As tradition holds, New Year’s Day is for college football and the bowl game schedule to kickoff 2026 are as big as it gets. On January 1, 2026, the College Football Playoff takes center stage with three quarterfinal bowl games. There is no NFL Thursday Night Football game on TV today as the country focuses on college football.
Fans can leave the remote alone as all of the New Year’s Day games are on ESPN. There are no non-College Football Playoff bowl games on TV today.
Miami kicked the next round off of the College Football Playoff with an upset victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Canes await the winner of the Sugar Bowl as Georgia takes on Ole Miss at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Texas Tech squares off against Oregon in the Orange Bowl to kickoff today’s college football schedule. Fans can watch this CFP matchup at 12 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Finally, the Rose Bowl is once again in its traditional New Year’s Day late-afternoon window.
Yet, it comes with a non-traditional matchup with an SEC-Big Ten clash. Indiana squares off against Alabama in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Here’s what you need to know about the college football schedule for New Year’s Day.
College Football Schedule for New Year’s Day: There Are 3 College Football Playoff Games on TV Today
Here’s a look at the college football schedule for New Year’s day. All times listed are in Eastern.
| DATE | GAME | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
| January 1 | No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 1 | No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 1 | No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
College Football Schedule for Friday, January 2: There Are 4 Bowl Games on Friday
The bowl schedule continues on Friday, January 2, with four games. Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule and all times listed are in Eastern.
| DATE | GAME | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
| January 2 | Rice vs. Texas State | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 2 | Navy vs. Cincinnati | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 2 | Arizona vs. SMU | 8 p.m. | FOX |
| January 2 | Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
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