. The winner will move on to face Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. To wrap up the first round, (9) Tennessee travels to Columbus to play (8) Ohio State, with the winner earning a matchup against (1) Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
As the first round of the College Football Playoff gets underway, here’s a viewer’s guide to help you navigate all the games.
All times Eastern
College Football Playoff first-round TV schedule
(10) Indiana at (7) Notre Dame (Friday) — 8:00 p.m. on ABC/ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): The 12-team CFP era begins in South Bend, Indiana as Notre Dame hosts Indiana. The Fighting Irish will make their third appearance in the CFP, while the Hoosiers are making their debut. Indiana is in the midst of its best season in program history, thanks in large part to first-year coach Curt Cignetti. The quarterback matchup between Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard and Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke should be fun.
(11) SMU at (6) Penn State — noon on TNT/Max: Penn State and SMU both make their CFP debuts this weekend. Nittany Lions cooach James Franklin is 4-14 against top-15 ranked teams in his coaching career — the worst record of any coach with at least 15 such games. A deep playoff run could quickly flip the narrative for Franklin. SMU fell ust short of winning the ACC in its first year of membership. Now the Mustangs will travel for the first round of the CFP as a result. The atmosphere inside Penn State should be electric.
(12) Clemson at (5) Texas — 4 p.m. on TNT/Max: In college basketball, a team that’s not expected to make the NCAA Tournament but earns a spot by winning its conference is called a “bid thief.” Clemson played the role of bid thief earlier this month, defeating SMU in the ACC title game to secure a CFP berth. Now the Tigers hit the road to face Texas in the first round. The Longhorns enter the game fresh off a loss to Georgia in the SEC title game. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik have a history dating back to a high school state-championship battle in Texas.
(9) Tennessee at (8) Ohio State — 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): Ohio State came up short of reaching the Big Ten title game, falling to Michigan in the final week of the regular season despite entering as a three-touchdown favorite. The pressure is on coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes as Tennessee visits for a heavyweight matchup at “The Shoe.” Tennessee closed out the season by winning six of its final seven games to secure an at-large berth in the CFP. The winner of this game will advance to face (1) Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
