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No One Seems Happy with the College Football Playoff Calendar

By Marcus Hartman Men's Journal

The new calendar for the College Football Playoff has been released, and no one seems to like it.

Of course, people love to complain about everything on social media, but how often does everyone seem to agree?

The CFP and its network partners seem to have done the unthinkable with the way the schedule is laid out beginning in December all the way through late January.

A decades-old problem for college football

I have covered college football since the BCS didn't even have its own standalone championship game in 2005, so controversial postseason plans are nothing new.

The latest schedule released by the CFP seems to have done a wonderful job of mixing old complaints with new.

Back in the day, there were concerns about the long layoff teams faced and the championship game being too late in January.

For example, No. 1 Ohio State finished its regular season before Thanksgiving in 2006 then did not play again until Jan 8 when the Buckeyes were thrashed by underdog Florida in the first BCS National Championship Game that was not held in conjunction with a bowl.

The Big Ten fixed that "problem" by adding a bye week and a championship game a few years later so its final two teams play the first week in December if they make the Big Ten Championship Game.

Of course, since then the four-team and then 12-team playoff have been introduced, and they bring their own unique problems.

So what's the big deal?

The 2026-27 season is set to begin Dec. 18 with the first of four first-round games.

Three more are set for the next day.

The quarterfinals begin Dec. 30 with the Fiesta Bowl, then continue on New Year's Day with three more games at noon, 4 and 8 p.m.

Those will be the Peach, Cotton and Rose Bowls. Which game falls into each time slot is to be determined, but expect the Rose Bowl to be played at 4 p.m. because that is the preferred time slot for the game's organizers as it maximizes the aesthetics at the old bowl in Pasadena, including the sunsetting over the San Gabriel Mountains.

The semifinals are set to be played Jan. 14 at the Orange Bowl in South Florida and Jan. 15 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The CFP National Championship Game will be played in Las Vegas on Jan. 25 - 7:30 on a Monday night.

What's the problem with this?

To begin with, that third weekend in December is less than ideal for having major games on college campuses since it is so close to Christmas. That means most students likely have gone home for the holidays, and most people are already dealing with schedules jam-packed with things to do.

Beyond that, while the Jan. 1 games are generally popular, the early quarterfinal sticks out like a sore thumb as it will be held on a Wednesday night.

The weekday issue pops up again with the semifinal as they are scheduled for a Thursday and Friday night.

Long layoffs like the Buckeyes faced 20 years ago are a thing of the past, but the length of the postseason as a whole remains an issue.

Once upon a time, powers that be in CFB bemoaned "second semester football" when the standalone championship game was added and scheduled for the second Monday in January, but they have blown right by that and are holding three games deeper into the month/school calendar.

Having the championship game on a Monday remains a sore spot for many fans who would prefer it be played on a Saturday like most other big college football games, but that is actually a strategic decision by the CFP and its partners to get fans to visit the host city for more than one day.

Trying to avoid NFL playoff games that suck up lots of attention from the average football fans is also a factor on the weekend.

Another twist for TV viewers

While ESPN owns the rights to the CFP, it has subleased some games to TNT Sports since it began in 2024.

This year, that means TNT will have almost half the games - including two first-round games, two quarterfinals and one of the semifinals.

That might not mean much to some viewers, but the TNT games could be harder to get for some who have cut the cord and just harder to find for fans conditioned to flip on ESPN whenever a CFP game is scheduled to be played.

ABC will simulcast one game per round, including the championship, so those will be available to anyone with a TV antenna or subscription that includes ESPN.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 7:47 AM.

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