The New Year’s Day football 2026 schedule features three games, and all three are College Football Playoff Quarterfinal contests.
New Year’s Day bowl action kicks off on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, at noon ET, as the 5‑seed Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten meet the 4‑seed Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. ESPN will televise the game.
Up next is the “Granddaddy of Them All,” the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game. The 9‑seed Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC take on the top‑seed Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten, with kickoff set for 4:00pm ET on ESPN.
New Year’s Day concludes with the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:00pm ET on ESPN. The 3‑seed Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC face the 6‑seed Ole Miss Rebels, also of the SEC, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
The winners of the Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl will advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. The Orange and Rose Bowl champions will meet in the other semifinal at the Chick‑fil‑A Peach Bowl on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.
The college football season concludes on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, when the two semifinal winners square off in the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
New Year’s Day Football: 2026 Schedule
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1, 2026
CFP Quarterfinal – Capital One Orange Bowl
(5) Oregon vs. (4) Texas Tech
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
12:00pm ET | ESPN
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CFP Quarterfinal – Rose Bowl Game
(9) Alabama vs. (1) Indiana
Rose Bowl Stadium – Pasadena, CA
4:00pm ET | ESPN
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CFP Quarterfinal – Allstate Sugar Bowl
(6) Ole Miss vs. (3) Georgia
Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, LA
8:00pm ET | ESPN
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Football Schedules
